Social Problems: Sexism and Gender Inequality. Gender Inequality as a Social Problem Sexism: the...
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Transcript of Social Problems: Sexism and Gender Inequality. Gender Inequality as a Social Problem Sexism: the...
Social Problems: Sexism and Gender
Inequality
Gender Inequality as a Social Problem
Sexism: the subordination of one sex, female, based on the assumed superiority of the other sex, male
Patriarchy: a hierarchical system of social organization in which cultural, political, and economic structures are controlled by men
Though women comprise 51% of Canadians, they are called a minority group because they don’t have the resources of men. Women
Are victims of sexual assault Earn 71 percent of what men earn
Defining Sex and Gender
Sex: biological differences between males and females.
Gender: the culturally and socially constructed differences between females and males based on meanings, beliefs, and practices that a group associates with femininity or masculinity
Intersexed: having unrecognizable genitalia or both male and female genitalia
Transgendered: one’s gender not the same as biological sex
Sexism and Gender Inequality
Sexism refers to the range of attitudes, beliefs, policies, laws and behaviors that discriminate on the basis of gender
Results in a system of gender inequality Power and Male Hegemony Male hegemony refers to the political and
ideological domination of woman in society
Sexism and Gender Inequality
Power and Male Hegemony Males have greater access to:
Cultural prestige Political authority Corporate power Wealth Material comforts
Ideology plays a role in legitimizing male hegemony
Biological and Social Bases for Gender Roles
Gender roles: rights, responsibilities, expectations, and relationships of women and men in a society
At birth, males and females are distinguished by primary sex characteristics
At puberty, hormonal differences produce secondary sex characteristics
Biological and Social Bases for Gender Roles
To what extent are differences culturally determined?
Gender ideology: ideas of masculinity and femininity that are held to be valid in a particular society and time
Gendered division of labour: the process whereby productive tasks are separated on the basis of gender
Gender Inequality and Socialization
Agents of socialization: Parents and family: treatment, clothes,
toys, or chores Peers: pressure for behaviour and
aspirations Religion Media and language Education:
Gender bias: favouritism toward one gender, e.g., aggressive boys and dependent girls get attention
The Family
Traditionally, the role of wife and mother has been a subordinate role in society
Increase in working wives and moms and the juggling of work and family
See Table 5.1 on Unpaid Housework (p.190) On average, women do 4.3 hours daily while
men do 2.8 hours Women also responsible for bulk of senior
care
Language and the Media Language often reinforces traditional sex role
stereotypes : i.e. Policeman vs. police officer, or calling women “girls”
Media portrays men and women in traditional roles Underrepresent women, and Reinforce stereotypical ideas about women and
physical attractiveness Stereotypes are a source of prejudice and
discrimination Feminine mystique Masculine mystique
Stereotypes place limits on us and on our behaviour
Organized Religion
Religion has reinforced secular traditions and gender roles in many cultures, including our own
Religion has been male dominated In the last few decades some religions have
begun to ordain women as ministers Episcopalians Presbyterians Reformed Jews
Sexism in Schools
Today, there is more focus in schools on Female achievement Girl’s sports More involvement in school politics
Gender gap in higher education and in certain disciplines is narrowing but still persists today
However, research show sexism still a significant factor in schools
Sexism in Schools (cont.)
Research results on sexism in schools shows that generally,
Teachers pay less attention to girls than boys Girls lag behind in math and science scores Girls tend not to choose careers in math and
science Textbooks and gender stereotypes still persist Biased tests Minority girls tend to be ignored
School counselors still channeling girls into sex typed occupations
However… “The Gender Gap” (2004) text p. 197 Montreal study on gender differences in
achievement in school Boys falling behind especially in language skills More likely to drop out or not continue Have more behavioural, learning and social
problems in school Study notes that girls see educational
achievement as key to better life, whereas boys rely on traditional masculinity to get ahead
Contemporary Gender Inequality
Gender inequality is maintained by: Individual sexism: anti-female prejudice by
individuals Institutionalized sexism:discrimination
engaged in at the organizational level Also, when inequality, prejudice and
discrimination exist, the imbalance in power leads to sexual harassment
Gender Inequality and Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment: unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature Occurs at work and school
Sexual harassment is also a growing problem in schools
The results of a recent U.S. survey found that 83 percent of girls and 79 percent of boys have been harassed
Both boys and girls are limited by sexual harassment and stereotypical notions
Gender Inequality and Work
Gendered division of paid work: women have high labour force participation, but are concentrated in different occupations. Pink-collar ghetto: jobs held by women that
are low-paying and semi-skilled. Contingent work: part-time work, temporary
work, and subcontracted work that offers advantages to employers, but detrimental to workers.
Years of work experience – women are more likely to have interruption in their work histories
Hiring and promotion practices For minority women, there is even a larger wage gap
Gender Inequality and Work
Wage gap: disparity between women’s and men’s earnings Pay equity: equal pay for work of equal or
comparable (worth of the job) worth Sexual harassment: unwelcome
sexual attention at work
2004 Census
Approximately 58% of women worked full time vs. 68% of men in Canada
83% of 2 parent families have 2 income earners
Women made up 46.8% of workforce 72.5% of women with children under 16 in the
home work
2004 Census
Average income women $36,500 men $51,700
In 2004 women made 70.5 cent for every $1 men earned
3.4% of “clout” positions (CEO’s, presidents, etc.) of Fortune 500 companies held by women
At age 40, 90% of working men vs. 35% of working women had at least one child
Women still concentrated in teaching, nursing, service and clerical jobs (67% of employed women)
Gender Inequality and Work
“Glass Ceiling” and “Glass Escalator”: Glass Ceiling: invisible barrier
constructed by male management to prevent women from reaching top positions. Women do advance in the service sector
Glass Escalator: upward movement of men in women’s occupations disproportionate to their numbers
Gender Inequality and Unpaid Work
Double shift: women are wage earners and also do most of unpaid household work, now recorded in the census 90% of Canadians do unpaid work, but the
majority, especially child care, is done by women
Gender Inequality and Unpaid Work
However, roles in homemaking have been changing
Women still continue to bear the primary responsibility for homemaking
Husbands and fathers with working wives that support non-traditional roles are taking on a larger share of homemaking responsibilities
Perspectives: Symbolic Interactionist Focus on socialization and labelling Also note existence of double standard Language is extremely important in
defining social realities Linguistic sexism: communication that ignores,
devalues, or makes sex objects of women. Genderlects: men’s and women’s styles and
contents of language differ. Non-verbal communication: men control more
space, than women, including sexual harassment
Perspectives: FunctionalistEarly thinking (Parsons, Kingsley-Davis): Men are more suited to instrumental
(i.e., goal-oriented) tasks Women perform expressive tasks This was functional for societyMore recently: Differences in human capital of men and
women (capital diminishes with time off for child-bearing and childcare)
Perspectives
ConflictSocial life is a continuous struggle in
which the powerful seek to control economic and social resources
Gender inequality results from capitalism and private ownership of the means of production A result of structural and historical relations Beneficial to capitalists to have unpaid
female workforce
Perspectives: Feminist Socialist: men gain control over property
and women Radical: men’s oppression of women is
deliberately supported by media and religion
Liberal: inequality is rooted in gender-role socialization
Black, Indigenous, and other women of colour face inequalities compounded by racialization, class, and gender
Can Gender Inequality be Reduced?
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective: Redefine social realities with languageFunctionalist Perspective: Redefine gender roles Educate women about how their decisions
affect human capital Enforce existing anti-discrimination
legislation and use the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
Can Gender Inequality be Reduced?
Conflict Perspective: Marxist: abolish capitalism
Feminist: Socialist Feminists: abolish capitalism and
create a new economy Liberal Feminists: change gender socialization Radical Feminists: abolish patriarchy Black and other feminists: treat all women
more equitably