Work Issues and Employment, Body Image Disorders, and Violence Against Women

Question 1:
A. Gatekeeper Factor
The Gatekeeper factor refers to individuals’ influence in controlling access to employment and advancement opportunities. Gatekeepers are the individuals, often in positions of authority, who determine whether an individual has access to a job or an opportunity to advance. Two examples of gatekeepers are hiring managers and human resources (HR) departments.
Hiring managers have the authority to approve or reject job applications. They often have the power to make hiring decisions based on an individual’s qualifications and experience. These decisions may be influenced by the hiring manager’s personal biases and preferences. For example, if a hiring manager is biased against women, they may not give qualified female applicants the same consideration as males.
Similarly, HR departments often have the power to shape an organization’s culture and atmosphere. They can establish policies and procedures that favor certain groups over others. For instance, they can develop recruitment strategies that target a particular set of applicants, such as women or people of color, and make it more difficult for others to access employment opportunities. By controlling access to employment and advancement opportunities, gatekeepers can majorly impact women’s and men's employment and advancement prospects.
B. Wage Gap
The ‘wage gap’ is the disparity in earnings between women and men. The difference between the median earnings of all working women and men is expressed as a percentage. In the United States, women earn 81% of what men’s income. This means that for every dollar a man earns, a woman gets 81 cents.
One way to lessen the wage gap is to ensure equal pay. This means that employers should pay employees equally for jobs of equal value. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires that employers pay men and women equally for the same work, but it does not address the issue of pay disparities between jobs of different value. To address this, employers should use an objective job evaluation system that objectively assesses the skill, effort, and responsibility of each job and sets wages accordingly.
C. Pay Equity (Comparable Worth)
Pay Equity (also known as Comparable Worth) refers to the practice of setting wages based on the value of the job and not just the title. It is distinct from ‘equal pay for equal work,’ meaning employers must pay employees equally according to job value.
Pay Equity seeks to address the wage gap by ensuring that income for jobs of different value, but similar skills and responsibilities, are set at a comparable level. For example, if two jobs require the same level of skill, but one pays significantly more than the other, pay equity would require that employers adjust wages to make them comparable. This would guarantee that the wage gap is lessened and that employees are paid based on the value of their work.
Question 2:
a) Four common body image disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Muscle Dysmorphia. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and self-starvation. Extreme body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and an unhealthy preoccupation wi...