One of the most obvious of all social identities is gender. No different from ancient times, males and females still play a very disproportional role in contemporary society. The common saying goes "this is a white man's world." Indeed it is. For years women, white or black for that matter, have had to fight and struggle in order to be considered equal and receive the same treatment and level of importance that men take for granted. The various disputes and disagreements are enormous and infinite. In the labor force, for example, there is a major disproportion between men and women. This inequality comes in the form uneven and unequal pay. There are also obvious discrepancies in terms of the number of female employees and female superiors there are in the corporate world. Needless to say, in regards to gender, this social identity has played a major role in the use and development of dispute resolution methods in the U.S.
Over the last two centuries women have come together to discuss and address issues such as the inequality of women to men and the exclusion of women from professions, higher education, married women's property and legal rights, and one that we all should know about, sexual harassment. The different methods for addressing these disputes vary depending on the degree of the dispute. In cases involving sexual harassment, the method might be to arbitrate. Usually, the female has been subjected to a very humiliating stance and negotiating or mediating is no longer an option. In regards to disputes dealing with discrimination based on gender, there are laws that prohibit these actions. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits unequal pay for equal or "substantially equal" work performed by men and women. Also, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits wage discrimination of the basis of color, sex, religion, national origin or disability.
