DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WORKING WOMEN AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR WORK PERFORMANCE IN DISTRICT SAHIWAL

Workplace gender discrimination comes in many forms: unequal pay, the disparity in promotions, incidents of sexual harassment, and fewer opportunities, which means that an employee is treated differently or less favorably because of their gender identity. Around the world, four-in-ten working women face discrimination on the job because of their gender. This research explored the issue of discrimination against working women at the workplace and its impact on their work performance in District Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan. The quantitative data were collected through a cross-sectional survey. A multistage random sampling technique was used for the data collection. A self-designed interview schedule was administered to 200 females of lower, middle, and higher category employees of public and private institutions of District Sahiwal. In the data analysis, both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used. Research findings revealed that females were discriminated more than males in the private sector than in the public sector. The results indicated that 63% of women have adverse physical and mental effects due to discrimination at the workplace. In this regard, 60% of women believed that workplace discrimination increased stress and frustration and reduced job satisfaction, commitment, and motivation. The bivariate analysis also shows that gender discrimination decreases satisfaction and commitment and increases stress levels among working women. Therefore, this study suggested that the government should immediately strengthen legal protections against workplace discrimination based on gender.


INTRODUCTION
Gender can refer to a person's social status, legal identification, or even their own unique identity.Through the social processes of gendering, society's major social institutions, such as the economy, the state, the family, religion, culture, and the law, are built with gender roles and norms.This is called the gendered social order.When discussing gender, the terms "woman" and "man" as well as "girl" and "boy" are utilized (Lorber, 2020).Gender is frequently presented as a dichotomy.To put it another way, the concept of gender is commonly seen to be divided into two distinct and contrasting subclasses, namely male and female.Recent research calls into question this notion by arguing that sex, or the genetics recognized by chromosomes and frequently by sexual reproductive organs, is what determines whether or not a person is male or female.However, gender is not the same as sexual orientation.It is not a case of either/or but rather an intersectional dynamic (Childs, 2012).The concept of gender refers to a culturally and socially constructed set of norms and values that are founded on assumptions and debates around masculinity and femininity.Typically, this is how gender is regarded (Edvardsson, 2012).Discrimination is the unequal treatment of people because of their gender, religion, race, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, background, political opinions, and trade union membership and activities (Nepal and Lertjanyakit, 2019).
In the context of the labor force, the phrase "gender discrimination" refers to the practice of providing an unfair advantage or disadvantage to members of one specific group in contrast to members of another group (Ahl, 2006).Around the world, Discrimination is one of the most controversial problems that we have to deal with in the workplace.It is a problem that sociologists have extensively discussed, and it continues to be a matter of discussion.Unfortunately, women in today's modern workplace still face discrimination on the basis of their gender (Tesfaye, 2011).Even in the most advanced nations, gender bias is still prevalent at the workplace when it comes to the distribution of resources (Greenhouse, 2004).The practice of discrimination at the workplace is one possible reason.However, a portion of the disparity may also be explained by the fact that women and men vary in some traits, such as the decision to stay in the labour field and the careers that they choose to pursue (Lundberg et al., 2007).Traditional beliefs come up against the position of women from an Islamic point of view, despite the fact that there is already an established and expanding body of research on gender roles.Islam clearly defined the roles, duties, and responsibilities of each gender.On the other hand, the feminist movement in Pakistan has focused only on the inadequate representation of women in all aspects of Pakistani society in order to design policies that will promote Pakistan as an Islamic state (Rais, 2007).Many members of society still associate certain genders with a set of characteristics, attitudes, and even professional pursuits, despite the fact that these norms have been challenged in various contexts.The deviation from the standard of expected responsibilities and expectations may have devastating effects on the individual (Childs, 2012).
Gender discrimination at work has demoralizing effects on women and their families all across the globe.Women, regardless of their performance, devotion, work ethic, education, or experience, are prevented from being promoted into higher positions at the workplace, while males swiftly advance up the ladder to supervisor, manager, director, and vice president roles (Filipovic, 2020).
The practice of discriminating against women at workplace has devastating effects not just on the women themselves but also on their families and communities throughout the globe.Women do not have equal possibilities of promotion and moving into management roles, even in situations when they are recruited over their male counterparts.This is due to the fact that women have historically been underrepresented in management positions.While males are often promoted to higher-level positions in the company more rapidly than women, women often face barriers to advancement that prevent them from reaching positions of power regardless of how well they perform or how much academic record or experience they have (Hegewisch and Mefferd, 2021).Low wages, discriminatory policies, a lack of possibilities for advancement, and a lack of social support all contribute to the fact that women's labor force participation remains low.In addition to this, their attempts to better their economic situation are mostly unseen since the vast majority of women are employed in unofficial or underground areas of the labor market (Sadaquat, 2011).In Pakistan, there is a pervasive culture that treats women poorly, and it is not unusual for women to be denied their rights.Their attempts to claim the necessary rights are largely fruitless since they are vulnerable to discrimination in every profession, and their male colleagues are at an advantage in modern society, including access to work prospects (Edvardsson, 2012).Bloom et al. (2009) In this regard presented that human rights activists, feminists, and economists who support equal pay for women at workplace are all supporters of allowing women to participate in economic activity.Because women make up approximately 50% of the world's population.This was being done on the basis of the view that the growth of a country's human resource capacity was insufficient without the involvement of women.Bhargava and Anbazhagan (2014) presented that the International Labor Organization considered the eradication of discrimination in relation to work and occupation to be a basic principle that all member nations were obligated to observe.Similarly, Idehen (2011) argued that every worker, regardless of whether they were a man or a woman, had the right to the same level of protection and possibilities, regardless of the gender of their employer or the stipulations of their employment contract, as long as they were not subject to discrimination or harassment.Every worker should have the same rights and chances to carry out his or her job responsibilities without discrimination based on factors such as gender, disability, social position, or country of origin.In this regard, Erik (2017) revealed that mothers with young children had the greatest disadvantage in terms of employment opportunities.The gender penalty was more severe for women of younger and older ages and less severe for women of middle age.Habib (2018) conducted that women were prevented from entering higher-ranking positions due to discrimination.The primary barriers that women face in breaking into the public service sector are rooted in their social and cultural contexts.The obstacles of the systemic and attitudinal issues hindered their advancement in their chosen field of work.The unequal treatment of women had repercussions on their morale, which in turn affected their motivation and performance levels.Henkin (2020) discovered that women who succeed in a career that was stereotypically connected with men were consistently more disparaged and less liked than women with occupations that were more traditionally for women.Females who act in a manner that is not congruent with their gender role may face criticism.Kim et al. (2020) argued that although there was a link between discrimination and symptoms of depression as well as other adverse health impacts, there was still a lack of information regarding the mental health hazards linked with gender discrimination at the workplace.There was a correlation between gender discrimination at the workplace and depression symptoms among working women.Akter (2020) presented discrimination based on one's profession and salary in the rural labor market.Results showed that more than 70% of the overall gender pay disparity was unjustified and caused by a bias against women at the workplace that forces them into lower-paying positions.In this regard, Deininger et al. (2021) argued that in labour markets, male earnings were projected to be 27-41 percentage points higher than female pay.This implies that gender was certainly a primary factor in determining the salaries that employed people earned, with an influence the size of which was several times bigger than that of the more conventional criteria.According to Eagly (2022), discrimination at the workplace based on a person's gender does occur and may have an impact on employment, performance, and hiring choices.At the workplace, women were facing different challenges like discrimination in salaries, promotions, hiring, and development which had a negative impact on their work performance.Due to this discrimination, women faced physical and mental Employees who were formerly straightforward, peaceful, and loving become neurotic, distrustful, afraid, and angry as a result of gender discrimination.Eliminating gender discrimination is essential for increasing employee happiness and motivation, fostering loyalty and passion, and reducing stress.This study looked at workplace discrimination against women in both public and private institutions.This study evaluated the impact of gender discrimination on the level of stress experienced by female employees as well as their job satisfaction, motivation, and dedication.There is a need to adopt and promote a lifestyle that encourages sustainability for discrimination against working women resources and generates awareness for the reduction of discrimination against working women.This study has aimed to find out the existing situation of knowledge and attitude of others about discrimination against working women.The major objective of the present research was to investigate discrimination against working women at the workplace and its impact on their work performance.

METHODOLOGY
Methodology in research refers to the systematic approach used to collect, organize, and interpret data in order to better understand and solve the issue at hand.How to gather the data (and what data to ignore), who to collect it from (sample design), what data to collect (and how to obtain it), how to collect it (data collection techniques), and how to evaluate it (data analysis methods) are all important considerations (Creswell, 2008).
In this research quantitative research approach was used.Primary data was gathered through a crosssectional survey.A multistage random sampling technique was used for data collection.The province of Punjab comprises thirty-six districts.The universe of the present study was central Punjab.The population of the study covered the working women of central Punjab, Pakistan.In the first stage, one district (District Sahiwal) was selected randomly from the province of Punjab.In the second stage, two tehsils (tehsil Sahiwal and tehsil Chichawatni) were selected purposively.In the third stage, a selected sample size of 200 respondents was chosen purposively.The Fitzgibbon table was used to estimate the sample size (Fitzgibbon and Morris, 1987).According to the study's research objectives, an interview schedule was prepared, and collected data were analyzed using SPSS 25 version.In this research, the population comprised those working women who were working in Government institutions (educational, Dar-ul-Amaan/shelter homes, District Police Office, District Accounts Office, and Health departments) and private institutions (factories, schools, welfare foundations, etc. Together, descriptive and inferential statistical approaches were applied in the current research.Descriptive techniques (frequency distribution and percentage) were used to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents.The factors of discrimination against working women at workplace were examined using multi-linear regression, focusing on working women's performance at the workplace.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1 reveals that the majority of the respondents, i.e., 30.5 percent, were from the age group between 30-35 years, and 32.7 percent were from the age group 40-45 years.According to Table 1, 30.5 percent of the respondents were younger than 30 years old, a significant proportion (46.0 percent) of the respondents were between the ages of 31 and 40 years old, and 23.5 percent of the respondents were older than 40 years old.The mean age of the working women was 35.35 years, with a standard deviation of 7.64 years.Similar findings were presented by Pervez and Henebry (2015), who found that 43.0 percent of working women had 25 to 40 years of age.This means that ages 25 to 45 years among women were prime working years.Table 1 further indicates that more than half (51.0 percent) of the respondents had M.Phil level education, and 33.5 percent were graduates.Only 3.0, 5.0, and 7.0 percent of the participants had middle, matric, and intermediate-level education, respectively.However, one participant was Ph.D. Faridi et al. (2009) concluded that female education is necessary for better employment opportunities.Table 1 also reflects that 34.5 percent of the respondents were unmarried and a majority (63.0 percent) of the respondents were married and only 1.5 percent respondent was widow, and (1.0) one percent was divorced.Naqvi et al. (2002) conducted research that investigated how women's participation in economic activities is affected by a variety of socio-demographic and human capital-related factors.According to the findings of the study, there was a negative relationship between women's participation in economic activities and their married status.The table reveals that 42.0 percent of the sampled working women belonged to the nuclear family system and around half (50. 5 percent) were living in a joint family system, and 5.5 percent of them belonged to extended families.Faridi et al. (2009) reported that labor force participation is negatively related to the nuclear family type.Table 1 further reflects that 46.0 percent of the working women earned up to Rs. 25000 monthly, 9.0 percent earned Rs. 25001-50000 monthly, and 12.5 percent earned Rs. 50001-75000.However, around one-third (32. 5 percent) of the working women earned a handsome income of more than 75000 monthly.These findings varied to Farooq et al. (2019), who found that the majority of the working women (58.2%) earned less than ten thousand per month.
Discrimination on the basis of gender is a non-traditional danger to Pakistan's security, and it does have an impact on Pakistan's national security.In spite of the fact that women make up more than half of Pakistan's total population, many of them are subjected to inhumane treatment at the hands of their husbands or other dominant males in their homes.These abusive practices are known by a variety of names, including domestic violence, honor killings, acid throwing, forced marriages, and Sawara.Discrimination based on gender may be found pervasive in Pakistani society, particularly in the fields of education and employment (Idehen, 2011).The 4-point Likert scale was used for measures the participants' views about the gender discrimination.The respondent's perception about the gender discrimination against working women at the workplace is given below in the form of a percentage, mean values, standard deviation (S.D.) and rank.Table 2 represents the respondent's understanding about discrimination against working women at workplace.A large majority (62.0 percent) respondents agreed, and 21.5 percent strongly agreed that the women treated unequally or disadvantageously based on gender.Similarly, 58.5 percent agreed, and 18.0 percent strongly agreed that a person is denied an opportunity or misjudged solely based on their sex.However, it was found that 34.0 percent of the respondents disagreed, 55.0 percent agreed, and 10.0 percent strongly agreed that any unequal treatment, including privilege and priority, on the basis of gender and 40.0 percent of the participants disagreed, 50.5 percent agreed and 8.0 percent strongly agreed with the statement 'Refers to behaviors that are considered appropriate or at workplace inappropriate, depending on a person gender'.Similar findings were also found by Zack (2005).They also found that in Pakistan, women were treated unequally at workplaces.

Discrimination at Workplace
Women in Pakistan have been subjected to higher rates of discrimination at the workplace than men.There are various variables that contribute to discrimination against women at the workplace, including low literacy rates, marriage, having children, and the environment.Because working side-by-side with a male is seen as dishonorable in Pakistani culture, many women are prohibited from holding jobs that include male coworkers.It is a culture that is controlled by men, and the majority of guys within families do not want their daughters and sisters to work alongside them on an equal level.In order to successfully execute the "Protection against harassment of women" law and establish a secure atmosphere that is free of harassment, it will need some time to alter the mentality of the general population (Goodman et al., 2011).The respondent's responses about men and women being treated equally at their workplace are given below.Table 3 represents the respondent's feelings about men and women being treated equally at their workplace.It was found that the majority of the women felt that men and women are treated equally in the field of 'training and development (75.0 percent) and 'recruitment & selection' (74.5 percent).However, more than half of the women felt that men and women are treated equally in the field of promotions (59.0 percent), appraisal/performance management (54.0 percent), and leaves (maternity leave/paternity leave) (53.0 percent).However, less than half of the respondents observed that men and women are treated equally in the field of Remuneration (Wages, Bonus) (47.0 percent).However, 52.5 percent of them said that women were treated less favorably in the field of Remuneration (Wages, Bonus).Similarly, a large proportion (70.0 percent) of the respondents noticed that the women were treated less favorably during working hours (flexibility).Nevertheless, 24.5 percent observed that men and women were treated equally in working hour's flexibility.Perveiz and Henebry (2015) reported that men and women are given equal opportunities in the public sector employment sector in terms of training and development as well as promotions.According to the data shown in Table 4, a total of 38.0 percent of the respondents indicated that they had ever been the target of discrimination at the workplace (physical or mental), and 50.0% said that they had been subjected to this kind of discrimination to some degree.However, just 12.0% of the respondents had never experienced this kind of discrimination throughout their lives.
About 40.5% of the people who took the survey were completely satisfied, and 43.0% were somewhat satisfied that they had been bullied at work because of their gender.However, 16.5 percent of the respondents never agreed with this opinion.About 13.5 percent of the respondents felt strongly that women had fewer opportunities than men, and 65 percent felt this way to some degree.But 21.5% of them never agree with this point of view.Only 7.5 percent of the respondents had a strong feeling, and 62.5 percent had some extent of feeling that women are getting lower positions and promotions wages in their occupations because of their gender.However, thirty percent of respondents never concurred with this opinion.About 15.0 percent of the respondents felt strongly that they had been harassed at work because of their gender, and 44.5 percent felt that they had been harassed in some way.However, 40.5 percent of the respondents never agreed with this opinion.Almost the same findings were presented by Kim et al. (2020), who found that the majority of women faced discrimination at the workplace..000**Note: R2 = .79;Adjust R2 = .78;F-value = 90.96;p-value = .000;** = highly significant.
According to the Table 5 model, R 2 and adjusted R 2 were used, together with the F-test, to verify the overall significance of the model.The results of the calculations for R 2 , adjusted R 2 , and the F-test came out to be 0.79, 0.78, and 90.96, respectively.According to the value of R 2 , about 79 percent of the overall variance in the impact of discrimination on job performance can be explained by the 8 explanatory variables that are included in the model.Because the main data is used in the study, the estimated value is rather high, and the whole model is regarded as having a high level of reliability.The F-test was also used to determine how reliable the model was.The value of 90.96, which was generated, is statistically significant at a level of significance of less than one percent.This also suggested that all of the independent variables that were included in the model were successful in explaining the dependent variable.
In the Age, the beta value (-0.032) indicates a non-significant relation of age with the impact of discrimination on job performance.This indicates that women of all ages who worked were subject to virtually the same level of discrimination, which negatively impacted their performance at work.Female employees whose ages fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum perform better than those whose ages fall on either extreme.In education, the beta value (-0.054) represents a negative and significant relationship between education and the impact of discrimination on job performance.It shows that highly qualified women said that there is a lesser impact of discrimination on their job performance as compared to those women who had lower levels of education.Uzma (2004) also reported that highly qualified and high-ranked working women faced less discrimination in their job performance as compared to illiterate or under matric working women.In income, the beta value (-0.135) also indicates a negative and significant relationship between income with the impact of discrimination on job performance.It indicates that working women with higher incomes were less affected by discrimination in their workplace performance in comparison to working women with lower incomes.Similarly, Lorber (2020) reported that low-paid women faced more discrimination at their workplace.In the type of job, the beta value (-0.194) represents a negative and significant relationship between the type of job and the impact of discrimination on their job performance.It implies that women who worked in the private sector were subjected to a greater degree of discrimination, which had a negative influence on their performance at work in comparison to women who worked in the public sector.In gender discrimination, the beta value (0.135) represents a positive and significant relationship between gender discrimination and its impact on women's job performance.It meant that if women were subjected to a higher level of discrimination at the workplace, then their performance on the job would suffer as a direct result.Similarly, Lundberg et al. (2007) stated that discrimination at the workplace had a negative impact on women's job performance.In job satisfaction, the beta value (-0.059) represents a negative while insignificant relation between job satisfaction and the impact of discrimination on women's job performance.In the stress, the beta value (0.283) represents a positive and significant relationship between stress at the workplace and its impact on women's job performance.It meant that if women were facing stress at the workplace, then their performance on the job would suffer as a direct result.(Zafarullah, 2000).Similarly found that occupational stress had a detrimental impact on the work performance of women.In Commitment and enthusiasm, the beta value of -0.470 indicates that there is a significant and inverse association between a woman's job performance and her level of commitment and enthusiasm in her work.It indicated that if women had a higher level of commitment and enthusiasm for their work, then their performance at work would also be boosted.The findings of the multivariate analysis showed that the impact of discrimination on women's job performance was negatively connected with the women's education levels, income levels, the types of jobs that they held, and commitment and enthusiasm.It was also found that the impact of discrimination on job performance was positively related to both gender discrimination and stress at the workplace.

CONCLUSIONS
The present study concluded that in the predominantly male society of our nation, women lack certain rights in all spheres of life, including career prospects, wages, harassment, and promotions to higher positions.Since a few decades ago, there has been a progressive increase in the number of female employees in both public and private sectors, but they were still difficult to advance to the highest positions.Women employees were struck at low levels.Research showed that gender discrimination, stereotypes, and unfavorable attitudes against women employees existed at the workplace.Some respondents identified their place of employment as having a culture that is welcoming to people of both sexes, and they felt that their jobs provided many opportunities for professional growth and development.However, it was observed that their co-workers treated them differently because of their gender.Women had ever been subjected to both physical and mental discrimination at the workplace.It was found that women were aware that males had more chances due to their gender than women.Women experience many adverse effects as a result of discrimination at the workplace.These adverse effects of discrimination affected women's physical and mental health, increasing stress, anxiety, and frustration levels, as well as affecting women's work performance.The primary causes of discrimination against women at the workplace were a lack of information and awareness of rights, social customs and beliefs, and favoritism.The findings of the multivariate analysis also showed that the impact of discrimination on women's job performance was negatively connected with the women's education levels, income levels, and the types of jobs that they held.It was also discovered that the working women's productivity at their jobs suffered severely when they were subjected to a higher level of discrimination at their place of employment.Study results confirmed that we could eradicate gender discrimination by enhancing legal protection, providing paid parental leave, and making pay transparent and equitable.It was determined that we would be able to eliminate gender discrimination if we take precautions to preserve women's access to social security, ensure that their mental health is attended to, and provide female workers with more flexibility in their scheduling.The government needs to implement laws and regulations to protect each and every woman and encourage an environment free from discrimination.

Table 3 .
Respondents concerning to felt men and women at their workplace are treated equally.

Table 4 .
Respondents concerning experiencing any type of discrimination at their workplace.