For this assignment you will conduct a brief observation of interactions between employees as they perform their jobs in a public workplace in order to assess the possible causes for the gender pay gap in a specific industry. It should be an informal observation, done without attracting attention to yourself.
Preparation:
- Before conducting the observation, you will pick a place to perform the observation.
- The location should be readily accessible and you need to be able to perform the observation without disturbing the actions of the employees.
- Once you decide on a location, determine the industry that location represents using the .
- Note the pay gap for women in that industry and consider reasons why that may exist: Are they just paid less? Do they work fewer hours? Do they generally hold lower-paying positions? Do they have few opportunities to earn? Etc.
Observation:
Go to your chosen observation site (note the location, time, and date). Try to conduct the observation during the course of your normal routine. For instance, you might observe interactions between employees at work in the grocery store or gas station, at the local discount retailer, in a coffee shop, in the bank, or at your doctor’s or dentist’s office.
The length of time needed for the observation will vary, but 15 or 20 minutes should be enough to gather the information you will need to address the required elements of the analysis essay for Part 2 of this assignment. Use the list of questions below during your observation to be sure that you collect all of the data you will need to complete the analysis.
- How many males and females are at work at the observation site?
- Is there a difference in the way males and females dress?
- Are there gender differences in communication styles or body language observed among the employees?
- Do males and females perform the same types of work?
- Are there areas of the workplace where men or women are more commonly found working?
- Is the manager (or superior officer) at the site male or female?
- Does he or she interact more, or noticeably differently, with male and female employees?
- Is there any evidence of the influence of gender in the ways employees at the site interact with each other?
- Is there evidence of multiculturalism at the site? Multiculturalism could be a matter of subcultural differences, crosscultural differences, or intergenerational differences.
- For example, look for multiculturalism by sex, age, race, ethnicity, and physical ability among employees and customers.
- You might also note whether any text within the observation perimeter is written in a language other than English.
Note: The lack of observable differences is an observation in itself. Consider why there may not have been clear gender differences at the observation site.
Part 2: Analysis of Data Collected
Once you have completed your observation, you will write an essay to summarize and analyze the data that you collected about the influence of gender on relationships in the multicultural workplace. Your essay should meet the following requirements:
- 700800 words in length
- Double spaced
- 12-point Times New Roman font
- 1-inch margins on all sides
- Separate title page and reference page
- A minimum of two scholarly sources. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Report used in the instructions below is a required source, and the textbook is an excellent second source.
- S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016, January 15). The Economics Daily. U.S. Department of Labor.
- Remember: Wikipedia, encyclopedias, and encyclopedia-type sources (answers.com, infoplease.com, and such) are not considered academic sources.
The essay should include these elements:
Title Page: Must use APA 7th edition formatting. For more information on APA formatting, please visit the Writing Center.
Section 1: Introduction and Background Research
(12 paragraphs) This section will include:
- A clear thesis statement that explains what the essay will be about.
- An explanation of the purpose for having conducted an observation.
- A description of where, when, and under what conditions you conducted the observation.
- A summary of the industry-specific differences in pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016, January 15). The Economics Daily. U.S. Department of Labor.
- To conclude the introduction, a very general statement of your findings regarding the influence of gender on relationships in the multicultural workplace.
Section 2: Observation and Data
(23 paragraphs minimum) This section will include:
- Begin this main section of the paper with a discussion of the observational data you collected regarding the diversity observed at the site.
- Use the evidence from your observation at this workplace to fully describe the demographic characteristics of the employees observed.
- If there were clients, customers, or patients present during the observation, describe the demographic diversity among them.
- Include other evidence that speaks to multiculturalism in that workplace.
Next, discuss the observations about the influence of gender in that workplace.
- Explain how many men and women were in the workplace.
- Note any gender differences in position or rank and interactions between management and employees.
- Compare and contrast gender-based examples of clothing, communication, or other presentations of self. Use specific observations to clarify any points made.
- Describe any gender-based differences in where the employees were likely to be seen, and what tasks were being performed. Use specific observations to clarify any points made.
- Describe the ways men and women in this workplace interacted among and between themselves. Use specific observations to clarify any points made.
- Discuss observations you made about gender’s influence on the way employees interacted with each other and any clients, customers, or patients.
Section 3: Discussion and Conclusion (23 paragraphs minimum)
- Begin this final section with a discussion of the dual labor market and the existing evidence for gender-based pay gaps in the industry you observed.
- Connect your observations to the gender pay gap if possible. For example: Were there fewer women than men? Were women employed in lower-paid positions? Was there a gender bias in tasks performed? Or any other observation that you could logically connect to why women might be earning less than their male counterparts.
- Conclude whether or not your observations support the idea of a dual labor market within the industry you chose to observe.
- End with a statement of what future research would be necessary to further explore the dual labor market and the impact of gender in the workplace within the industry you chose.
Reference Page
- This page should list at least two academic references, which also must be cited in the essay.
- The references should be from academic sources (the course text or peer-reviewed articles from the Purdue Global Library) or government sources.
- One reference must be the BLS Report used to determine the pay gap within the industry chosen.
- S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016, January 15). The Economics Daily. U.S. Department of Labor.
- The references should be listed using APA 7th edition formatting.
