1. Chapter 1 Sociology: Studying Social Problems
Chapter 11: Gender Inequality

2. What is Gender?
Gender: the personal traits and life chances that a society links to being female or male
Sex: the biological distinction between females and males

3. Gender Stratification and Patriarchy
Gender is an important dimension of social inequality.
Gender stratification 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
Sociologists see patriarchy - and the entire range of gender - as the creation of society itself
Matriarchy is a social pattern in which females dominate males

4. Gender Stratification and Patriarchy
Explanations of Patriarchy
Men’s greater body size and strength
Brain power
Greater aggressiveness (testosterone)
Most sociologists reject the idea that any behavior is “hard-wired” into human biology

5. The Problem of Sexism
Sexism is the assertion that one sex is innately inferior to the other
Sexism supports patriarchy by claiming that men are “better” than women and therefore should dominate them.

6. Global Map 4-1 Women’s Power around the World

7. 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
After reaching adulthood, gender makes marriage two distinctive relationships
Jessie Bernard’s “his” marriage and “her” marriage (Life gets better, but for whom?)

8. Gender and Education
Even before starting school, children are exposed to gender bias in children’s books.
Most college students are women
social pressures still steer women toward majors in English, dance, drama, or sociology
men still are directed toward physics, economics, biology, mathematics and computer science

9. Gender and Education
Title IX- banned sex discrimination in any educational program receiving federal funding.
Despite the passage of Title IX in 1972, equality in athletic programs is more the exception than the rule

10. Gender and the Mass Media
There are more than 250 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.

11. Gender and Politics
Women have played only a marginal role in this nation’s political history
Thousands of women now serve at the local levels as mayors and council members
In 2009, 24% of the state legislators were women and 8 of the 50 state governors were women.

12. Table 4-1

13. National Map 4-1 Women’s Political Power across the United States

14. Gender and Religion Religion has traditionally been patriarchal
In recent decades, more liberal denominations have moved toward greater gender equality
This liberal trend includes revising prayers, hymnals, and even the Bible to reduce sexist language, as well as ordaining both men and women as priests
Orthodox Judaism, Islam, and Roman Catholicism have retained traditional male leadership

15. 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

16. Gender and Work 3 in 5 women are in the work force
60% of married women with children under the age of 6 work
73% of women with children ages 6 to 17 work

17. Figure 4-1 Women and Men in the U.S. Labor Force

18. 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

19. Figure 4-2 Gender and Housework

20. 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
Gender income inequality is the result of men holding different kinds of jobs, family life, and gender discrimination
Glass Ceiling

21. National Map 4-2 The Salary Gender Gap across the United States

22. Figure 4-2 Gender and Housework

23. Violence Against Women
Perhaps the most serious problem linked to patriarchy is men’s physical violence against women
Assault, rape, and murder
Why is violence a gender issue?
Physical aggressiveness is a key element of the cultural definition of masculinity.
Gender violence is not so much sexual as an expression of power
When it comes to serious violence, the most dangerous setting for women is the home

24. Sexual Harassment
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

25. Sexuality, Beauty and Reproduction
Beauty is about power and inequality
Social norms encourage females to wear attractive clothes and to be attentive to men
Women’s reproduction has been regulated
regulation of birth control
restricted access to abortion clinics

26. Women: A Majority-Minority
Numerically, women are a slight majority of the U.S. population
Women meet the test of being both a physically distinctive and disadvantaged category
Women have less income, wealth, and power than men

27. Minority Women: Intersection Theory
Minority women are doubly disadvantaged
They earn less than white women
Minority women earn less than minority men
In 2008, African American women earned 62% as much as white men and Hispanic women earned 53% as much as white men

28. Structural-Functional Analysis: Gender and Complimentarity
Functionalists contend that differences between men and women help build families and integrate society as a whole
(instrumental and expressive roles)
The structural-functional analysis of gender was quite influential 50 years ago but is far less today

29. 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

30. 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
Gender directly affects personal behavior, the use of space, and the language we use

31. Symbolic-Interaction Analysis: Gender in Everyday Life
Critics point out that symbolic-interaction overlooks the fact that gender is a basic part of social organization

32. 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
The double problem of capitalism lies in exploiting men in the factories and exploiting women in the home

33. Social-Conflict Analysis: Gender and Inequality
Critics of this perspective point out:
Families perform vital task of raising children
Not everyone defines the differences as unjust
Patriarchy also occurs in socialist nations such as Cuba and The People’s Republic of China

34. Feminism
Feminism
the study of gender with the goal of changing society to make women and men equal
involves both theory and action

35. 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

36. 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 -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

37. 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
Believe that gender equality may weaken the family

38. Politics and Gender: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions
Liberals focus on the pursuit of equality and speak out in favor of the slow but steady progress that has been made to expand rights and opportunities
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

39. 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