New Sexism Paper

Sexism 1

Affirmative Workplace Initiatives: Addressing Sexism in the Work Environment

Cambridge Androsko Keith Benson Melissa Fogg

Diversity and Oppression Professor Tamara Thompson Final Paper and Presentation December 3, 2007

Sexism 2 Introduction The following paper will be an attempt to facilitate change in the chain restaurant Bananabee’s work environment that will create a more equal and enjoyable work experience conducive to higher professionalism. The issue of importance that we wish to address in this initiative is that of sexism, which by ensuring the company’s mission and goals, must be addressed. We will first discuss the issues at hand that are affecting work performance and are allowing for inequalities in our workplace to aid in greater awareness of the need for such initiatives. We will use this insight and data to aid in the implementation and facilitation of new policies that will address those identified needs. We will end our discussion with the presenting policies that we wish to introduce to the corporate heads for approval. Bananabee’s is a casual chain franchise with over 1600 restaurants in 49 states. Bananabee’s employs over 80,000 people in the country through numerous positions both in corporate and retail settings. Because we hire and employ such a large number of people, it is important that we take responsibility for the well-being of our employees and foster a healthy and fair workplace. Currently within the company there is underrepresentation of women in both managerial and corporate positions, while there persists over-representation in low paying positions such as cleaning, prep and hostesses. We have also had a large number of internal sexual harassment complaints and cases in the last year. Those numbers are growing and need to be addressed. Our company’s philosophy as discussed below assumes the responsibility to deal with such matters and it is in the best interest of the company and the employees to adhere to enacted policies.

Sexism 3 Here at Bananabee’s, our mission is to strive to encourage and celebrate our employees everyday to help them reach their full potential. Our inclusive culture serves to welcome and embrace our collective differences as well as the strengths these differences create. A truly diverse culture is one that allows you the opportunity and the freedom to be yourself. It is an atmosphere that allows us to learn from each other. Here we understand that an individual can add value to an environment in many ways, by sharing experiences, ideas and knowledge. We call our diverse culture inclusion because we are a company that tries to include everyone in everything. At Bananabee’s, we value cooperation and collaboration for the good of the team, its members and the company. Employees must treat each other with dignity, fairness and respect. Our goals are to create an inclusive workplace that celebrates the individuality of our team members and neighborhoods, to foster open communication in all directions with candor and effective feedback, and to mirror the diversity that exists in the communities surrounding our restaurants. We will include everyone and anyone in the career opportunities at Bananabee's. Cultural Factors Affecting Work Environment and Implications for Change Americans, like people all over the world, are shaped by their environment, experiences, and information they receive and process. This lifelong process of information gathering and synthesis, and finally acceptance or rejection often results in socialization of an individual and reinforcing of societal expectations and norms. For every “ism” in this country, there has been a movement expressing

Sexism 4 resistance to its oppression, and rebuke of the existing status quo. These “isms” include racism, classism, heterosexism and sexism. For women seeking to empower themselves, they have come up against cultural and societal norms that sustain women as the secondclass gender. In this section, I seek to describe the cultural obstacles women face in today’s world and close with recommendations for making our company a culturally sexist-free environment. American women are constantly bombarded with ideas from the media as to her appropriate gender role. Mass media, through music, TV, and Internet, shows projects powerful cues to American men and women as to how the hegemonic woman should behave, and also serves to remind the public that women strive to achieve that standard. Shows featuring women such as the View, Oprah, and Rachel Ray’s Daily, reinforce cultural standards and expectations of womanhood that validates society’s view of women as the lesser gender. Rachel Ray’s show Daily, demonstrates the woman’s role of champion of the hearth, by showing women what they can cook for their husband and for “the kids as an afternoon snack”. Oprah, while occasionally tackling very serious issues, does so by attempting to pull at women’s emotional and maternal heartstrings, while rarely exploring or proposing solutions in an analytical, businesslike fashion; the method of problem solving attributed to men. The View, shows women of different ages and races, and at one time different sexual orientations, performing the most aged of feminine stereotypes; unable to get along and constantly gossiping. Soap operas along with the commercials that air during the day are perhaps the most horrifying. All of the women, deemed by American society’s standards as beautiful, are manipulative, scandalous and

Sexism 5 sexual objects of men. In addition, music made by women, often are pining for or rejoicing about the love from a man, while publications such as Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and National Enquirer serves as reminders in literature form, what a woman may have missed on Oprah, the View, or the soap operas visually. Using vertical oppression and cultural expectations of women, men bare enormous culpability concerning the societal views of women. Men habitually have the fascination that because men may be physically capable of overpowering women, they should be treated as objects not as equals. Men executives dominate boardrooms in every industry, and use their power as decision makers to oppress women. All around we see women chosen and molded according to hegemonic standards of womanhood set forth by men. These standards are not set in stone as law, or written down in a company’s manual, but more fluid and are, nevertheless, very real. The two most consistent standards that seem to prevail most often govern beauty and complicity/subservience. Again, upon casual viewing of the news, commercials, and even sporting events, the culture of sexism is all around. Women delivering the news on local channels, conducting stories, hosting guests in the studio, are overwhelmingly those who are in compliance of what would be considered beautiful by men; they are young, have long hair, are in-shape physically, and often have perky, youthful appearing breasts. While it is acceptable for men to show each other on TV being fat, bald, old, and simply unattractive, women aren’t given the same latitude. Men’s oppression of women along sexist lines are so blatant that in some places of employment, such as the Borgata Casino

Sexism 6 in Atlantic City, actually have protocols that describe how much body-fat a woman waitress is permitted to have, or risk being fired. Pornography, an industry dominated by male executives and, surprisingly often exemplified by contemporary feminists as proof of female liberation, is another media source in which women are grossly depicted. Pornographic films feature beautiful women who are wholly subservient to men’s sexual will and desire. And as these films are easily accessible and used frequently by both men and women, pornographic material implants ideas about women that often justify and validate inappropriate behaviors, skew perceptions of women, as well as sustain acts of oppression toward women. In conclusion, in efforts to resist the culture of sexism from permeating our restaurant, I will attempt to blunt the very existence of media in our restaurants. While it is common to see in popular restaurants such as Hooters, Bennigans, and Lone Star, especially in the bar section, women in pictures who fit the hegemonic mold, young and attractive, I will make efforts to display only pictures that display non-humans, i.e., nature depictions, sports team mascots/symbols, and food. Further, to prevent songs like, “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix A Lot and “How Do You Want It” by Tupac from poisoning the atmosphere, I would purchase a juke box featuring only no lyrical music, like jazz, electronica, and some dance/House music. The employees would be of varying size and gender, but work on shifts where only their like gender was working. The only shows that could be shown would be those that feature non-humans, so as to prevent sexual messages from being seen within the restaurant. Finally, all interviews would be conducted online, and the questions concerning sex would not exist.

Institutional Factors Affecting Work Environment and Implications for Change

Individual Factors Affecting Work Environment and Implications for Change

Bananabee’s Corporation Official Addendum to Policies and Procedures Manual Cultural Policy Additions •

Sexist imaging Bananabee’s will remove all sexual and gender role imaging of women in pictures throughout restaurants as well as in print or television advertisements.

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Sexist-free viewing and listening Bananabee’s will remove all television shows from viewing areas that objectify women as well as filter music that is disrespectful to women

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Hiring Procedures Bananabee’s cannot hire any women because of beauty based on male-dominant views of attractiveness

Individual Policy Additions •

New employee awareness for managerial positions New consideration when hiring in whether the individual has qualifications on their resume regarding humanitarian areas such as volunteerism or trainings that would that make them aware of sexist issues

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Rewarding positive behavior The “ism” award would be given to one individual employee each month at the staff meeting who has shown to have actively engaged in or promoted anti-sexist behavior in the work environment.

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Sexual Harassment Training and Protocol Employees will now be required to attend sexual harassment trainings every 6 months. Protocol for reporting will now be taken more seriously and offenders will have serious reprimand.

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New Committee Bananabee’s will now have a Committee on Sexism in the Workplace which will comprise of workers in the restaurant, managers and a member from corporate to discuss issues of concern regarding sexism. Workers will be free to discuss if they have been discriminated against or harassed.