by Shelia West

Created on: August 16, 2008   Last Updated: August 19, 2008

Will sexism in the workplace ever go away? Can it ever go away? Is it possible to create a completely neutral workplace for men and women working together in the same workplace? The answer is no.

I'm not just talking about equal rights and equal pay for women doing the same jobs as men. In some cases, women do get equal pay for doing the same job as a man and do have equal rights. The government has all kinds of rules about that. And it is obeyed as far as the companies themselves are concerned. At least as far as the eye can see. It's the little subtle differences in the way women are treated. I'm talking about the attitudes of the men working around a woman. In some cases, they can be condescending and treat the woman quite well, but still give off the sense of "she shouldn't be here". I've even heard a man remark, "She took some poor man's job who had a family to feed." Well, if you check the statistics, as many single women are raising families alone as men are. And it's not just remarks like that. Many women still get the snide little sexual remarks. Do you think a guy would walk up to another guy and whisper, "That uniform sure fits you good." Okay, maybe if he's gay. But if the other guy isn't gay, someone's going to get knocked out.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting all the blame on the male species. Women have very well been known to use their sex to their advantage. Many will give off that "I'm a woman, I'm not as strong as you guys," just to get help or to get some macho guy to do her work for her. That attitude is a big part of what keeps sexism going. It really does hurt other women who are trying their best to do their job, especially in jobs that are commonly considered man-type jobs. I'm talking a lot about jobs such as construction and manual labor type jobs. But really, when you think about it, some women may not be as strong as some guys, but then again, some guys aren't as strong as other guys. Strength is really an individual trait. There are ways around using brute strength. Many companies have equipment to do heavy lifting and moving. A woman working in a warehouse or company that entails any heavy lifting should know how to operate the company forklift or use a dolly. How strong a person is should not be an issue. But women also face challenges in the business world as executives or professionals. Even women with law degrees may run into the sexual obstacles that seem to be there, whether we see them or not. They may get passed up for partnerships or promotion based on their gender.

But let's be realistic. Men and women are different. God made us that way for a reason. He also gave us the sexual urges and desires we feel for the opposite sex. No matter what the rules and regulations dictate, we can't just turn off the sexual feelings that God created within us because society says we should. However, we can control our attitudes, language, and actions. If we can do this, then everyone can work together in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

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