Contrast Womens Position In The Mauritian Sociology Essay

Contrast Wo handss Position In The Mauritian Sociology Essaythither has been a marked convert for the better in our ov successionll plan of attack towards the women in Mauritius. G adept be the days when their place was considered to be dirty dog the four walls of the house and their unless job was confined to tone subsequently the household affairs. But now they can be come upn working lift to shoulder with men in every sphere of life. This is undoubtedly a good sign and an indication of their emancipation. It is a known fact that women lease played an active role in the scotch development of Mauritius since its liberty in 1968.In the period 1983-2001 the human body of women in full-time function rose by 81 per pennyimeime, from 93,000 to 168,700. Women now represent 51 per cent of the population (608,458 out of a thorough going population of 1,205,665) and 35 per cent of the labour force (186,400 out of 538,500). The sh ar of women in agree recitation stands at 34 per cent in 2001, up from 23 per cent in 1972. As in most developing countries, womens increased economic importance has been the result of a gradual process of change and non an explicit policy focus. But it is important to stress that since ratifying the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1984, the Mauritian Government has undertaken a number of significant legal reforms to remove all instances of discrimination against women in Mauritian law. tho, while the economic empowerment of women has known significant land along with over the decades, there is notwithstanding a long way to go to raise their standard of living to be at par with that of their virile counterparts in the work sector.Women in the Mauritians human race and snobby sectorWomen slake create to strive to be at the alike level of their priapic counterparts in the Mauritian existence and insular work sector. According to interchange Statistical authoriz ation, employment in the General Government Sector decrease by about 500 from 74 300 (52,100 viriles, 22,200 female persons) in contact 2006 to about 73 800 (51 200 males, 22 600 females) in March 2007. triad out of four persons employed in General Government were males. antheral workers were predominant in all activity hosts, except in real(a) estate, renting and business services where the female employees accounted for 66 percent of the total employment in the activity. It is to be noted that female employment in Public administration and defence compulsory social security, Education and health and social work together accounted for around 96 percent of total female employment in General Government.Employment by Ministry/ part and gender in theGeneral Government, March 2007Government Services antheralFemaleTotalBudgetary Central Government37 36716 97554 342Office of the President, Judicial and National Assembly503245748Prime Ministers Office12 4651,03313 498Ministry of Fo reign Affairs, International Trade157169326Ministry of Agro Industry and Fisheries220242462Ministry of Education, last and Human Re germs5765581111576Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment276233509This table show that the mass of cosmos jobs are being allocated to males rather than their females counterparts, hence, perpetuating the notion of gender diversity in the public work sector.In the private arena too, the icon is more(prenominal) or slight the same. Men are the more prefer employees and master almost all the spheres of work. Occupation-wise, women are largely confined to low level, low paid jobs, such(prenominal) as machine operators in the EPZ enterprises, clerk, typists and memory board assistants. Nearly 60 per cent of women work in the manufacturing sector, of whom 91 per cent in the textile factories. 75,000 employees in the private sector earn less than Rs 5000. 75 per cent of them are women. Only 14 per cent (or unrivaledness in seven) of women in full-time paid employment in the private sector hold senior management or professional posts. contempt the positive developments that had taken place in Mauritius in this modern era with respect to the increase in womens employment, the promotion of their human rights and their economic independence, this discrimination between man and woman in the labour force as yet insists although we are all now talking about combating gender inequation. For illustration women are more the likely to be employed in jobs like sales girls, clerks, assistant, speakers, whereas on the other hand, jobs with big positions and which require leadership skills such as ministers, managers, engineers, doctors, lawyers are mostly reserved for men. Why is it so? The statistics are showing us that girls are outperforming boys in primary, befriendary and tertiary schooling. How stick to they are not allocated the big post public or private jobs in the country. This is the question that render s us perplexed. Women continue to aspire for leadership positions in all spheres of governance in both the public and private sector. However it has not been easy we can say.Historically, leadership has carried the notion of masculinity and the mental go out that men make better leaders than women is still common today. Although the number of female leaders has increased, they are often named as an afterthought. This belief that men lead and women follow is so impregnated in the Mauritian mind that the atomic number 42 sex though intelligent are being deprived of legion(predicate) facilities in the workforce. They are not treated fairly as their male counterparts in the work setting. Despite efforts made to ensure that female standard is achieved at all levels of governance, women are still underrepresented in some(prenominal) disposal and non-government organizations particularly in positions of power and leadership (de la Rey, 2005).From statistics presented by Sadie (2005 ) on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) sevensary structures, it is evident that the lead of 30% copy by women in political and decision-making structures of member states was not met, except in South Africa and Mozambique. For instance, by 2004 the proportion of women in parliament was 15.4% in Angola, 15.9% in Botswana, 12% in Lesotho, 14.4% in Malawi, 17.14% in Mauritius, 25% in Namibia, and while South Africa and Mozambique had 32.8% and 37.2% respectively. Great strides gull been made in the political realm, and womens participation in both the freedom struggles and democratic processes of many African countries including Mauritius have been notable. However, this participation has not always translated into equal representation in political leadership positions. Once elections are conducted, and positions are assigned, one realizes that women are no longer visible, thus, we can notice that in politics, women have been marginalized because men monopolize the decision making structures and are in the majority.Moreover, in education and academic circles too, the picture is more distressing especially if one looks at higher education. One would expect that things would change faster in this environment. After all, as Carleene Dei (2006) observed, universities are traditionally viewed as centres of free thought, change and human development. But leadership in higher education is still a mans world and universities are male dominated institutions. Men likewise dominated positions at professorial and senior lecturer positions. It is therefore quite an evident that men dominate the governance and management levels of higher education institutions. Consequently, men have the decision-making power and authority regarding strategic direction, and allocation of resources. various(a) factors are at work in limiting womens potential to aspire to positions of leadership both in the public and private sector. Sadie (2005) advanced the course that women face the patriarchal system where decision making powers are in the hands of males. Despite womens education and entry into the job market, the womans role is typically one of homemaker. The man, on the other hand, is bread winner, head of household and has a right to public life .Confining womens identity to the house servant sphere is one of the barriers to womens entry into politics. The media too has a major part in influencing and perpetuating the second sex as being inferior. For example, they always portray women to be sensitive, calm, caring, looking after children and men as being assertive, courageous, and valiant. Thus, it is not surprising to see men dominating the work arena. The table below shows that all types of public and private jobs are mostly suited to men rather than female. Women dominate in the clerical sector only.Employment by occupational group and sex, 2009However, despite inequality prevailing, there are some women who were able to outstrip cultura l barriers, stereotypes and rise to positions of leadership (whether in politics or elsewhere), such as Margaret Thatcher, Sonia Gandhi, Julia Gillard. But these are exceptions and exceptions do not make the restrain In fact, it has been argued that women themselves are often reluctant to run for public positions and this is partially attributed to cultural prohibitions on women speaking in public or going to public places. Political campaigning for instance, requires that one travel extensively, spend nights outside from home, go into bars, and for women it means meeting men. Women who struggle for public office have to consider the risk of being labelled loose or risky as mothers and wives, and being socially stigmatized. Such considerations make many women incertain away from politics, and positions that put them in the public eye.Furthermore, in other public and private arenas also, womens access to leadership positions has been hindered by discrimination and stereotyping. Wo men are more or less persecuted for seeking an executive position. This is largely due to societys status toward appropriate male and female roles. Women have to face the sticky floor, preventing them to get access to the high position jobs. In fact, the recruitment processing itself is acuate women. For instance, in the private sector, the manager leave behind choose a matrimonial man employer rather than a married woman in the recruitment process. Since they all have the prejudices that women can fall pregnant at anytime, they will have to take maternity leaves, thus, hampering the productivity of the company during their absences. Therefore, with a male worker, there is no such problem. Hence, men are more favoured and are more likely to be recruited.Comparison of salary in the public v/s private sectorIf the public service, decrying those at the head of the wage scale are worse off compared to the private sector, in the private sector, it insists that the preservation of j obs is more important than salary increases that might put the company at risk. In the private sector, employees whether men or women are better paid than in the public sphere. The table below shows this evidence. Its source is from MEF.Types of jobsPublic sectorPrivate sectorReceptionist / Telephonistbetween Rs 8400 and Rs 16000 amid Rs 5,000 and Rs 28,210Human Resource Officer betwixt Rs 17,200 and Rs 26,400Between Rs 15,358 and Rs 41,420SecretaryBetween Rs 9600 and Rs 21400Between Rs 10,167 and Rs 29,434Human resource managerBetween Rs31,250 and Rs 45,000Between Rs 35,000 and Rs 94,600 well-behaved EngineeringBetween Rs 22,000 and Rs 45,000Between Rs 20,375 and Rs 65,300General workerBetween Rs 6,425 and Rs 10,200Between Rs 6,205 and Rs 18,300Conclusion and RecommendationWomen continue to enter the workplace in change magnitude numbers in all developed countries. Several factors account for this trend. An change magnitude number of economies have become industrialized, the ser vice sector has grown enterprisingness up positions for women, and growth in public and not-for profit sectors have created newfangled opportunities for women. However, the pace of advancement for women in the top position jobs continues to be averse and uneven in different countries and cultures. Women still cannot crack the marble roof and are thus at a disadvantage despite they birth lots of skills and aptitudes. Educational institutions can help by teaching the equality of the sexes through lessons. Further, the family too should not be biased and give the same kind of upbringing to the sons and daughters. Boys should be made to help in the domestic chores as much as the girls. The mass media should also project the picture of the women as an equal with the same desires, ambitions and intelligence. True liberation of women is possible only when our overall attitude is changed