Gender Stratification. Sociology, 13 h Edition by John Macionis Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcription

1 Gender Stratification

2 Gender and Inequality Gender Personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female and male Gender stratification Unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women Male-female biological differences

3 Gender in a Global Perspective Israeli kibbutzim Gender equality is a stated goal. Margaret Mead s research Culture is key to gender differences. George Murdock s research Some global agreement about feminine and masculine tasks. Gender and culture What it means to be male or female is mostly a creation of society.

4 Figure 13.1 Men s and Women s Athletic Performance

5 Patriarchy and Sexism A form of social organization in which males dominate females Matriarchy A form of social organization in which females dominate males Sexism Belief that one sex or the other is innately inferior or superior Institutional sexism Found throughout the economy The costs of sexism Sexism has a high price for both women and men. Inevitability of patriarchy Most sociologists believe gender is socially constructed and can be changed.

6 Global Map 13.1 Women s Power in Global Perspective

7 Gender and Socialization Gender roles (sex roles) Attitudes and activities that a society links to each sex Gender affects how we think of ourselves and teaches us how to behave. Research suggests that most young people develop personalities that are a mix of feminine and masculine traits.

8 Gender and the Family Is it a boy or girl? Color-coding gender Traditional notions of gender identity Handling of children Female: passivity and emotion Male: independence and action

9 Gender and Peer Groups Janet Lever (1978) Boys favor team sports with complex rules and clear objectives. Girls sports teach interpersonal skills and the value of sharing and cooperation. Gilligan (1982) Boys reason according to abstract principles. Girls consider morality a matter of responsibility to others. Schooling Gender shapes interests and beliefs, guides areas of study, and career choices.

10 Gender and the Mass Media White males have center stage. Minorities locked out until the early 1970s. Women receive roles based on sex appeal. The beauty myth

11 Social Stratification 60% of all women work and 72% of working women work full-time Women hold primary responsibility for housework and parenting the second shift On average, women earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Some work defined as men s work Pink-collar are at the lower end of the pay scale.

12 Table 13.1 Jobs with the Highest Concentrations of Women, 2007

13 Figure 13.2 Housework: Who Does How Much?

14 Table 13.2 Significant Firsts for Women in US Politics

15 Education, Politics, and Buy Zoloft - Gender and education Military In 2007 women earned 59% of all associate and bachelor degrees, 61% of master s degrees and 50% of doctorates. Politics Nineteenth Amendment (1920) Women active in local, state politics Military 14% of US military personnel are women, including deployed troops. Culture influences our views of women in the military.

16 National Map 13.1 Women in State Government across the United States

17 Are Women a Minority? At every class level, women have less income, wealth, education, and power than men. Intersection theory The interplay of race, class, and gender, often resulting in multiple dimensions of disadvantage. Disadvantages linked to gender and race often combine to produce especially low social standing. Multilayered system of disadvantage for some and privilege for others

18 Violence Against Women In the 19th century, men claimed the right to physically discipline their wives. Sexual assaults, rapes, attempted rapes, and physical assaults Campus and university gender violence Much gender-linked violence occurs in the home. Female genital mutilation

19 Global Map 13.2 Female Genital Mutilation in Global Perspective

20 Violence Against Men Men are more likely to be both the perpetrators and victims of violence. Our culture tends to define masculinity in terms of aggression and violence. Men s lives involve more stress and isolation than women s lives.

21 Sexual Harassment Comments, gestures, or physical contact of a sexual nature that are deliberate, repeated, and unwelcome. Rules for workplace interaction Causes of sexual harassment Culture encourages men to be sexually assertive and perceive women in sexual terms. Men occupy most positions of power. By the effect standard, a hostile environment involves different perceptions of the same behavior.

22 Pornography People take different views of what is and isn t pornographic. Concerns about pornography as a moral issue The gender-stratification point of view considers pornography a power issue. Concern that pornography promotes violence against women by portraying them as weak and undeserving of respect

23 Applying Theory Gender

24 Theoretical Analysis of Gender Structural-functional analysis Parsons: Gender forms a complementary set of roles that links men and women into family units Modern societies relax traditional gender roles as they become more meritocratic Symbolic-interaction analysis Gender involves differences in behavior Women are expected to be more deferential Social-conflict analysis Gender involves differences in power Engels: Capitalism strengthens male domination.

25 Figure 13.3 Use of Contraception by Married Women of Childbearing Age

26 Feminism The advocacy of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism Working to increase equality Expansion of human choice Eliminate gender stratification Ending sexual violence Promotes sexual freedom

27 Types of Feminism Liberal feminism Free to develop own talents and interests Socialist feminism Family form must change with some collective means of carrying out housework and childcare Radical feminism Seek an egalitarian, gender-free society Opposition to feminism Threat to male status and privilege Resistance to feminism is strongest among women with lower levels of education

28 Applying Theory Feminism

29 Figure 13.4 Opposition to Feminism among First-Year College Students, The share of college students expressing antifeminist views declined after Men are still more likely than women to hold such attitudes. Source: Astin et al. (2002) and Pryor et al. (2008)