by Michelle Powers

Created on: December 01, 2008

"Workplace diversity is a people issue, focused on the differences and similarities that people bring to an organization. It is usually defined broadly to include dimensions beyond those specified legally in equal opportunity and affirmative action non-discrimination statutes." (Woods, 2001). In this paper the writer will explore how gender, age, race, ethnicity, and religion affect individuals in the workplace and the work environment. The writer will also discuss the importance of a having a culturally diverse workforce.

Gender plays a vast role in the workplace for several reasons. "The research on working women in general tells us that there are very few differences between men and women that affect job performance. However, women are reported to be more conforming and to have lower expectations of success than men do. And women's absenteeism rates tend to be higher than those of men."(Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005). The explanation for women being more conforming in the workplace is rooted in history. When women joined the workforce, they were paid less than men, and this practice still continues. Women do not feel secure in the workforce because they are treated dissimilarly, therefore, causing women to be more conforming. Women often do not want to draw attention to themselves because they desire to stay employed.

Finding a sense of balance between work and family life is a struggle many women face. Some women find that working full-time while raising a family is not cost effective, so they opt for part-time work, or to not work until their children are of school age. Women's absenteeism will always be slightly hirer because they can give birth. A woman working is not always cost-effective, because of the high costs of child care, and women are not usually the primary financial provider. Women's absenteeism is higher than men but not because women are any less dedicated; it is because they are ordinarily the primary caregiver. This could change as more men are becoming primary caregivers and the gap between men and women's salary is closing.

As a woman the writer has received a great deal of pressure from other women and men to either chose a career or a family. Men in the writer's workplace have not faced such pressures because society does not see them as primary caregivers; men are allowed to be career orientated. If a woman chooses not to have children, society speculates why, while men would not be questioned. According to society a woman

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