Download
1 / 23
230 likes | 507 Vues
Social Inequality Chapter 5 – Sex and Gender Inequality. Dr. Roderick Graham Fordham University. Sex and Gender Inequality. The status of women in the early U.S. Women were attached to their family…they were defined by their husbands, and had little or no legal rights…
E N D
Social InequalityChapter 5 – Sex and Gender Inequality Dr. Roderick Graham Fordham University
The status of women in the early U.S. • Women were attached to their family…they were defined by their husbands, and had little or no legal rights… • Men had the right to “chastise” his wife physically • Men had exclusive rights to property • Women could not vote • When women did work outside of the home, they were paid less • Women were kept out of unions (where wages were higher)
The status of women in the early U.S. • Jobs in the early U.S. were sex segregated, with men holding all supervisory positions • Women were disproportionately represented in certain occupations (servants, waiters, paper box makers, housekeepers, nurses) • Black females were more likely to work than white females • Non immigrant whites were disproportionately represented in higher status professions
Present occupational conditions • Since WWII, and especially since the 1970’s… • The percentage of women in the labor force has increased • The difference between wages for men and women have decreased • The number of women in positions of authority have increased • Women now contribute greater amounts to family incomes than before
Present occupational conditions Despite the gains made by women, there is still gender inequality with respect to: • The types of jobs women have (occupational categories) • The amount of money women earn. I will discuss each of these in turn.
Occupation and Sex and Gender Men are distributed in all occupational categories, while women are concentrated in white collar and service jobs (Table 5.1, p. 96 in Hurst)
Occupation and Sex and Gender • Whites are more likely to be in managerial positions, while blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be in service positions • Even within the same occupations, there is “sex-typing”. Your textbook gives an example of how both a man and woman is in “sales”, but the man is selling stocks, and the woman is selling clothes. • Many occupations dominated by women do not have the legal protections of male dominated jobs (long hours, low pay, no benefits)
Occupation and Sex and Gender • Within occupations, women tend to hold positions of authority less – even in occupations where they dominate. • Or, women are less likely to be employed in the most prestigious positions within occupations (women are less likely to hold professorships at the most prestigious universities)
Occupation and Sex and Gender • Because (1) women work in occupations and (2) do not work in certain positions within those occupational categories, there is sex segregation in the U.S. workforce. Why? Is it because women choose to be in certain occupations, and do not choose to pursue authority/prestige in these occupations? Is it because women are forced into being occupations and in positions of lesser authority/prestige within those occupations?
Earnings and Sex • There is earnings inequality between men and women…but that gap has shrunk in recent years • Asian women tend to earn the most, followed by white, black and Hispanic • Even though white women’s earnings have increased faster than minority women, the earnings gap between white men and white women is still higher (because white men have higher earnings than minority men)
Earnings and Sex Why differences in earnings? • Domestic pressures may interfere with advancing on the job • Occupations that are culturally defined as being for a woman tend to have lower wages (Davis-Moore?) • Occupational sex segregation – women have less authority or given different kinds of tasks • Occupational sex segregation – because women crowd into certain jobs they can command less wages (Neo-Classical?)
Microinequities Microinequities – “…individuals are singled out, or overlooked, or ignored, or otherwise discounted on the basis of unchangeable characteristics such as sex, race, or age.” p. 104 These are everyday inequalities between the sexes on a microlevel. For ex… • Men talk more than women, and interrupt them more • People listen more attentively to men than women • Men are shown in film as being the leaders • In school, females are more likely to be ignored than males
Explaining Gender Inequality: Cultural Values • I will focus on one type of explanation: the cultural one. • Sociologists separate sex and gender. • Sex is biological and does not vary by culture. • Gender is cultural. The expected roles and behaviors for women change by culture. • The idea behind the cultural explanation for gender inequality is that society expects women to be a certain way (submissive, less intellectual, less physically inclined, more concerned with beauty and homemaking than professional success). Women internalize these roles, or they are forced to conform to these roles by society.
Explaining Gender Inequality: Cultural Values • Women are not expected to be forceful, authoritative, and dominant. When they are authoritative or forceful, they are not conforming to their expected gender roles. Or, when women choose certain activities (football, for example) they are also not conforming. • People who do not conform are considered deviant. They are assigned negative labels (bitch, ball-buster, etc.), and are treated negatively.
Sections skipped Pages 110 – 126 were skipped.
Summary/ Key Points • In the early U.S., women had few legal rights. There was severe inequality between the sexes. • Over the last 60 years, the economic inequality between men and women has decreased dramatically. • However, there are still differences in: • The types of jobs men and women do • The median earnings between men and women • The degree to which men and women attain positions of authority and prestige
Summary/ Key Points • There are differences within the women workforce, with minority women (blacks and Hispanics) participating more but usually in the less high paying positions • One explanation for gender inequality is a cultural values explanation, where women are expected to conform to gender roles that discourage professional success
