New York Times, Article Review Example

Associated Press. “NY Jury Finds Novartis Discriminated Against Women,” May 17, 2010, The New York Times.

The article discusses a jury decision in which the drug company Novartis was ordered to pay compensatory damages to six women who had worked for the company on the grounds of discrimination. The women had been employed as drug marketers and sellers for the Pharmaceutical division of Novartis. The discrimination in the company took numerous forms, such as discrepancies in pay between men and women, a lack of upward mobility offered to women in the company in terms of promotions, and a general male-dominated outlook within the company. Specific incidents referred to in the article include female representatives who complained of poor treatment from doctors that were not looked into by the company, harassing behavior on the part of a male district manager, and discrimination against pregnant women. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs suggest that the court’s decision is pertinent insofar as it can set a precedent in regards to how women are treated not only within Novartis, but also in the general workplace. The case suggests that such treatment of women was endemic to the company culture of Novartis itself, according to both the widespread and varied nature of the discrimination. Moreover, it serves as a reminder that such discrimination is still a feature of contemporary labor. The successful case of the plaintiffs, however, perhaps suggests that such discrimination is becoming less tolerated by society as a whole.

Tara Siegel Bernard, “A Woman’s Toolkit for Seeking a Raise”, May 14, 2010, The New York Times.

Siegel Bernard’s piece addresses current discrepancies in pay in the workplace along gender lines, while also offering some advice for women seeking to increase their individual pay. The author notes that although women comprise half of the current work force, inequality in pay remains a germane issue. Siegel Bernard suggests that one possible factor contributing to this disparity is salary negotiation. The negotiation problem for women consists of two primary aspects. Firstly, women will generally not ask for increases in salary. Secondly, society views women’s requests for increases in pay in a negative light. Both problems imply the presence of gender roles, as women are neither conditioned to seek higher pay, nor is the image of the demanding female supported. Bernard Siegel suggests that women seeking higher pay should utilize such gender roles when seeking increases, instead of struggling against them. Women should therefore use an approach that is more “nuanced” and not as aggressive when making such demands. While the author acknowledges this approach may merely re-enforce gender roles within society, the strategy should rather be viewed as potentially breaking down barriers, which in turn would facilitate other women’s efforts to pursue similar courses of action. The article thus demonstrates the continual obstacles faced by women in the work place and also the prominence of gender roles within society. Gender roles remain prominent insofar as it still remains difficult to simply break form them; rather, for progressive action, it is necessary to manipulate such roles as much as possible, in order to provide a framework in which salary discrepancy and general workplace inequality issues could eventually become resolved.

Elisabeth Malkin, “Mexico’s First Lady Takes Strong Stance,” April 19, 2010, The New York Times.

In this personality profile piece, Malkin discusses Margarita Zavala, the wife of Mexican president Felipe Calderon, and her activity in public life and stance on policy. Zavala was both a lawyer and a politician, a member of the right-wing National Action Party. Zavala was viewed as a rising star within the party, although when her husband became a successful political himself, Zavala decided to suspend her political career and assume the role of the supportive wife and eventual First Lady. Some of the core issues that Zavala has remained active in is her struggle to support women’s rights in the workplace, alongside making women more prominent within her own party. She has also provided clear support for families who have been victims of the increasing drug cartel violence in Mexico. While remaining consistent with these basic feminist positions, the author notes that Zavala nevertheless remains opposed to abortion.

Zavala’s policy concerns indicate an international awareness of women’s labor issues. At the same time, it demonstrates that the apparently marginalized figure of the Presidential First Lady can be an active political force that influences societal change. Zavala’s commitments demonstrate that even at the highest levels of government there are concerns about some of the continued inequalities in the workplace.

Steven Greenhouse, “Wal-Mart Gender Case Divides Court”, April 26, 2010, The New York Times.

The article recounts the results of a discrimination lawsuit filed against the Wal-Mart company by former female employees. The lawsuit described a “systematic” discrimination within Wal-Mart, manifested in women’s lack of opportunities in regards to raises and professional advancement. Statistics such as the number of female hourly employees and company managers were argued as reflective of some of the biases in the company. The decision in favor of the plaintiffs in terms of a 6-5 verdict suggests that the close nature of this verdict is symptomatic of a general ambiguity regarding what constitutes sexual discrimination in the workplace. Nevertheless, despite the closeness of the decision, the victory of the plaintiffs will subsequently allow Wal-Mart female employees and ex-employees to pursue further legal measures, from which they could receive financial compensation from the company. With the omnipresence of Wal-Mart in the American consumer landscape, the allegations against Wal-Mart suggest a symmetrical omnipresence of sexual discrimination in the workplace. Furthermore, as the lawyers for the plaintiffs note, this particular lawsuit can have profound effects on the way gender roles are construed in the workplace, as no employer remains beyond allegations of sexual discrimination.

Candie Chan, “In Tajikistan, Women Fill a Void”, April 16, 2010, The New York Times.

The article examines the effects of economic globalization on life in Tajikistan in relation to gender issues. Men from Tajikistan have increasingly left their home country, seeking work in Russia, while women remain at home. This has created a gap in the labor force, and women have thus become central to the Tajik economy, working in occupations that would normally be held by men. The jobs that women have taken on have, of course, not meant that traditional women’s labor such as the care for family and the household have been abandoned. Rather, the article identifies the incredible work ethic of Tajik women. Furthermore, the story details how women have also formed their own businesses, ranging from fruit preservation to the sewing and production of traditional Tajik garments. The article states that the eventual aim of the women is for the economic situation in Tajikistan to become stable enough that men will not have to seek work abroad. Chan’s piece thus reflects how economic globalization and a discrepancy between national living standards can have effects on families, splitting them apart and creating a new division of labor, which is both a gender-based and a geographic-based division of labor. Simultaneously, male worker migration multiplies the responsibilities of women in society: women become more present in all sectors of the workplace, while still remaining active within traditional family labor.

Bibliography

Associated Press. “NY Jury Finds Novartis Discriminated Against Women.” The New York Times. May 17, 2010. Accessed at: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/05/17/us/AP-US-Novartis-Trial.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=women+workplace&st=nyt

Chan, Candice. “In Tajikistan, Women Fill a Void.” The New York Times. April 16, 2010. Accessed at: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/in-tajikistan-women-fill-a-void/?scp=1-b&sq=rosie+the+riveter+tajikistan&st=nyt

Greenhouse, Steven. “Walmart Gender Case Divides Court.” The New York Times, April 26, 2010. Accessed at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/business/27suit.html?scp=24&sq=women+work&st=nyt

Malkin, Elisabeth. “Mexico’s First Lady Takes Strong Stance.” The New York Times. April 19, 2010. Accessed at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/world/americas/20mexico.html?scp=5&sq=women+workplace&st=nyt

Siegel Bernard, Tara. “A Woman’s Toolkit for Seeking a Raise.” The New York Times. May 14, 2010. Accessed at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/15/your-money/15money.html?scp=1&sq=women+workplace&st=nyt