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Essay on The Differences between Men and Women in the Workplace
Around the world, in disaster after disaster, studies and reports find that disasters hit some groups harder than others. The recent tsunami in Asia, which killed more than 200,000 people, caused higher losses among children, persons with disabilities, and women. In the village of Lampuuk, Indonesia, the tsunami killed all of the women. We don't have to look to developing nations, though, to understand the dynamics of gender and disaster. After Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, studies found that low-income households headed by women were less able to evacuate or prepare their homes than higher-income households or those headed by men. Further, female-headed households took longer to recover from the hurricane's destruction.
The workplace is no exception to this pattern. Researchers are finding gender-based differences in disasters that are relevant to the workplace. For example, women are more likely to head small businesses than large corporations, and studies have found that small businesses have a harder time surviving after disasters than their larger counterparts. (Webb, Gary, Kathleen Tierney, and James Dahlhamer, 2000)Because these differential risks can result in additional loss of life, workplace injuries, employee turnover, and business loss, we need to pay attention to and act on these findings. In the long run, preparing and assisting employees helps businesses survive workplace disasters or events that affect the personal lives of individual workers. If employers want to retain trained, valuable employees, they must understand the relationship between gender and disaster and design disaster-resilient programs for the entire workforce.
All women do not experience disasters the same way, especially in terms of their private lives. A secretary in her 60s who loses her home has significantly less time to recover financially and perhaps physically, than a younger counterpart. A female employee who bears the burden of child care and elder care will face increased family responsibilities at home.....
