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Nowadays, Kazakhstan is considered to be a country with fast economic growth that can easily be counted as one of the leading Central Asian countries in terms of development. However, some social issues are still current and are not investigated properly. Women discrimination in workplaces is a bright example. According to Khassanova (2000), men often discriminate women at workplaces and do not allow them to occupy top executive positions.
Figure 4: Question 6. Who occupy the majority of the top executive positions in the organization that you work in?
As Figure 5 illustrates, when the respondents were asked whether they have ever felt discriminated at their workplaces, eighty-seven percent (87%) confirmed it by saying yes. Moreover, sixty-four (64%) of the women said that they were denied a salary, promotion or a job opportunity based on their gender, as demonstrated on Figure 6.
Figure 5: Question 9. Have you ever felt discriminated at your workplace?
Figure 6: Question 10. Have you ever been denied a promotion/salary raise/job opportunity because you are a female?
When the respondents were asked if they think that women and men have equal chances of being hired for a top executive position in the current marketplace, seventy-eight percent (78%) disagreed and said that men have better chances, whereas sixteen percent (16%) agreed with the statement. The figures can be seen on Figure 7. Furthermore, referring to Figure 8, it can be seen that nearly sixty-five percent (65%) of the respondents replied that it is easier and faster for men to climb up the career path compared to women, and over thirty percent (30%) of the women disagreed, saying that there is no difference on how fast women and men get promoted.
Figure 7: Question 11. Do you think men and women in Kazakhstan have equal chances of being hired for a top executive position in the current marketplace?
Figure 8: Question 12. Do you think it is easier for men than for women to climb up the career path?
The final set of the questions was designed to identify why, according to the opinions of the respondents, women are discriminated at their workplaces. The women were asked what they think are the main reasons that prevent women from being hired for a top management position. According to Figure 9, the most popular answer comprising forty-five percent (45%) of the responses said that in our country having a woman in a top management creates a bad image for the company, other responses spread equally among options such as the pressure to combine work with family, prejudice that women do not possess the necessary characteristic to be in top management, and that companies do not favor women in top management because they take longer absences due to family-related issues. However, when asked about whether there are any differences in salary levels, majority of the women (53%) replied that the salaries between the same positions are equal for both men and women. Others (24%) answered that there are slight differences, and fifteen percent (15%) said that they cannot compare the salary levels because they do not know the salaries of others. The results for this question are summarized in Figure 10.
Figure 9: Question 13. What do you think are the main barriers that prevent women from occupying top executive positions in your organization?
Figure 10: Question 15. Have you noticed any difference in the salaries between women and men occupying the same positions?
The major findings of the conducted survey can be summarized in the following manner: it can be seen that the majority of the female respondents confirm that they still feel discriminated at their workplaces because of their gender, and that the majority of the top level management is comprised of males. However, the results showed that most of the women do not think that there is any difference in salaries between men and women occupying the same positions. When it comes to the reason why so few females are working in top management, the respondents feel that it is mainly due to the general prejudice that in Kazakhstan women occupying executive positions such as CEO create a bad image for the company.
Discussion
This part of the paper analyzes the results obtained from the conducted survey that were presented previously. The analysis is based on the most interesting results which, when considered altogether, help to form an opinion on the current situation on female discrimination in formal workplaces such as banks and governmental bodies in Almaty, based on the responses of female employees who currently work in such organizations. It should be mentioned that all of the following analysis and outcomes drawn from the results of the research are only applicable to banks and governmental organizations and cannot reflect the situation in all companies.
First of all, it should be noted that, despite the claims of Godbole (2011) that the discrimination at workplaces is primarily reflected in the salary levels, majority of the respondents indicated that there are no or barely noticeable differences in salary levels among men and women who occupy the same positions. However, the fact that these responses are only applicable to the governmental organizations and banks should also be considered. No claims can be made about the salary differences between female and male employees when it comes to other types of organizations. Despite this, the theory that females earn less than men at the same positions is proven to be false in organizations such as banks and various governmental institutions, based on the views of the female employees. Most of the respondents said that women and men have the same salaries.
The second curious result that emerged from the analysis of the outcomes of the research is that majority of the women, ninety-five percent (95%), claim that most of the top executive positions in the organizations that they work at are occupied by males. This supports the fact suggested by Lune (2008) that women are underrepresented in top management positions because, according to the outcome of the research, the vast majority of the respondents were working on low or mid-level positions and none of them worked in top management. Furthermore, seventy-nine percent (79%) of the participants think that men have hired chances of being in top management compared to women. It can be concluded that not only there are fewer females working as top executives, but men also have more chances of being hired for top management. To back this up, sixty-four percent (64%) of the respondents think that men get promoted faster and it is easier for them to climb up their career path.
Moreover, sixty-four percent (64%) also claimed that there were instances when they were denied to get a salary raise, a promotion or a job opportunity just because they were female. This shows that women are still discriminated at workplaces based on their gender and not based on any other professional characteristics. In other words, when considering an employee for a promotion, a salary raise or for a new job opportunity, the employer still considers such factors as gender. In fact, most of the women confirmed that they have felt discriminated in one way or another at their workplaces, comprising nearly ninety percent (90%) of the responses. This creates a poor picture for the bank and governmental organizations because it can be clearly seen that the majority of the responses showed that females do not feel like they are being treated equally as men.
When it comes to identifying the reason why there are so few women in top management, most of the women think that the main barrier for women is the popular notion that when a company hires a woman as a CEO or any other executive position, it creates a bad image for the entire company. This could be supported by previously mentioned Ibarra and Hanson (2009), who stated that company’s share prices go down whenever the news about a new female CEO is revealed in the news. It can be concluded that most women can actually possess the necessary qualifications and set of professional skills for top executive positions and they can combine work with family, because these two options were the least popular among the respondents, however, the main problem is the widespread stereotype that women should not be in top management because it is bad for the reputation of the company. The second popular answer was that women take longer absences and breaks due to family-related issues such as pregnancy giving birth. It could be true, however, in Kazakhstan women are fairly protected in this case because the law, as Zakon (2012) states, allows women to take 126 days of absence without it having any kind of negative impact on the position or the salary of the woman. That being said, the survey showed that women have the willingness and the desire to occupy executive positions. Majority of the respondents (78%) said that they will either definitely strive for such position or they at least consider such opportunity and only twenty-two percent (22%) of the women said that they are satisfied with the current position that they occupy. It should be noted that most of the women who chose the latter option already occupy upper-level positions such as deputy director or chief accountant and have already worked for up to 9 years before being promoted to the positions.
As mentioned previously, the outcome of this study cannot reflect the opinions and views of the whole Kazakhstani population, and it definitely does not reflect the situation on gender discrimination in the entire country.
Conclusion
Female discriminated has been a major issue for the majority of governments around the world. The Kazakhstani government has allocated significant resources and introduced multiple programs in order to provide equal job opportunities for both men and women. However, it still remains to be an issue. The main objective of this research paper was to find out if the female employees working in banks and governmental organizations feel discriminated, who occupy the top executive positions in such organizations and why. The main research method tool chosen for this study was surveys, because they it is an effective quantitative method that allows for a fast and simple data collection. The surveys were distributed among 32 female employees working in banks and government bodies in Almaty. The results of the research showed that the majority of the women have felt discriminated at their workplaces. Moreover, they claimed that the top management in their companies is comprised of mostly men, and that men have better chances of being hired for an executive position. However, the research also showed that there is very little or no difference in salaries received by men and women occupying the same positions, meaning that the amount of money paid for an employee’s work is not affected by gender. Finally, most of the respondents think that the reason why there are so few women in top management is because most companies think that the presence of a woman in top management can hinder the reputation of the company in the eyes of their partners.
This research acts as a basis for further research, because based on the outcome of the present study, it is clear that the issue requires a lot of further investigation and improvements regarding gender equality should be considered and implemented in banks and various government organization. Female discrimination remains to be a sharp issue that can only be solved by the common effort of all stakeholders – including both the public and private sectors.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Sample of the survey
1. What degree do you currently have?
a) Bachelor’s
b) Master’s
c) PhD
2. Marital status:
a) Single
b) Married
c) Divorced
d) Engaged
3. In which type of organization do you currently work at?
a) Bank
b) Government organization
4. What kind of position do you currently occupy?
_______________________
5. How long did it take you to get to this position?
a) Less than a year
b) 1-2 years
c) 2-4 years
d) 5-6 years
e) 6-7 years
f) 8-9 years
g) 10 years or more
6. Who occupy the majority of the top executive positions in the organization that you work in?
a) Females
b) Males
c) Equal number of both females and males
7. Do you see yourself occupying a top level position in the future?
a) Yes, definitely
b) No, I am satisfied with my current position
c) Maybe
8. Have you ever felt the pressure to combine work with family?
a) Yes, all the time
b) Yes, sometimes
c) No, never
9. Have you ever felt discriminated at your workplace?
a) Yes
b) No
10. Have you ever been denied a promotion/salary raise/job opportunity because you are a female?
a) Yes
b) No
11. Do you think men and women in Kazakhstan have equal chances of being hired for a top executive position in the current marketplace?
a) Agree, representatives of both genders have equal opportunities
b) Disagree, men have better chances to get hired for a top executive position
c) Disagree, women have better chances to get hired for a top executive position
12. Do you think it is easier for men than for women to climb up the career path?
a) Yes, men get promoted faster
b) No, there is no difference
c) I do not know
13. What do you think are the main barriers that prevent women from occupying top executive positions in your organization? (You may choose several answers)
a) Pressure to choose between prioritizing family or work
b) Prejudice that women do not possess the necessary characteristics for being in top management
c) Organization do not like to see women as their top managers because women take longer breaks due to giving birth or taking care of their children
d) In Kazakhstan, having a woman as a top manager creates a bad image for the company, because majority of the decision-making executives are men, and all negotiations are done in an “all-men environment”.
e) Other:_____________________
14. Do you think your organization gives preference for men when hiring for top management positions?
a) Agree, most of the time they choose between men
b) Disagree, both women and men are considered
15. Have you noticed any difference in the salaries between women and men occupying the same positions?
a) Yes, there are slight differences
b) Yes, there are major differences
c) No, the salaries are the same
d) I do not know