RM Assessment - Discrimination on Muslim Women in Workplaces - Malaysia Cases PDF

Preview

Summary

MR60203 Research Methods Assessment“Discrimination on MuslimWomen in Workplaces : MalaysiaCases”####### Name : Nasra Amsyelacibah binti####### Mohammad Nasir####### Student No : MA1912011T####### Lecturer : Dr Zaini OthmanABSTRACTThe purpose of this paper is toexamine Muslim women’sdecisions to wear...

Description

MR60203 Research Methods Assessment

“Discrimination on Muslim Women in Workplaces : Malaysia Cases”

Name

: Nasra Amsyelacibah binti Mohammad Nasir

Student No : MA1912011T Lecturer

: Dr Zaini Othman

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to examine Muslim women’s decisions to wear headscarves, known as hijab, in the workplace. The decision to wear hijab may result in a stigmatized identity, so the paper also aims to examine perceived or experienced discrimination and impact on employment outcomes The issue of women as victims of discrimination at the workplace is still a persistent issue in Malaysia. The purpose of this paper is to examine Muslim women’s decisions to wear headscarves, known as hijab, in the workplace. The decision to wear hijab may result in a stigmatized identity, so the paper also aims to examine the tendency of the discrimination and also examine factor of discrimination tendency.

1.0

INTRODUCTION

Since women began to place themselves in the world of workers, the issue of discrimination in the world of work is an issue that is often talked about and associated with the weak. Discrimination in the workplace is not a new phenomenon especially in today's global world as more and more quotas in the world of work today begin to be monopolized by women and it is not disappointing when in some organizations, the ratio of women workers to men. Most state government officials show a tendency to discriminate against these women workers, especially for Muslim women workers. There is a significant relationship between situational factors, socialization, attitudes and amount of income with the tendency to discriminate. Therefore, situational factors, socialization factors, attitude factors and total income are considered as important factors related to the tendency to discriminate. According to the SUHAKAM Annual Report 2018, they have received a total of 222 cases of employee discrimination complaints in the workplace for a period of seven years between 2010 to 2017. (SUHAKAM Annual Report 2018). To address all employee discrimination, especially in the workplace, the Malaysian government through the Ministry of Human Resources Malaysia has launched a Code of Practice to Prevent and Eradicate Employee Discrimination in 1999. It aims to provide a guideline for employers to establish internal mechanisms at the company level. prevent and eliminate such activities. However, this code of practice has no legal force and only encourages employers to practice it voluntarily and it turns out to be ineffective. Based on statistics from the Department of labour Peninsular Malaysia, Ministry of Human Resources in 2018, only 735 number of employers adopted the code of practice of employee discrimination after its introduction in 1999. (Annual Report of the Department of Labour of Malaysia, Ministry of Human Resources 2018).

2.0

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Discrimination against Muslim women workers in the workplace can be divided into two categories, namely the discrimination of workers in the form of threats and threats. In addition, such discrimination can also occur in various forms such as verbal, non-verbal, visual, physical and even psychological disorders. In some cases, the discrimination experienced by a person may be exploitation, human rights violations or sexual coercion (Abd Rahim, 2003). According to the Department of labour, the number of workers' discrimination in the workplace reported and successfully resolved is increased from 2007 which is 9 cases to 19 cases in 2008 and 22 cases in 2009. However, there is a slight decrease of 20 cases in the year 2010. These statistics show little difference with the Police report which received a total of 104 cases of employee discrimination in the workplace in 2008. Why did this happen? Are the victims of employee discrimination not making a report on the harassment received or are the victims unaware of the form of threat or discrimination of the employees received? Sabitha (1998) states that most victims of labor discrimination in developing countries are women and they usually do not make a formal report on the harassment received. Among the reasons they did not make the report was because of threats, no place to complain, and fear of being used as satire and being fired. This condition also indirectly causes the victim to harbor feelings and bear suffering that can disrupt productivity while on duty. In one case, there were also victims who did not make a report on the grounds that they did not realize that the threats and harassment received were workers' discrimination against Muslim women. The question is whether there are some victims who do not know the forms of threats or behaviors that can be categorized as employee discrimination or the victims are more willing to be treated like that just to take care of their careers? In this context, the awareness of workers on the form of threats and discrimination of workers, especially for Muslim women workers is very important because it involves the future of the workers.

Based on the above problem statement, the questions of this study are: i.

Are these Muslim women workers aware on the factors of discrimination in the workplace?

ii.

What is the level of awareness of Muslim women workers in Malaysia in terms of the definition of employee discrimination with factors of age, work experience, position and gender in the workplace?

3.0

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this study are: i.

Identify the tendency to discriminate against Muslim women workers in Malaysia.

ii.

Identify factors of the tendency of discrimination.

4.0

LITERATURE RESEARCH

4.1 Definition of Discrimination Against Muslim Women Workers in the Workplace Many are still confused about the definition of the concept of employee discrimination. This results in some of them not realizing that they have actually experienced employee discrimination in the workplace. Discrimination is an issue that is rarely debated either by institutions, organizations, or individuals. This issue of discrimination is often considered an issue that does not give meaning to human well-being. However, when there is discrimination in life, society blames each other. Discrimination exists in many forms. In the simplest of circumstances, discriminatory behavior can result in avoidance. While at an extreme level, it can result in joblessness, educational opportunities or isolation of residential areas. The most notable example is the apartheid policy once practiced in South Africa. In more extreme circumstances, discrimination can lead to direct action and violence against target groups. The original purpose was to damage or destroy the target group in any way (Mohd Makzan Musa, 2001). Discrimination can occur in three ways namely racism, prejudice and isolation. Racism (racism) is an activity that involves violence, discrimination, segregation and other negative actions against a particular racial group. It may also exist individually and institutionally. Prejudice and gender discrimination operate in the same way as racism but it involves more aspects of gender or physical identity of a person whether female or male.

4.2 Models of the Role of Overweight (Gutek and Morasch, 1982) According to Gutek and Morasch (1982), the Sex-role Spillover model assumes that an element of gender that is always excessive can lead to employee discrimination. The role of excess gender is defined as a behavioral expectation based on gender and that expectation will be carried to the workplace. The role of excess gender is also said to exist because women are usually comfortable with their stereotypes of femininity. Accordingly, this model assumes that the role of excessive gender will exist among occupations dominated by one gender that is either male or female. This model divides the work environment into three where the environment results from the interaction between male and female workers. The three work environments

according to the context of the excessive gender role model are traditional work environments, non-traditional environments and mixed employment. In the context of this study, the traditional work environment of working Muslim women workers is those who work in a work environment dominated by those who are prone to discrimination. But in this environment men still have status, hierarchy and higher power over women workers. They usually act as the boss or employer to these female employees. In this employment situation, gender roles and work roles have been equated. These female employees will receive the same treatment as their other co-workers. They are assumed to be unaware that this treatment is based on gender roles rather than work roles. They feel this service is one of the functions of their work. Therefore, they are assumed to be less assertive towards employee discrimination and do not feel this issue is a problem. This is because female employees assume attractive attractiveness is necessary and discriminatory behavior is part of the inevitable occupation. The non-traditional work environment refers more to the work environment that is more dominated by male and female workers, in the context of this work environment will face the role of excessive gender. The same is true of mixed employment where the ratio between male and female workers is almost the same. Female workers in these two environments, whether traditional or non-traditional work environments, will receive different treatment from other workers. They will usually be seen as a woman first before being accepted as colleagues. These women are said to be aware of this situation and they know this treatment is aimed at them as a woman rather than as a regular worker. Based on this awareness this employee is assumed to label more of that discriminatory behavior as behavior that should be in the workplace. These women workers are also assumed to be more firm on employee discrimination and feel it is a problem that needs to be addressed.

5.0

LITERATURE REVIEW

The study of Sabitha (1999) show that most respondents are more likely to see visual disturbances as employee discrimination followed by disturbances in physical, non-verbal and verbal bumps. Commenting on the study of Sabitha (1999), Coles (2004) in his study on 23 000 women workers in the government sector found that 43 percent of these workers experience employee discrimination in their workplace where usually the discrimination of workers is usually shown in various forms such as submissions pornographic letters and calls (87%), unwanted touch (65%), coercion (81%), coercion to social gatherings outside (65%), sexual gestures and views (64%), and sexual praise (54%). From the results of this study, it is concluded that employee discrimination is not limited to physical form only because it also covers verbal, non-verbal, psychological and even cognitive forms.

While Worsfold and McCann (2000) found that only a handful (13%) of respondents realized that there are policies related to employee discrimination in their organization while high ratio indicates the level of respondents' awareness of the employee discrimination policy is low. These study indicate their low level of awareness of employee discrimination policies provided by the organization due to lack of policy implementation and communication between employees while in the organization. Eberhardt et al. (1999) in their study tried to see the existence and effectiveness of the implementation of employee discrimination policies in small government units. The results show that only half of the sample surveyed had or implemented an employee discrimination policy in the workplace and such existing policies were not complemented by relevant trainings. Meanwhile, in the study of employers' attitudes towards the occurrence of employee discrimination, it is a contradiction to show that the action taken is only a sense of responsibility towards employees, while it is a complete disbelief in the allegations of employee discrimination reported by employees.

Gutek (1985) in his study on 827 Muslim women workers by examining the attitudes they hold towards employee discrimination and the impact of employee discrimination on them. The results show that factors such as educational status, marital status, ethnicity, work experience and work environment will influence the attitude held by a woman towards employee discrimination. A total of 63% of respondents stated that they felt threatened and most (69%) of them were university graduates and (75%) were college graduates. According

to Gutek (1985) divorced women workers will often face employee discrimination at any time in the ethnic context, the results of the study show that white workers will be more firm on the occurrence of employee discrimination compared to black workers and workers from Asia. Supporting the study of Gutek (1985), Zaiton (1990) in his study also found that women who are at risk of being discriminated against in the workplace are 30 years old and under, unmarried and those who are newly divorced either widows or widows. A study conducted by Ishak and Lai (2001) to look at the forms and perpetrators of employee discrimination and its relationship to job stress and job satisfaction. Study show that (26%) victims stated that non-sexual contact is most common in the workplace, while sexual behavior is the least common (4%) only. As for sexual words that mean praising as much as (20%) apart from sexual words that mean cursing as much as (16%). Employee discrimination is committed by co-workers, supervisors / bosses, employers and customers. From the study showed a significant positive relationship between work stress and negative nature for job satisfaction.

6.0

RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

6.1

Discrimination Tendency

Although religion is protected from employment discrimination in Malaysia, it is often unclear how the law should be applied, or what inclusive labor practices make it possible for religious expression. Cromwell (1997) argues that religion can be a problem because unlike other characteristics (e.g. race, gender, national origin, disability, etc.), it is an acquired property consisting of a group of beliefs that can be a policy. "In addition to disability, the only covered policy that may require accommodation in the workplace to avoid intentional or unintentional discrimination. In this study, researchers examined Muslim women and their choice to wear the hijab as an expression of their belief in religion, the related stigma they may face as a result, and specifically whether they experience discrimination in the workplace. Hijab covers the hair, neck, and shoulders and is traditionally an expression of politeness of a Muslim (Syed, 2010). The hijab is the most significant Muslim identity marker for women. Islam is the official religion in Malaysia and the second largest in the world. The population of Muslims in Malaysia is majority (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2019). Discrimination is associated with aspects of visible diversity that cannot be hidden. In contrast to other aspects of diversity, religious persuasion is not a stable demographic categorization, but rather, is an acceptable, expressive, and hidden aspect of diversity. In this study, religion and spirituality are important determinants of belief and exposure in relation to work performance. Therefore, this study is timely to examine the religious aspects of diversity and its impact on the perceived employment outcomes of Muslim women working in the healthcare environment

6.2

Factor of The Discrimination Tendency

Stigma Stigma is a phenomenon that is often studied in the context of diversity as an explanation for some of the experiences of women and ethnic minorities in social and employment contexts. Stigma is a personal trait labeled as a weakness in a particular social context, and a person with a stigmatization trait is considered a stereotypical group lower in status. According to Goffman (1963), "Stigma is an attribute that degrades a person's dignity, reducing him from being intact and ordinary to being tainted, to be defiled". Stigma may be related to the appearance, behavior, or membership of a group and has been found to be associated with poor mental health, physical illness, and reduced access to housing, education, and employment. Collectively, this study reveals that the stigmatization of individuals or groups produces results that negatively impact their psychological well-being and job outcomes. A large amount of research has addressed the problem of exposure and shows the negative consequences that arise on individuals who are stigmatized, so many people try to avoid getting stuck. The issue of concealment is primarily related to invisible identities such as sexual orientation, mental illness, and religion, where the decision to disclose is often handled by concerns about discrimination or exclusion practices. Previous studies have shown psychological tensions to hold a person’s identity or pass to avoid getting stuck. Clair et al. (2005) concluded that positive experiences generated from exposure will encourage employees to reveal their social identity while negative experiences are more likely to produce passive behaviors that hide invisible identities. It is this experience that results from a stigma identity that is believed to be related to climate diversity and performance in the workplace and influences important outcomes such as commitment and acquisition intentions.

The stigma of religion Unlike a particular race, gender, weight, or disability, religion can be an invisible social identity. Such invisibility allows an individual to control the possibility of being stigmatized by his or her choice to reveal what would

otherwise be hidden. Major and O'Brien (2005) identified four mechanisms of stigmatization: (1) negative treatment and discrimination; (2) the process of confirming expectations; (3) activation of automatic stereotyping; and (4) identity threat processes. In particular, negative behavior and discrimination are actions that directly affect the social status, psychological well-being, and physical health of the stigmatized individual. Individuals with status may experience negative treatment and discrimination in the workplace. Interpersonal discrimination, one form of negative behavior, refers to discriminatory interactions between individuals in a work group. Interpersonal discrimination can be done openly (e.g. treated harshly or threatened) and / or subtle (e.g. neglected or closely monitored) and both the frequency and supervision of these incidents are likely to form negative employee experiences and perceptions of organizational climate. Research examining other different groups shows that interpersonal discrimination has a negative impact on women and ethnic minorities, and produces a number of significant psychological and occupational outcomes. Little is known from the perspective of affected workers on the experience of discrimination based on religious expression in the workplace; however, previous research has provided some insight into the differences experienced by Muslims. In a study on treatment discrimination and its effects, Rippy and Newman (2006) found complaints of verbal harassment, unfair employment practices, termination of employment or rejection of employment, and rejection of accommodation religion among Muslim job applicants. The consequences of this action produce unpleasant symptoms of anxiety that are commonly found in racial discrimination. Several studies have also found adverse effects on Muslims in the workplace including negative effects on decision making based on their name / religion, unfavorable judgment compared to whites in decision making, salary placement, and future career advancement, and ster...