GENDER INEQUALITY: WHO WILL BE BETTER OFF IN

THE FUTURE, MEN OR WOMEN?

By Ben Snook

Definition

The disparity in status, power, and prestige between people who identify as women and men.

The unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles as well biologically (through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal differences).

Education

Over recent decades, women enter college at a higher rate, also less likely to drop out

Once men accrue $12,500+ of debt, they become more discouraged

Females grads now account for about 60% of Bachelor’s degree holders, 69% postsecondary certificates

Men make up about 41% of college students Wage gaps motivate women $6,500 lower than men

Education

Males socialize/relax more, less likely to turn in work, more likely to skip class

Males lack drive that women due in school

Men are at numbers slightly less than even 30 years ago, women are just on a tear

Why the growing

education gap?

Structure

Women motivated to decrease inequality DiPrete & Buchmann Entitlement, “Men have always been the

dominant figure, but now women have broken out of their domestic roles in society. Guys’ willingness to succeed has changed, it’s the women that have stepped up. Men seem to think that if they have a firm handshake and speak properly that they will be fine. Well, the times are changing.”

Addiction

Over 1/3 of incoming males & less than 1/5 of incoming females play 16+ hours a week

10,000 student university, 960 are addicted, roughly 700 are male

1.4 million (3.7%) ages 16-25 were heavy drinkers (4.7% males, 2.2% females)

5.4 million (14%) ages 16-25 were binge drinkers (16% males, 11% females)

Distribution of Income

Child care makes working full-time a tough task

Meager child support Men’s economic situation increases after

separation, women’s deteriorates Men’s earnings stagnating, women

catching up but this rate is slowing down (glass ceiling)

Women who go to work find themselves in lower-paying, pink-collar jobs, whereas men hold higher paying jobs, although the tides are turning

Distribution of Income Chart

Real incomes adjust

Social Mobility for Women

Today’s working women have higher wages than their mothers, but not fathers (men have higher than both)

Women born at bottom echelons of society are more likely to stay there than men

But men born at upper echelons of society are more likely to stay there than women

Women’s occupational attainment is influenced by class origin (like men)

Chart for Mobility

Employment

Recession of 2008 emasculated men (construction/manufacturing shed workers, won’t come back)

Male/Female unemploymenet rate began to equalize (male unemployment slightly higher than it is for women)

Past two decades, men’s physical strength & martial prowess increasingly obsolete (replaced by machines/robots)

Jobs that can’t be outsourced or replaced by machines (teaching/healthcare) reward skills to women (communication/empathy)

Representation

98th in world for female representation State legislative offices is around 24% 1in every 5 members of Senate

Congress is a woman 18% of cities larger than 30,000 had

women mayors Changing though (since early 90s,

percentages have doubled) Not all women politicians have women’s

rights in mind though

Conclusion

Women will probably still get paid less for a long time to come, but they will outnumber men in the workforce & been better educated

Discussion Questions

Will women ever be fully represented in government?

Do you agree with DiPrete & Buchmann regarding educational systems not favoring men?

Who do you think will be better off in the future?

Sources

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK83240/ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/education/09college.h

tml?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/social-mobility-memos/posts/2014/04/03-women-social-mobility-six-key-facts-reeves

http://www.worldwatch.org/women%E2%80%99s-representation-government-still-low-0

http://www.thenation.com/article/178736/why-does-us-still-have-so-few-women-office

http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/02/27/why-we-should-worry-about-the-future-of-men/