Stratification by Gender

1. Stratification by Gender SOC 101

2. Basic Concepts • Sex is biological—we are either male or female (chromosomes, anatomy, hormones) • Gender is a social construct—masculinity or femininity (social and cultural expectations that we learn.) • Gender Roles—role a person is expected to perform because they are male or female.

3. The Social Construction of Gender • Gender Roles • Expectations regarding proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females

4. Sex/Gender Roles Social Construction of Gender • Gender roles are socially constructed so that male-female differences are either created or exaggerated • Most people do not display strictly “masculine” or “feminine” qualities all the time

5. The Social Construction of GenderFeminine Role • Nurturing • Expressive • Soft • Emotional • Sweet • Submissive

6. Masculine Role • No “girly-stuff” • Success • Self-reliant • Aggressive • Active • Sexual • Dominant

7. Parents play a critical role at guiding children into gender roles • The media helps perpetuate exaggerated gender roles. • Men face lots of pressure to conform to traditional male roles in society. • Traditional gender roles have restricted females more than males.

8. The Social Construction of Gender Men’s Gender Roles • Attitudes toward parenting changing, but studies show little change in tradition male gender role • Boys who successfully adapt to cultural standards of masculinity may grow up to be inexpressive men who cannot share their feelings with others

9. Androgyny – is a lifestyle in which there is no gender role differentiation and one can be both “masculine” and “feminine”

10. Explaining Stratification by Gender • The Functionalist View • Gender differentiation contributes to social stability. • Women take on expressive, emotionally supportive roles. • Men take on instrumental, practical roles.

11. Explaining Stratification by Gender • The Conflict Response • The relationship between men and women is one of unequal power. • Men have a dominant position over women. • Gender differences are a result of the subjugation of women by men.

12. Explaining Inequalityby Gender • The Interactionist Approach • Study micro level of everyday behavior • Men more likely than women to: • Change topics of conversation • Ignore topics chosen by women • Minimize ideas of women • Interrupt women

13. Explaining Inequalityby Gender Table 12-2. Sociological Perspectives on Gender

14. Sexism and Sex Discrimination Sexism – the ideology that one sex is superior to the other. • U.S. society run by male-dominated institutions

15. Women the Oppressed Majority Women continue to be underrepresented in every section of society. • Politics • Certain segments of education • Corporate America

16. Women in the Workforce • In 2000, 60 percent of adult women held jobs outside the home • Vast majority of women enter sex-typed occupations. • Women are underrepresented in occupations historically defined as “men’s jobs” which often pay more.

17. Women: The Oppressed Majority • Figure 12.1: Percentage of Adult Women in the Paid Labor Force by Country Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2001a.

18. Women: The Oppressed Majority • Table 12.2: U.S. Women in Selected Occupations, 2001: Women as Percentage of All Workers in the Occupation Underrepresented Overrepresented Firefighters 3% High school teachers 59% Airline pilots 4 Social workers 72 Engineers 10 Cashiers 77 Police 14 File clerks 82 Clergy 15 Elementary teachers 83 Dentists 20 Librarians 86 Computer systems analysts 27 Registered nurses 93 Lawyers 29 Child care workers 97 Physicians 29 Receptionists 97 Mail carriers 31 Secretaries 98 College teachers 43 Dental hygienists 98 Source: Bureau of the Census 2002a:381-383.

19. Glass Ceiling Glass Ceiling – is an invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified individual in a work environment because of the person’s gender, race or ethnicity. • These workplace patterns have one crucial result: women earn less money than men. • Women are more likely to be poor than men.

20. Women: The Oppressed Majority • Sexual Harassment • Occurs when work benefits are contingent on sexual favors or when touching, lewd comments, or appearance of pornographic material creates a “hostile environment” in the workplace Must be understood in the context of continuing prejudice and discrimination against women

21. Women: The Oppressed Majority • The Social Consequences of Women’s Employment • Second Shift: Sociologist Arlie Hochschild describes the double burden of housework and childcare following work outside the home as the “second shift” Women spend 15 fewer hours each week in leisure activities than their husbands

22. Women: Emergence of a Collective Consciousness The feminist movement of the United States originate in 1848. • Women were granted the right to vote in 1920. • The movement re-emerged in the 1960s to battle sexist attitudes and the position of women in the workforce.

23. Women: The Oppressed Majority • The Status of Women Worldwide • Women’s and men’s worlds differ in access to education and work opportunities • Women in the Workforce of the U.S. • Women’s participation in paid labor force in U.S. increased steadily throughout the 20th century • Census bureau found 2 occupations out of 821 in which women typically earn about 1% more income than men

24. Women: The Oppressed Majority Figure 12-1. Gender Inequality in Industrial Nations Source: Fuwa 2004:757

25. Women: The Oppressed Majority Figure 12-2. Trends in U.S. Women’s Participation in the Paid Labor Force, 1890—2003 Sources: Bureau of the Census 1975; 2004a:396

26. The Social Construction of Gender • Cross-Cultural Perspective • Gender stratification requires: • Individual socialization into traditional gender roles within family • Promotion and support of traditional roles by other social institutions • Every society has men and women who resist and successfully oppose stereotypes