“Tighter worlds”: Gelfand and Choi on disparate gender treatment in the workplace

The wage gap isn’t the only way that women and people of color face discrimination in the workplace. Research demonstrates that the punishments they receive for infractions are more severe than the consequences for similar misdeeds committed by white men. Michele Gelfand, professor of cultural psychology, and Virginia Choi, doctoral student in social psychology, outline some relevant findings in this April 2019 Time essay.

Gelfand & Choi, “Women don’t just face a pay gap at work. They’re also punished far more than men”

1. Gelfand and Choi point out that women and minorities live in “tighter worlds,” while white men live in “looser worlds.” What do those terms mean? What are the larger effects of the disparity in consequences for “misdeeds”? What evidence do the authors provide to support their assertion? Is the evidence persuasive? Why or why not?
2. Whether in the workplace, at school, or elsewhere, you have almost certainly had at least one experience that fits Gelfand and Choi’s tighter/looser world frame. Relate an episode when the consequences of something you did were either much lighter or much heavier than the consequences for a similar act committed by a peer of a different gender or race/ethnicity. Were you aware of the disparity at the time? In retrospect (and assuming that you aren’t in favor of the disparity), what might you have done differently in the situation? What might others have done differently?
3. In the next-to-last paragraph, Gelfand and Choi pose a question and answer it with a simple “No.” The rhetorical strategy they use there might be described as a modified “planting a naysayer in your text,” as described in Chapter 6 of your text. How else might the authors have expressed the same meaning? Rewrite the passage, applying one of the other templates in the chapter. Which version do you prefer? Why?
4. In their discussion of a study they conducted asking research participants to evaluate hypothetical workplace infractions and made-up worker identities, Gelfand and Choi note that white male subjects recommended stricter punishments for black or female culprits and more lenient treatment for other white males, while the women participants recommended consistent punishments regardless of identity factors. In discussing the study done in the financial-adviser industry, Gelfand and Choi report that “male advisers with a past record of misconduct” were twice as likely to repeat their offenses than female advisers. Gelfand and Choi don’t use the report’s findings to suggest in any way that women make better management decisions and should be in charge wherever possible, but we have to ask: should companies and institutions enact policies to give more women more power? Why or why not? What might be the result of such an initiative in five or ten years? Write an essay addressing these questions, using Gelfand and Choi as your They Say.

Comments

[yahnease wilson]

2. once one of my friends that is a female wanted to play football for our high school and i immediately said "I'm pretty sure they only allow boys to play" and i was wrong. boys and girls can play football but its mainly boys because playing football doesn't fit the image of being a girl. if i had the chance i would change my ignorant comment to being more supportive because there shouldn't be limitations on what we want to do or be because of our gender.Someone shouldn't get made fun of or bashed for doing something anyone can do but only boys do.

[Mikayle Maullon]

1. Woman that were defined to live in a "tighter worlds" means that woman live in a society with more requirements about their appearance and attitude to suit the position which she desires. On the other hand, men in a “loose world” have less requirements to be the perfect employee for a specific job. The major difference between male and female occupations is that females that make “misdeeds” were most likely to be removed from their position. On the other hand, males who make “misdeeds” are most likely to be forgiven. The difference of consequences between male and female occupations has been asserted by Gelfand and Choi as they mentioned “Female advisers, despite being equally productive as their male peers on the job, were found to be 20% more likely than male advisers to get fired for engaging in any transgressions.”(Gelfand & Choi). I personally think that the evidence is persuasive enough to prove that women are mostly likely to get easily fired due to their gender because some occupations that have stereotypes that men work better can easily disregard the opportunities for female workers. Dealerships are a great example as I can tell that women working in financing are looked down upon because last month a female working in financing was fired because she wasn’t too good enough for the company. The company truly didn’t care because they already have a replacement ready for her. Thus, the evidence is persuassive enough for me to believe that women are easily punished compared to men because I can relate the punishment to an event that happened in my occuption.

[dmaddox]

All of the facts is here all the proof and evidence we need to address the issue with women and minorities getting treated differently because of race and gender. I personally agree this is unfair we should treated as equal human beings. we should have the same advantages as long as the experience is there to back you up. it will continue to be this way until we come as one to address the issue. it takes consistency to achieve change within; less pay and unequal rights isn't fair but when will we do something about it? together.

[RaeAnne Thomas]

When I was in high school I received a punishment for something, and the other person involved received nothing. I came forward about the situation to hopefully lessen my punishment. The other person involved was a white male. After everything was said and done I faced a small punishment while he faced nothing. This was very demeaning. They were not able to prove that he was guilty even though I know for a fact he was involved. He would not admit to being responsible therefore nothing happened to him. It was very insulting. Men need to face the same punishment as women.

[Nia James]

Gelfand and Choi point out that women and minorities live in “tighter worlds,” while white men live in “looser worlds.” What do those terms mean? What are the larger effects of the disparity in consequences for “misdeeds”? What evidence do the authors provide to support their assertion? Is the evidence persuasive? Why or why not?

The term "tighter worlds" refers to stricter regulation. The term "looser worlds" refers to a more loose regulation. A misdeed is a wicked or illegal act. When women do something we get a worse punishment then men. Simply because men are "suppose" to act that way and women are suppose to be soft and delicate. For woman we've always had the short end of the stick. We've always had to fight for the things that should already be given to us. In high school I would always get in trouble for voicing my opinion. But if a male in my class did then they would be praised for it. Woman have never been equal to men. It will never end.

[nasha Price]

Gelfand and Choi point out that women and minorities live in “tighter worlds,” while white men live in “looser worlds.” What do those terms mean? What are the larger effects of the disparity in consequences for “misdeeds”? What evidence do the authors provide to support their assertion? Is the evidence persuasive? Why or why not

Tighter worlds refers to a more sheltered walking on eggshells lifestyle while looser worlds defines as more of freedom lifestyle having the ability to do what you want without a negative response. The larger effects are demotion or a stained name, the authors definitely provided support with the recent study they experimented this. Offering detailed examples and real time studies are hopefully eye-opener that this kind of discrimination should be stopped and if everyone would stand up maybe there will be a change.

[Samantha Lowe]

At times I can be very oblivious to gender inequality because of how I was raised; Everyone is to be treated equally no matter their race, gender or preference. I know a lot of the rights women and black individuals have were fought for and not something that was easily given to us. Reading “Tighter worlds”: Gelfand and Choi, you are forced to look at the issues in the work place head on. In their poll the facts were given to you straight forward, people of color and women were forced to live in "Tighter worlds" where as white men seemed to get away with and given a lot more freedoms. This post is truly an eye opener for me to many issues that still go on today even if I feel like they do not affect me personally. In a way, I feel like they do because I truly believe that everyone should be treated equally and given the same opportunities as the next person.

[Angel Gonzalez]

Gelfand and Choi point out that woman and minorities live in tighter worlds, while white men live in looser worlds. This is pointing out to a modern issue in today's society which is, gender discrimination. Women and minorities are faced with more obstacles in life than the average white male in America. One of these obstacles that affect women and minorities is the wage gap. The wage gap is a situation where statistics show women make less money than men. In the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, in average, woman make 81 cents for every dollar that a white man makes. As a student I have personally seen discrimination towards genders, especially women. When I was younger I remember a group of students I was with did not allow a girl to play kickball with us because she was simply a girl. This is not something one is born with but society has taught us to be like this.

[Jasmine Patterson]

Women live in "tighter worlds" meaning that they are susceptible to having harsher punishments. While white men are living in "looser worlds" which is the opposite. Where they are more lenient and they have more power. The biggest difference between male and female jobs is that females that make "misdeeds" are likely to be fired or get a punishment. While men who make "misdeeds" are likely to have no punishments or just let off free. The consequences between female and male jobs is that, yet even though they were both productive the females were still more at risk at getting fired than the males were for any "misdeeds." I think that the evidence is persuasive enough because they have examples of women who had this experience happen to them and they also tell the aftermath of what happened to them. In any profession women can suffer from their gender or color being attacked. No matter what they are doing. In some places you get looked at if it's a "mans job." They will look at you as if you don't belong. In some peoples eyes women are not good enough. There is companies out there who do not like the women or black women to be powerful. This evidence has been persuasive enough to show that women are being punished for the simplest things compared to men.

[Mercedes Anderson]

In the article I read about how women and people of different colors are treated differently than others, I learned that there are things that happen daily and continue to happen in the workplace but also in every environment. People learn to be a certain way, but when it spills over into work/pay and the fact that if you are a man you are paid more than a woman or person of color, it is society to blame for allowing this to continue and people need to change.
I n grade school, I can rememeber being ridiculed and made fun of for wanting a monster truck (around 3rd or 4th grade) because I was a girl and that is what boys like. Yes, I am a girl, but my gender should not define me nor matter, just as anyone elses. I hope that I can teach my kids to love for love not anything else.

[Lucy Seay]

1. Gelfand and Choi point out women and minorities live in "tighter worlds" meaning they tend to face more serious punishments for the same infractions that white men also commit. In some cases they are reprimanded when white males face no punishment at all, because white men live in "looser worlds".  The people that are forced to live in "tighter worlds" due to sex or race face worse punishments than those who are lucky enough to be born into "looser worlds". These people that are discriminated against also face long-term effects from these heighten punishments. Studies show women face longer time periods of unemployment after being let go for the same transgressions men engage in. Authors provide studies conducted by "management scholars" that preformed "deep analysis" in order to come to their assertion. Their argument and evidence created a very compelling and persuasive argument in my opinion. 

[Selina Walker]

The pay gap is just one piece of the inequality issue in the workplace. Research has shown that women and minorities are not afforded the same leniency regarding workplace misconduct, or being late from a break, for example. Reprimand from management could mean loss of a job and a longer stent of unemployment for a female or minority employee, whereas a white male, could face no reprimand at all for the same transgression. Gelfand and Choi explain that women and minorities live in “tighter” worlds, meaning that a very small error at work could lead to big consequences affecting their livelihood and future opportunities. I believe that it is important to promote more women and minorities to management positions, so that possibly, over time, these statistics will change. It seems to be an uphill battle in every area of life for a woman or a minority. Breaking glass ceilings in the workplace will blaze the trail for more equality in the future.

[Camille Williams]

This sheds light on such a key issue within the workplace. Women and people of color have faced monetary and had stricter methods of punishment compared to their peers. Assessed in the article is a brief in depth showing of how this is true. Women must work on average three extra months to reach the pay of their counterparts on average while doing the same job with the same amounts of work. Things such as coming back late from breaks or late arrival to work are often met with more intense consequences such as write ups or even termination. This thought was met with a study that revealed white men in the workplace preferred harder stricter punishments for women and people of color versus other white men. Even though white men were two times more likely to be repeat offenders. The comparison is that in the workplace women and people of color often live in “tighter worlds” vs their white male counterparts who live in “looser worlds.” The bridge needs to be gapped seeing as in today’s society women are rising up and dominating fields that were once men dominant.

[Carlos Lobato]

When Gelfand and Chio Point out that minorities and women live in "tighter worlds" and white men live in "looser worlds" they are saying men have more power and can bend or break rules. While women (tighter worlds) would not only be in trouble for "bending or breaking" the same rules but receive a harsher punishment altogether. Female advisers in the financial industry are found to be 20% more likely to be fired than their male counterparts for engaging in any transgressions. Then after being fired, women face longer periods of time unemployed than their male colleagues. This discrimination affects work a valuations, leads to the motions, causes missed pay raises and dismissals. I think this evidence is persuasive because the research behind it shows how discrimination is negatively affecting women and minorities.

[Desmond]

The consequences that women face when making a mistake in a job they are responsible for is usually more harsh than one if a man messed the same thing up. There was research done by 159 participants to find out what the difference of penalties would be if they where white/black or male/female and it showed that white men are more likely to get away with indiscretions. If someone is to get fired a study showed that male peers are more likely to find a job faster than if a female was to get fired. Males past record of misconduct are even two times more likely to be repeat offenders than woman, men still are more likely to get a second chance and the managers or who ever is in charge is more lenient with their punishment.

1. Women and minorities live in "tighter worlds: than white men, because we have less opportunities than most other people and are often looked over, rather that is for a job or a scholarship to get into a school.

2. One instance where I think my consequences were higher because of my race was when I was in private school and someone called me a racial slur, I responded by pushing him and saying something back that wasn't racist and I got a in school suspension and the other person didn't get in trouble.

[Olapeju Esuola]

Women are being discriminated against in their workplace especially women of color. It is not enough that women do not earn as much as men do for doing the same job or providing the same results, but women are also being punished unjustly and unfairly. A lot of women especially blacks or African American women suffer discipline for actions that men, mostly white men were free to do without any consequences. This discrimination against black women in work organizations has resulted to work inequity.
To prove that women were discriminated against in their workplace, a survey was carried out asking women a series of questions about their work organization and their experiences. It was shocking to find out that the female participants who were black suffered from punishments more than the white men in their workplace. The men had the power to break the rules a little while the women were punished strongly for normal violations.
The survey also shows that women are 20% more likely to get fired than men, and this penalty causes women to stay unemployed for a longer time than men.

[Debra Uphold]

Not only is it found that women are paid less for the same amount of work but also that they are punished more than men. It only becomes worse when race and gender are mixed. Women have many issues in the workplace women of color have even more issues. Walmart is one of the biggest companies there is. The fact is that even though they are one of the biggest companies and they've been found to decimate against women especially those of women of color. The fact that men were allowed to make minor mistakes with zero consequences.While women were given hard punishments even termination. When looking at just one instant can lead to wondering how many women were terminated for things their male coworkers too. Do managers know that they are forcing these expectations on women? Is it due to them having higher expectations for women or is it different managers' expectations?

[Nolan Davenport]

tarting, they state that white men are the most privileged people and white women and minorities live in a lot tighter world. The consequences for different people are all based on their gender and the color of their skin. There was a study held, and the participants were asked to evaluate hypothetical workplace infractions and made up work identities. It was found that white males gave worse consequences to the women and minority workers when they got in trouble. A very important question is, should companies and institutions make policies to give women more power in the workplace? Personally, I think that it should just be based on which company or institution it is, and who the worker is and what their habits are like.

[Lindsey Jennings]

Women In the workplace will continue to be a topic in the news and blogs until they reach what they are fighting for. Women should be treated the same as men in terms of punishments, pay or job level. Everyone should be on an even playing field. The studies that backed this up were baffling, the fact that white men think that people of color and women should have harsher punishments than them is absurd. Every day minorities in the workplace are suffering the consequences of what they look like and until someone steps up and stops it, its going to continue to be an issue. Betty Dukes stood up for herself and 1.6 million other Walmart employees who all faced gender discrimination. These women were charged with the punishments that the men in the same position didnt get and insted were given free pass after free pass. Until more people are like Betty Dukes things are not going to change.

[Raegan Soeder]

Gender discrimination is a big modern issue in today's society. Gelfand and Chou state that women and minorities live in "tighter" worlds, while white men live in "looser" worlds. This practically identifies that women and minorities have been faced with more contradicting restrictions while men haven't or receive less. The wage gap is a vital and specific setback for women, meaning they receive less. Analyzing the U.S. Census Bureau data, it identifies on average that women make 81 cents for every single dollar a white male makes. I have a firm opinion on this situation. I find it completely unfair and unreasonable. Why should women be paid less for the same job given? I've unfortunately witnessed situations like this before myself in my upbringing. Like picking teams in gym class, males are always chosen before females because they're assumed to be stronger, faster, and just overall better in every concept. I don't believe this is true. A woman/minority can do anything a man can do and more. This situation is unavoidable and needs to be acted upon, just like Duke attempts to do.