Textual Analysis Project: Presentation

Glass Ceilings in a Gendered Workplace

Although women live and thrive in the twenty-first century, inequality is an organizational issue that is still evident today. The “text” I will use is the 2016 documentary Equal Means Equal using the ideological analysis of the importance of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment [ERA] in today’s workforce; “…the ERA battle is not simply a battle against one particular amendment to the Constitution, but is instead a crucial battle in the war to save a great nation that is wavering on the verge of destruction” (Foss, 1979). The ERA was initially introduced in the 1920s and under consideration in the 1970s and 1980s, but the attempt to pass the ERA’s 1982 deadline failed. Today, there are more women in the workforce. The new women warriors: Reviving the fight for equal rights by Jessica Ravitz state:

Women who work full-time earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts, a raise of just about 19 cents since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963. For women of color, the picture is worse, with black women making 64 cents and Latinas making 56 cents for every dollar earned by a white man (Para. 12).

This topic is relevant today because women are still considered “less than” and are paid less for the same jobs as their male counterparts.

 

The documentary, Equal Means Equal is a portrayal of the inequalities women previously and currently experience today. The film’s real-world narratives promote dialogue and awareness on controversial topics like the gender pay gap, pregnancy discrimination and maternity rights while exposing outdated laws and discriminatory attitudes towards women in a male dominated workplace [society].  “Organizational women must often negotiate an unfamiliar culture, where violation of prescribed organizational norms or the violation of prescribed gender role norms creates paradox” (Martin, 2004, p.148). Furthermore, the documentary’s main argument is the importance of ratifying the ERA. My project is an analysis of gender inequality and glass ceilings within the workplace. Examining identity and difference in organizational life; using the feminist theorizing approach. Glass Ceilings in a Gendered Workplace supports the persuasive argument to ratify the ERA, so that women across the nation will truly be considered equal under the law.

Theoretical Framework & Method

References

Eisenberg, E. M., Goodall, H. L., Jr., & Tretheway, A. (2014). Organizational Communication Balancing Creativity and Constraint (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford

Equal Means Equal [Online image]. (2016) Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/equalmeansequal

Foss. S. K. (1979, October). Equal Rights Amendment Controversy: Two Worlds in Conflict. Quarterly Journal of Speech. 1979, Vol. 65(3), pp. 275-288.

Lopez, M (Producer & Director). (2016). Equal Means Equal [Motion picture]. United States: Heroica Films.

Martin, D. M., (2004). Humor in Middle Management: Women Negotiating the Paradoxes of Organizational Life. Journal of Applied Communication Research. 2004, Vol. 32(2), pp. 147-170.

Movieclips Film Festivals & Indie Films. (2015, March 3). Retrieved from:            https://youtu.be/cK9AV6Uffro

Ravitz, J. (2015, April 16). The new women warriors: Reviving the fight for equal rights. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/02/us/new-womens-equal-rights-movement/

 

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