Gender and Inequality Flashcards
Sex
Biological categories; male, female, other/intersex
gender
socially constructed; the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a culture associates with a person’s biological sex
gender identity
a person’s internal self-concept of being male or female, or a combination of both, or neither
gender expression
how we express ourselves to others in ways related to gender; feminine, masculine, or other (non-binary/genderqueer)
gender roles
culturally approved behavioral expectations associated with being male or female (gender roles vary across cultures)
Gender inequality
in almost all societies, women have less power and less value than men
Differences in life chances by sex
- health
- education
- work and income
- safety/victimization - sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, IPV
Health differences by sex - life expectancy
estimates for boys born in 2010 - 75.6 years; girls=81.4
both biological and sociological (gender role) factors
health differences by sex - physical and mental health
- types of illnesses
- differences in treatment emphasis, $ spent on research
- differences in effectiveness coping strategies, support
gender inequality and education - illiteracy
worldwide = 20% of population; 2/3 are women - why?
gender inequality and education - educational attainment
- differences in level or type of education
- differences in learning styles
- “tracking” issues
gender bias in education - new gender challenges
- academics
- sexual harassment
- teachers/administration
- single-sex schools/classes
- teacher bias
- student beliefs
- learned helplessness
- self-imposed stereotyping
gender inequality in work and income
- Americans age 25-44: 92% of men and women are in the labor force
- earnings gap: US women working full-time earn approx. 81% as much as men
Why do women earn less than men?
- Different occupations - occupational segregation; gendered occupations, different qualifications, and discrimination
- same occupation, different earnings - gender gap in earning; “glass escalator” and “glass ceiling”
Gender inequality and work: additional issues
- maternal profiling(also FRD-family responsibilities discrimination) – mothers are 44% less likely to be hired than similarly experienced and degreed non-mothers and are offered $11,000 less
- sexual harassment
- “second shift”