1. Gender as Structure
Barbara J Risman
Gender is a “STRUCTURE”

2. Structure Has consequences in all aspects of society
Men and women have their own roles in society

3. Structure
“At the individual level we learn who we are and what we want to be within a world where boys and girls are treated almost as though they were different creatures” (Risman 92).

4. Structure
Gender is a structural property of society that is deeply embedded in society and also acts as a basis of stratification
Gender is used in differentiating opportunities and constraints
Differentiation has consequences on three levels

5. Individual Level

6. Interactional Level

7. Institutional Level

8. Individual Level
Development of Gender
Socialization

9. Socialization Girls wear pink Boys wear blue
We are given masculine/feminine names at birth
Gender specific toys
Gender specific movies
Gender specific chores

10. Interactional Level
Culture

11. Culture Expectations Marriage Have children
Girls become homemakers, boys become moneymakers
Women aren’t expected to make money,
the pressure is put on the man

12. Institutional Level

13. Distribution of Material Advatnage
Rarely are women and men given the same positions
Women can’t go into combat despite receiving the same military training
In the US, actually, this just changed in 2015
Women make less money on the dollar as men

14. Ideological Discourse
Gender creates an abstract structure in society basedo n signals and communication used when interacting with each other
Male and Female Bathroom signs

15. Marriage Traditioanlly, marriages are dominated by men
But in modern marriages roles have changed
More acceptable for mothers to work and fathers to take the role as a caretaker

16. Marriage Marriage is a form of inequality that is seen as acceptable
When life options are tied to racial categories we call it racism…when life opportunites are tied to gender categories we call it marriage
Men and women become tied to their roles which creates inequality in the home