Transcript Lecture Three

Examining the
Intersection of
Gender and Work
Powell ix-xx
In-class activity #3
• Blue Collar vs. Pink Collar Jobs
• Three tasks:
– Identify each occupation as a blue collar job (male
job) or pink collar job (female job)
– Include one aspect of that job that brought your
group to this conclusion
– Approximate the percentage of that occupation
that is the majority gender
• Extra Credit Opportunity for Group
– 1 point for identifying blue or pink collar correctly
– 2 points for being within 4 percentage points of
actual composition
Women may be in “male jobs”
but their wages are less then
a comparable male’s wage
WHY???
Discrimination
• By employer
• By other employees
• By the customer
Or….not discrimination
• Less investment in human capital
– Women are more likely to finish high school;
men are more likely to get an advanced
degree
• Enter lower paid occupations
• Hold lower level positions
Sex vs. Gender
• Sex = Biological property of individuals
– Sexual characteristics
• Gender = psychological and social
ramifications of being male or female
– Girly, macho, emotional, dominate…
Sex and Gender is not the whole
story
• Also must include
– Race
– Ethnicity
– Culture
• Adds serious complications
Gender typecasts occupations
• Influences wage
• Influences opinion about that job and the
person within the job
Quarter Overview on Gender
• Gender’s impact on interviews
• Gender’s impact on job evaluations and
promotions
• Environmental changes due to changes in
gender composition
• Sexuality in the workplace
– Welcome, i.e. relationships
– Unwelcome, i.e. sexual harassment
– Same sex relationships
• Affirmative Action
Common Sense
about the
“Other”
(Essed p. 6-13)
Common Sense about the “Other”
(Essed p. 6-13)
• Who is the “other”?
• What is racism?
– Thoughts of racial superiority
– Founded in belief that race defines a person
– Assumption that group differences are BIOLOGICALLY
determined and unchangeable
• People are very sensitive to being called a racist
• Bugs Bunny examples…
• What part did racism play in our society in
the past?
– Hierarchy
– Appropriate
• What part does it play today?
– No Hierarchy
– Not appropriate
Old vs. New Ideology
• Old: Not like because
– Dirty
– Ugly
– Not intelligent
• New: Not like because
– On welfare
– Don’t speak proper English
– Live on the east side
How is racism transmitted?
• Politics
• Media
• Education
• Socialization
Forms of Racism
• Overt Racism
– Direct behavioral or verbal racially discriminatory acts
• Covert Racism
– More subtle
– Thoughts or indirect actions of racially discriminatory acts
• Three ways to look at
– Individual
– Institutional
– Cultural
Individual Racism
• Overt example:
– An Arabic male student is brutally murdered
out of hate
• Covert example:
– An employer decides not to hire an Asian
American employee because she believes
that the employee might drive away business,
but tells the person that there are no more
openings available
Institutional Racism
• Overt Example:
– A country club that has clearly written rules
which precludes any non-White members
• Covert Example:
– An academic curriculum that only emphasizes
European American History and does not
address the history of other ethnic/cultural
groups
Cultural Racism
• Overt example:
– The extermination of Jews in the Holocaust
• Covert example:
– The unrealistic and stereotypical portrayal of
ethnic minorities in the media
Consequences of Racism
• On the minority or target group
– Low self-esteem, depression, anxiety
– Limited access to necessary and desired
resources
– Limited freedom and/or death
• On the majority or dominate group
– Continued ignorance
– Pressure to maintain the status quo
– Impairment of moral development
In-class exercise 4
COLOR BLIND
In this provocative program, five students
from a variety of cultural and ethnic
backgrounds speak with candor about racial
harassment at their high school in an effort to
encourage teenagers to examine their own
attitudes and behaviors.