Violence in the workplace? Yes, it exists. You know it does….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_OQg3pe5ec
Here is how it happened to me:
Finally, I got to my promotion at work after 7 long
years of 60 hours per week work.
Thought, finally, it is time to celebrate…. I raised above all the differences that
shaped my past … I survived with the hard work to prove that although I am
different, I can survive and rise above all prejudices.
I always believed that all
social injustice is a myth… minorities cannot shape society… and if indeed the
current society has come to different views, that’s fine…. UNTIL the day when all believes shacked and I
had to face the real truth of inequality, the truth that equality does not
fully exists. All happened because who I
am, a woman, an Arab American woman..
This was the truth that caused severe pain all the way to the core of my
heart and made me struggle finding the unknown, the reason behind this
violence. How can someone be this unfair
to another, when I didn’t have a choice of my country, my color, my look, my religion? I was so lost especially when my supervisor
ignored my pain because I am different woman with no voice..
In the subtle comments that make your way, in the way
that your being a woman or a man is considered a hurdle in your career growth,
in the way that a certain task always comes your way because of your gender; or
in the way that it is taken for granted that you cannot handle a particular
task cause you're a woman or a man. All these are examples of sexism, violence,
racism
Society
norms, rules, and roles instruct and encourage men to value (or devalue) women
even in the United States even where there are anti-discrimination laws in
place to discourage such attitudes.
In
the workplace, women are frequently subjected to subtle discrimination by both
sexes. Qualified women may be passed over for promotions because they become
pregnant (pregnancy
discrimination) or because
they might become pregnant (gender discrimination.)
Jobs may be offered to a less qualified male applicant just because he is male.
Women
are also more likely to be judged by their looks and how they dress than are
their male counterparts. On a note of contradiction, women are not only
discriminated against for being “pretty” or “provocative” they are also
discriminated against for being not pretty enough, too old, or, in some
positions (especially sales and public relations) for not being sexy enough.
The
“glass ceiling” is also a form of gender discrimination. The term refers to the
invisible barriers that prevent women from climbing the ranks of management
because upper level and executive positions are given to men. Glass ceiling
policies are unwritten, and sometimes referred to as the “old boys network,”
but whatever it is called, it is another form of gender discrimination.
If
men get more time off, better compensation packages or benefits than women
based on unfair gender bias — it is gender discrimination and it is illegal.
Ending
Violence
In
my experience as a woman with a different accent, religion and maybe color,
despite protective anti-discrimination laws making gender discrimination
illegal, management practices at small, mid-size, and even giant corporations
often still favor the advancement and the protection of men. I was attacked
physically by a man colleague that was outraged by my promotion. A promotion for an Arab American woman with
different religion, and unequal race.
After
struggling with loss of identity for more than a year, I was able to rise from
the ruins.
The attempts to silence me will not succeed to
stop my voice. Fear will not be in my heart.. I had the courage to say no for
violence… I decided that to shape the future is my right. I am the future… I am
the Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1n6_J27wRg
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