Chapter 13: Gender Stratification
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gender
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the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male
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gender stratification
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the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women
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matriarchy
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a form of social organization in which females dominate males
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patriarchy
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a form of social organization in which males dominate females
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sexism
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the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other
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gender roles (sex roles)
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attitudes and activities that a society links to each sex
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minority
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any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural difference that a society sets apart and subordinates
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intersection theory
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analysis of the interplay of race, class, and gender, often resulting in multiple dimensions of disadvantage
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workplace gender stratification
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- majority of women in paid labor force, 39% hold clerical or service jobs - women earn 77% as much as men - earning difference results from differences in jobs, family responsibilities, and discrimination
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family life gender stratification
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- most unpaid housework is performed by women - pregnancy and raising small children keep women out of work force, while male peers make important career gains
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education gender stratification
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- women earn 59% of all associate's and bachelor's degrees - women make up 47% of law school students, increased professions traditionally dominated by men (medicine, business administration)
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politics gender stratification
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- until a century ago, almost no women held an elected office - number of women in politics increased significantly - majority of elected official are still men - women make up only 15% of military personnel
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sexual harassment
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comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature that are deliberate, repeated, and unwelcome
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violence against women and men
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widespread problem that is linked to how a society defines gender
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pornography
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portrays women as sexual objects; many see as a moral issue; also a power issue because it dehumanizes women
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structural-functional approach
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theory of gender that suggests: - preindustrial societies, distinctive roles for males and female reflect biological differences - industrial societies, marked gender inequality becomes dysfunctional and gradually decreases
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Talcott Parsons
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described gender differences in terms of complementary roles that promote the social integration of families and society as a whole
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symbolic-interaction approach
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theory of gender that suggests: - individuals use gender as one element of their personal performances as they socially construct reality through everyday actions - gender plays a part in shaping almost all of our everyday experiences - men in control of situations, women play deferential role
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social-conflict approach
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theory of gender that suggests: - gender is an important dimension of social inequality and social conflict - gender inequality benefits men and disadvantages women
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Friedrich Engels
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tied gender stratification to the rise of private property and a class hierarchy; marriage/family strategies for men to control property; capitalism exploits everyone paying men low wages, assigning women task of maintaining the home
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feminism
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support of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism
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types of feminism
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1. liberal 2. socialist 3. radical
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liberal feminism
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seeks equal opportunity for both sexes within the existing society
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socialist feminism
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claims that gender equality will come about by replacing capitalism with socialism
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radical feminism
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seeks to eliminate the concept of gender itself and to create an egalitarian and gender-free society
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Israeli kibbutz
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men and women share in both work and decision making; achieved remarkable social equality (although not complete), evidence that cultures define what is feminine and what is masculine
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Margaret Mead
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concluded that culture is the key to gender differences, because what one society defines as masculine another may see as feminine
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basic feminist ideas
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1. working to increase equality 2. expanding human choice 3. eliminating gender stratification 4. ending sexual violence 5. promoting sexual freedom
