Employers disproportionately reserve authority-conferring occupations for men and within occupations tend to place men rather than women in jobs that involve final decisions. Although women increasingly hold managerial job titles, they remain clustered at the bottom of authority hierarchies. In one study, the majority of women believed they were treated the same as men or actually benefitted from differential treatment. They also found that more women experienced discrimination once on the job than in the recruiting and hiring process. The data suggests that the apparent willingness of employers to hire women does not necessarily mean that they will be treated equally.
Discrimination tends to be higher in private as compared to public sector workplaces.
Overall, younger women are more subject to both disagreement and harassment than are older women. Sexism in organizations has little to do with sex, but a great deal to do with the politics of gender. An important policy issue will be how to encourage the growth of alternative work schedules without perpetuating occupational segregation.