Chapter 4 Gender Inequality

What is Gender? Gender: Sex: The personal traits and life chances that a society links to being female or male Sex: The biological distinction between females and males © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender Stratification and Patriarchy Gender is an important dimension of social inequality. Frequently takes the form of patriarchy (social patterns by which males dominate females) Patriarchy is widely evident in the U.S. and around the world © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender Stratification and Patriarchy Sociologists see patriarchy – and entire range of gender - as the creation of society itself Matriarchy is a social pattern in which females dominate males Explanations of Patriarchy Men’s greater body size and strength © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender Stratification and Patriarchy Brain power Greater aggressiveness (testosterone) Most sociologists reject the idea that any behavior is “hard-wired” into human biology © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Problem of Sexism Sexism is the assertion that one sex is innately inferior to the other Sexism supports patriarchy Claiming that men are “better” than women and therefore should dominate them. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and the Family The importance of gender to family life Begins with the fact that most expectant parents prefer a son to a daughter Female infanticide © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and the Family After reaching adulthood, gender makes marriage two distinctive relationships Jessie Bernard’s “his” marriage and “her” marriage (Life gets better, but for whom?) © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Education Even before starting school, children are exposed to gender bias Children’s books Most college students are women Social pressures still steer women toward majors in English, dance, drama, or sociology © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Education Men still are directed toward: Physics, economics, biology, mathematics and computer science Title IX: Banned sex discrimination in any federally funded educational program Despite its 1972 passage, equality in athletic programs is more the exception than the rule © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and the Mass Media There are more than 312 million televisions in the U.S. TV directs its advertising toward women, but ignores them in TV programming. Women often have supporting roles that reinforce traditional gender roles. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Politics Women have played only a marginal role in this nation’s political history Thousands of women serve at the local levels as mayors and council members In 2011, 24% of the state legislators were women 6 of the 50 state governors were women. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Religion Religion has traditionally been patriarchal More liberal denominations have moved toward greater gender equality This liberal trend includes: Revising prayers, hymnals, and even the Bible to reduce sexist language © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Religion As well as ordaining both men and women as priests Orthodox Judaism, Islam, & Roman Catholicism retain traditional male leadership © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and the Military Women have been part of the military since the Revolutionary War During WWII, when the government officially opened the military to both sexes: Women made up just 2% of the armed forces Women make up to 14% of the U.S. military fighting force in Iraq © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Work 3 in 5 women are in the work force 60% of married women with children under the age of 6 work 71% of women with children ages 6 to 17 work © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Work Even though more women work for pay, their range of jobs is still limited Gender discrimination was outlawed by: The Federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 But even today it continues to be an issue © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender Stratification Inequality between men and women is reflected in differences in: Income and in responsibility for housework As well as in patterns of violence and even reproductive issues © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender Stratification Gender income inequality is the result of men holding different kinds of: Jobs, family life, and gender discrimination Glass Ceiling © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Violence Against Women Perhaps the most serious problem linked to patriarchy is Assault, rape, and murder Why is violence a gender issue? Physical aggressiveness is a key element of the cultural definition of masculinity. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Violence Against Women Gender violence is not so much sexual as an expression of power When it comes to serious violence, the most dangerous setting is the home © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexual Harassment Unwanted comments, gestures or physical contact of a sexual nature Quid Pro Quo- sexual harassment that is blatant and direct is a violation of civil rights Hostile Environment- more subtle behavior © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexuality, Beauty and Reproduction Beauty is about power and inequality Social norms encourage females to wear attractive clothes & to be attentive to men Women’s reproduction has been regulated regulation of birth control restricted access to abortion clinics © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Women: A Majority-Minority Numerically, women are a slight majority of the U.S. population Women meet the test of being a physically distinctive and disadvantaged category Women have less income, wealth, and power than men © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Minority Women: Intersection Theory Minority women are doubly disadvantaged They earn less than white women Minority women earn less than minority men In 2010, African American women earned 62% as much as white men And Hispanic women earned 54% as much as white men © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural-Functional Analysis: Gender and Complementarity Differences between men and women help build families, integrate society as a whole Instrumental and expressive roles Quite influential 50 years ago but is far less today © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural-Functional Analysis: Gender and Complementarity Critics contend that: Functionalism ignores how men and women can and do relate to one another In a variety of ways that do not fit any norm Functionalism fails to take into account: The personal strains and social conflicts produced by rigid gender patterns © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbolic-Interaction Analysis: Gender in Everyday Life The symbolic-interaction paradigm provides a micro-level analysis of gender At work in the everyday lives of individual people Personal behavior Use of space Language © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbolic-Interaction Analysis: Gender in Everyday Life Gender directly affects: Personal behavior, the use of space, and the language we use Critics point out that symbolic-interaction overlooks the fact that gender is: A basic part of social organization © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social-Conflict Analysis: Gender and Inequality Friedrich Engels expanded Marx’s theory to include gender Arguing that the same process that allows a ruling class to dominate a worker Places men in a dominant position over women Patriarchy is a system by which wealthy men transmit their wealth to their sons © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social-Conflict Analysis: Gender and Inequality The double problem of capitalism lies in exploiting men in the factories And exploiting women in the home Critics of this perspective point out: Families perform vital task of raising children © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social-Conflict Analysis: Gender and Inequality Not everyone defines the differences as unjust Patriarchy also occurs in socialist nations Such as Cuba and The People’s Republic of China © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Feminism Feminism the study of gender with the goal of changing society to make women and men equal involves both theory and action © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Feminist Foundations There is no one version of feminism, but almost all feminists agree on: the importance of gender the importance of change the importance of choice the need to eliminate patriarchy the need to eliminate violence against women the importance of sexual autonomy © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Types of Feminism Types of feminists Liberal feminists – Want women and men to be treated as individuals But want change to occur within existing social institutions Socialist feminists – © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Types of Feminism Radical feminists – Claim that a Marxist-style class revolution is needed to secure equality for all people Radical feminists – Argue that patriarchy is built into the concept of gender itself And nothing short of erasing gender will bring about equality © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Politics and Gender: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions Conservatives focus on the value of families While most conservatives are willing to support women in the workplace And even in positions of national leadership: most also support policies to strengthen families © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Politics and Gender: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions Believe that gender equality may weaken the family Liberals focus on the pursuit of equality Speak out in favor of the slow but steady progress Has been made to expand rights and opportunities © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Politics and Gender: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions Families have changed because families need two working adults to make ends meet Men must take greater responsibility for the home and children The earning power of women must be raised © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Politics and Gender: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions Radicals argue that, at a minimum: Basic change must come to the economic and political system. The target of basic change is the family Some radical feminists promote the elimination of gender itself © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.