Transcript Sex and Gender

Sex and Gender
Chapter 8
Sex vs. Gender
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Gender Stratificationunequal access to power,
prestige and property based
on gender differences
Sex is biological
(male/female)
Gender – behavior, attitudes
proper for males and females
Inherit sex, learn gender
Gender is social
Gender is a master status
Gender is a device by which
society controls its members
Dominant Position in Sociology
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Social factors not
biology reasons we
behave the way we do
Difference in gender
behavior is due to social
factors
Type of work men and
women do is determined
by social arrangement
Nature vs. Nurturenature provides
biological predispositions
overlaid with culture
(Medical accidents,
Vietnam veterans study)
Inequality in a Global Perspective
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Hunter- gatherer societies men and women social
equals- changed over time
Females as a minority group
Gender primary division
Women- dominant in number- are discriminated
against on the basis of physical characteristics
Society sets up barriers to ensure unequal access
on the basis of sex
Patriarchy was a social consequence of
reproduction, women did not receive as much
prestige for their work
Origins of Patriarchy
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Patriarchal (male dominated
society) theories point to social
consequences of human
reproduction
Women stayed at home to raise
children, men went out into the
world, took dominant position in
society.
Males dominated society men
dominate political behavior, are
wiling to sacrifice to attain
dominance
Women- second class citizens
Men viewed as superior
Patriarchy
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Certain activities appropriate for men and not
women
Sex Typing- activities associated with one sex or
another (male and female jobs)
George Murdock study 1937 found different cultures
assign different work to men or women (exception
metalworking/ male)
Conclusion- biology does not require men or
women to be assigned different work
Gender and Prestige of Work
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Universally greater prestige is given to male
activities- regardless of what they are
Areas of Global Discrimination
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Education- women lower rates of literacy
Politics- lack equal access to national decision
making
Gap in Pay- average less pay than men
Politics- No national legislature has more
women than men in office
Violence against Women- foot binding,
witch burning, suttee, female circumcision,
domestic violence
Institutions in society work together to
maintain inequality. Customs justify and
maintain arrangements
Rise of Feminism
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100 years ago in U.S.
women second class
(voting, property,
could not make legal
contracts
Feminism- men and
women should be
politically,
economically and
socially equal
Women’s Movement
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Three waves
First- early 1900’s, reform
society, give women the
right to vote
Second- 1960’s, women
began to take careers,
compare working conditions
to men
Third- focus on problems of
Least Industrialized
Nations, values in the
workplace
Gender Inequality in Education
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56% of undergraduates are women
Gender tracking- degrees follow
gender, reinforces male-female
distinctions
Graduate school- women less likely
to complete doctorate
Gender Inequality in Everyday Life
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Devaluation of things feminine
Higher value placed on things masculine
Femininity represents weakness, lack of
accomplishment
Conversation- women often interrupted,
employer- employee relationship in
conversation
Men use insults that feminize other men
Inequality in the Workplace
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Gap in pay between men and women
Gap in pay exists at all levels of education
Nation’s top 500 corporations, only 5 headed by
women
Gender Inequality in the Workplace
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Men enter higher
paying fields
Women placed in
supporting roles at
many jobs (human
resources, public
relations)
Child Penaltywomen missing out
on work experience
raising children
Gender Inequality in the Workplace
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Glass Ceiling- keeps women from advancing to top level
positions in upper management
If they play by “men’s rules”, they advance quicker
Glass Escalator-men working in female occupations (librarian,
social worker, elementary school teacher)
pushes men into higher levels, more desirable work and pay
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Mommy Track- emphasizes career and family, encourages
women to take lower job, pay
Confirms cultural assumption that child rearing is “women’s work
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Conflict Theory- capitalists exploit gender division
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Sexual Harassment
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Unwelcome sexual
attention at work or
school that affects job
performance
Not seen as a problem
until 1970’s
Symbolic Interactioniststerm allows us to
perceive action in
different light
Gender and Violence
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Forms of Violence against Women
(usually by males)
Forcible Rape- underreported
Date Rape most go unreported
Murder
Violence in the Home
Sociologists agree that solution to
problems of violence is to break
connection between masculinity and
violence
Women in the Criminal Justice System
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Judges more
lenient towards
women
Recently violence
crimes committed
by women is
rising,
demonstrates
aggression can be
related to social
factors
Women in Politics
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Women underrepresented in
politics
Law and business not
feminine fields, where
politicians start
Men reluctant to give up
power, incorporate women
into decision making
Some women see politics as
incompatible with role
expectation of motherhood
Future for Equality ?
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Barriers coming down
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Stereotypes changing
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New consciousness
about ability and
relationships