Good Service – Wage Penalty
Part A
In the essay, “Doing Gender by Giving Good Service”, Elaine Hall explains how gender roles play a big part of how people are treated and how a persons gender scripts of “good service. It tends to break it down to role and gender played. Friendliness, deference, and flirting is perceived asa stereotype for waitressing. On page 456, Hall explains how waitresses have to preform a job flirt, and we know that the only reason they have to do it, is because thats the way they will make their money. Waitresses are perceived to be happy-go-jolly cheerful attitudes. She explains that because of her “gender” employers are likely to hire women for jobs like these, or other like, house keeping, My understanding of “to give good service” has to do with a man and a women’s job. In a way it also shows us how the gender in organization acted upon. She also talks about gender-neutral jobs such a policemen. She explains how women and men working in this type of organization are perceived differently, and described women police officers are the “problem resolving” or conflict. How Genders play a role in jobs.
PART B
In the essay, “Wage Penalty for Motherhood,” by Michelle Budig and England, I completely agree with their entire point of view. In the essay it shows that mothers earn lower wages that other women women without children. Mothers may earn less money than women without children because they lose job experience, be less productive, trade off higher wages for mother-friendly jobs and be discriminated against employers (204). In page (204), Budig and England explain how having children and in order to work it can cause many interruptions. I agree with this statement because as a Mother of 2 (small) children sometimes I cant work because I don’t have childcare or enough money to pay for childcare. At a point in my life, when I had my first child, because he was a premature baby, I was unable to go to work or finish school because I had to stay home to care for him. That is an interruption and its also like a small break from school.
Another point she mentions is that mothers choose jobs that have less energy, flexible hours, demand for travel, on weekends, daycare of site, availability” (page 207) OnE advantage that women without children is that they can work without any limitations. They will be able to work all kinds of hours and overtime without a problem. This is also true, I also speak about my own experience as a working mother, that there aren’t many people available (for children) unless you pay them. You must be able to work flexible just because you have children or incase there is an emergency. When you have an employee who doesn’t have these things extra things on their plate have nothing to worry about.
On page 209, They tell us that discrimination is used against mothers as far as, education, experience, work less. (Budig and England) That one of the differences against mothers and other women is work effect or not enough work effort, which I disagree because regardless of how “tired” I am I still have to get and provide for my children, why, because I am the caregiver and because no one else will. Which also leads us too the statement the writes say where there is an interruption from your daily life. Part time and full time work, school take approximately one-third wage penalty for motherhood, 5% lower wages. Its unfortunate how mothers or women in general are discriminated upon and taken advantage of, when we do double the work.
