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Gender Inequality

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Gender Stratification Sources of Gender Differences Sociological Perspectives on

Gender Stratification

Discussion

• Why does gender inequality exist?

• Are some places more prone to these inequalities than others?

• How can inequalities between males and females cause problems?

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Copy And Complete The Following:

Culture Work/Education

Use Of Men/Women

Diseases MEDC’s/LEDC’s

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Throughout the presentation, sort your ideas into each of the 5 categories below to show what inequalities exist between each category.

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Sex – whether one is genetically male or female; determines role in reproduction

Gender – sociological distinction between males and females

Gender identity – one’s self-concept of being male or female

Gender roles – sets of cultural expectations about the behavior each sex should exhibit

Definition of Terms

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Sexism• Individual level – the belief that one sex

is superior to the other– Inherent biological differences mean

that men and women naturally have different roles

– These roles are the primary cause of differential distribution of power, status, and income

• Institutional level – policies, procedures, and practices that produce unequal outcomes for men and women

Gender Stratification

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Are women a minority group?

Gender Stratification

Five properties of a minority group• Experiences discrimination from a dominant

group and lacks power to change the situation

• Distinguishing physical or cultural traits

• Self-conscious social group; sense of group identity

• Generally not voluntary

• Typically endogamous

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Patriarchy• A system of social organization in

which men have a disproportionate share of power

• Lorber: early societies were egalitarian

• Davis-Kimball: archaeological evidence of female military and social power

Gender Stratification

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World Gender Inequality• U.S. State Department Annual Human

Rights Report (2006) – 196 nations• Sex trade and forced labor (e.g.,

Ghana)• M. East and N. Africa – honor killings• Underage prostitution• Sex-selective breeding• Female circumcision• Literacy and education

Gender Stratification

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U.S. Gender Inequality• Today, marriage and family have

become less of an organizing force in the lives of contemporary women

• Families today likely to delay childbearing

• U.S. women’s labor-force participation: 59.2% (2004)

• More than 60% of women with children under the age of one are employed

Gender Stratification

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Gender Stratification

Disparities in Earnings Remain Significant

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Gender Stratification

Disparities in Earnings Remain Significant (continued)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2005 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, available at: http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032005/perinc/new03_000.htm.

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U.S. Gender Inequality• The Glass Ceiling

– Number of women top executives and board directors increased over the years, but positions at the top still elude women executives

• Disparities in Pay– Women earn less than men

Gender Stratification

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• The Second Shift– The burden of housework falls

disproportionately on women, working or not

• Career Patterns: Out of Sync with Family Life– Women who have children

encounter substantial career disadvantages

– Equal opportunity for women in public sphere remains substantially frustrated by gender-role differentiation within the family

Gender Stratification

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• Sexual Harassment and Rape– Sexual harassment remains

common workplace hazard– Rape is the most violent form of

sexual victimization– Culture and gender inequality

influence the prevalence of rape and sexual aggression

Gender Stratification

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• Politics and Government– Number of women in politics in U.S.

increased in recent years– Still difficult

• Low “supply” of candidates• Low “demand” for female candidates• Ideology affects women’s political

representation

• The Women’s Movement– Substantial impact on way

Americans think and act; legal and social equality

Gender Stratification

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• Persistence and Change– Opportunities for women changed

dramatically over the past several decades

– Women are still significantly disadvantaged

– As more women reach positions of economic, political, and social power, changes may occur at more rapid pace

Gender Stratification

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• Gender and Biology– Maccoby and Jacklin (1974)

• Beginning about age 11, girls show greater verbal ability than boys

• Boys are superior to girls on visual-spatial tasks in adolescence and adulthood

• At about age 12 to 13, boys move ahead in mathematical ability

• Males are more aggressive

– Hyde (2005) – picture not that simple

Sources of Gender Differences

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• Gender and Culture– All are born into societies with well-

established cultural guidelines for behavior of men and women

– Great variation in gender roles from one society to another

– Gender roles largely a matter of social definition and socially constructed messages

Sources of Gender Differences

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The Functionalist Perspective

• Gender division of labor retained because it promoted the survival of the species

• Critics say this view becomes powerful justification for the existence of gender inequality

Sociological Perspectives on Gender Stratification

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The Conflict Perspective• Gender inequality benefits men,

so they attempt to perpetuate it– Exploitation of labor– Availability of sexual gratification– Availability of tools for procreation

• Acker (1992): production > reproduction

Sociological Perspectives on Gender Stratification

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The Interactionist Perspective

• Gender is socially constructed and internally based

• Societal behavior follows internal meanings of gender

• Example: linguistic usages of gender terms such as “men”, “he”, “she”, “boys”, and “girls”

Sociological Perspectives on Gender Stratification