Critically assess the extent to which discrimination law at European Essay

Critically assess the extent to which discrimination law at European and domestic level has improved the position of women in the workplace - Essay Example Much has been said about this problem, but it seems there is still much to be done to solve it. To my mind, this problem can hardly be ignored; there are a lot of means of softening and minimizing it, as much as it is possible. The work is devoted to the discussion of the effectiveness of legislation, concerning the problem of gender discrimination, and the present situation in the society in terms of this problem. The work touches main theoretical aspects of gender discrimination in the workplace from psychological and ethical points of view. The European Employment Strategy (EES), created in 1997, implies that European countries prepare National Action Plans once a year. The plan will reflect the changes at the labor market made in accordance with the common goals. The plan was to make 60% employed by 2010 and provide females with equal rights and opportunities. Some European countries including France and Spain try not only to eliminate cases where women are not given a job because of many male candidates, but also to set equal salaries for men and women. In England and Sweden the situation is regulated by the Equal Opportunities Act and the main attention is also paid to equal salaries (Kersten, 2004). Though many people believe that gender discrimination is no longer relevant, it should be noted, that still among the 500 Fortune best companies, only five are headed by women, and other 495 are managed by men. In some job categories there are $10,000 differences in salary between men and women. Though the portion of women in the labour force is growing each year, and now equals to 48 percent of the total labour force, in some areas, as law, the sums women earn constitute only 59 percent of mens salaries in the same area for the same type of work. While studying the theoretical basics of the problem, it should be admitted that there have been outlined a number of so-called forces, that is the characteristics of human nature, which contribute