Gender Inequality

??? Is there any difference between sex and gender?

Introduction to Gender Inequality Sex refers to the biological differences between males and females. Gender refers to the social and cultural patterns attached to women and men, or the way a society treats those biological differences Gender identity and gender roles Who is Thomas Beatie? What occurs when an infant is born intersexed?

Is Gender Biological or Social? Biological Basis for Gender Roles: – Males and females are different from the moment of conception. – Chromosomal and reproductive differences – Hormones If gender is completely biological, the suggestion is that these biological differences explain the domination of women by men.

Social Bases for Gender Roles Cross-cultural evidence shows a wide variation of behaviors for the sexes. Society transforms females and males into socially interacting women and men. – Every known society makes gender a major category for organizing social life. Gender is socially constructed – How has gender changed across time and culture?

The Social Construction of Gender Gender Role Socialization Femininity and masculinity When does gender role socialization begin? Through what agents do boys and girls/men and women learn proper gender behavior? The primary socialization agents

Gender Roles in the United States Gender-Role Socialization-Traditional gender ideology – Boys must be masculine Active, Aggressive, Tough, Daring, Dominant – Girls must be feminine Soft, Emotional, Sweet, Submissive Are all boys traditionally masculine? Are all girls traditionally feminine? If boys love playing rough sports and playing with toy guns while girls side with less rough sports and playing with dolls, is the cause nature or nurture?

Media and Gender In what ways does modern media contribute to gender role socialization? – What do boys and girls/men and women learn about masculinity and femininity from media sources? (MTV’s “Girl Code”; Maxim Magazine; Disney Films; beer commercials, etc.) – Is media really that powerful in shaping our views about what proper gender behavior is? How to dress How to act How to express emotions What proper male and female careers are What sports to play What toys to play with – Television, Magazines, Music, Movies, advertisements in all forms of media, etc – Bro code:

Gender Myths We tend to associate stereotypically female characteristics with weakness and typically male characteristics with strength. He’s firm, but she’s stubborn. He’s careful about details, but she’s picky. He’s honest, but she’s opinionated. He’s raising good points, but she’s “bitchy.” We tend to see men as strong and not emotional and women as emotional and not strong. Are traditional gender roles changing?

Gender Roles in the United States Homophobia: fear of and prejudice against homosexuality – Important element in traditional views of masculine and feminine behavior Tied to social problem of bullying in schools as well as hate crimes towards the LGBT community and high rates of suicide amongst LGBT teens

Consequence of traditional gender role socialization Notion that modern American culture fosters what many activists and scholars now call “Rape Culture”. What is “Rape Culture”?

The Problem of Sexism Sexism is the assertion that one sex is innately inferior to the other ― Individual level: belief that one sex is superior to the other ― Institutional level: policies, procedures, and practices that produce unequal outcomes for men and women ― Patriarchy: system of social organization in which men have disproportionate share of power ― Sexism supports patriarchy by claiming that men are “better” than women and therefore should dominate them.

What makes women a minority group?

Gender Inequality Around the World “More girls have been killed in then last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the battles of the twentieth century” (p. 250) There is no nation where women and men are equals. A History of global patriarchy Survival rates and gender Discrimination and persecution Sex trafficking Violent and sexual victimization Literacy rates

Women and Men are Differentiated and Ranked Gender Stratification: the ranking of the sexes in such a way that women are unequal in power, resources, and opportunities – Gender inequality exists in most parts of the world. Does it continue to exist in the Unites States?

Male Domination Politics and Government Sports

Male Domination Religion The Family

Male Domination The Economy-Women in the Workplace – The Gender wage gap- Women earn 81 cents on the dollar that men earn even with equal occupation and level of education For women of color, earning discrimination is even greater – The Matrix of Domination- Social forces that contribute to the subordinate status of many women

Figure 12-4: Matrix of Domination Source: Developed by author.

Male Domination Women in the Workplace – Explaining the Gender wage gap Discrimination – The glass ceiling Male corporate culture Gender role Socialization Occupational segregation – What jobs are considered man jobs/woman jobs? – Pink collar jobs Carework

What improvements have been made for the status of women in American society over the last half century? – Why?

Addressing Gender Discrimination Feminism: belief in social, economic, and political equality for women – 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

Addressing Gender Discrimination Construction of gender discrimination as a social problem – Areas to seek improvement Gender roles and carework Closing the gender wage gap – “Family Friendly” policies – Board room quotas – I.E. Lilly Ledbetter