Stratification by Gender

SOC 101

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.

The Social Construction of Gender

• Gender Roles– Expectations regarding proper behavior,

attitudes, and activities of males and females

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

The Social Construction of Gender

Feminine Role

1. Nurturing

2. Expressive

3. Soft

4. Emotional

5. Sweet

6. Submissive

Masculine Role

1. No “girly-stuff”

2. Success

3. Self-reliant

4. Aggressive

5. Active

6. Sexual

7. Dominant

• 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Explaining Inequalityby Gender

Table 12-2. Sociological Perspectives on Gender

Sexism and Sex Discrimination

Sexism – the ideology that one sex is superior to the other.

• U.S. society run by male-dominated institutions

Women the Oppressed Majority

Women continue to be underrepresented in every section of society.

• Politics• Certain segments of education• Corporate America

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.

Women: The Oppressed Majority

█ Figure 12.1: Percentage of Adult Women in the Paid Labor Force by Country

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2001a.

Women: The Oppressed Majority

█ Table 12.2: U.S. Women in Selected Occupations, 2001: Women as Percentage of All Workers in the Occupation

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

Underrepresented Overrepresented

Source: Bureau of the Census 2002a:381-383.

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.

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 workplaceMust be understood in the context of continuing prejudice and discrimination against women

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

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.

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

Women: The Oppressed Majority

Figure 12-1. Gender

Inequality in

Industrial Nations

Source: Fuwa 2004:757

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

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