gender inequalities key terms / statistics

Question 1

Employment inequalities - positions held…

Answer 1

• Men tend to work in professional occupations associated with higher levels of pay
• Women dominate employment in caring and leisure occupations

Question 2

Employment inequalities - gender pay gap…

Answer 2

• In private sector of employment gap is 24.8%
• In public sector of employment gap is 17.1%

Question 3

Employment inequalities - pregnancy…

Answer 3

• 30,000 women sacked yearly for being pregnant
• 440,000 women lose out on pay or promotion for being pregnant

Question 4

Income inequalities - low income…

Answer 4

• 22% of women have a persistent low income
• 14% of men have a persistent low income

Question 5

Income inequalities - retirement income…

Answer 5

Income of retired women is 40% less than men’s

Question 6

Income inequalities - minimum wage…

Answer 6

70% of people in minimum wage jobs are women

Question 7

Poverty inequalities - retirement…

Answer 7

One in four women will be living below the poverty line when they retire compared to 12% of men

Question 8

Poverty inequalities - children…

Answer 8

• 52% of children living in lone parent families are poor and 90% of lone parent families are headed by women
• Women are more likely to go without necessities in order to protect their children

Question 9

Social mobility - career ladder…

Answer 9

Men were 40% more likely to climb the career ladder than women

Question 10

Social mobility - ethnicity…

Answer 10

• Black African and black Caribbean women have had a 15-20% fall in full time employment while this has remained stable for white women
• 53% of self-employed Pakistani men work in transport industry compared to 8% of rest of population

Question 11

Male inequalities - education…

Answer 11

• Girls consistently get more A*-C GCSEs than boys
• Since 2008, white working class boys have been the largest underachieving group in education due to anti-school subculture

Question 12

Male inequalities - health…

Answer 12

• Females live 4 years longer than males
• Men develop heart disease 10 years earlier
• Suicide rates for men 3x higher

Question 13

Male inequalities - work and income…

Answer 13

• 95% of the 200 killed in the workplace are males
• Men work 39 hour weeks while women work 34
• Least desirable and most dangerous jobs belong to men

Question 14

Male inequalities - family life…

Answer 14

• 89% of fathers are in employment compared to 74% without dependent children
• Employers see taking time off for family matters as feminine

Question 15

First wave feminism…

Answer 15

• Mid 1800s
• Led by middle class women, the suffragettes, who were campaigning for women’s right to vote

Question 16

Second wave feminism…

Answer 16

• 1960s/70s
• Equal pay for equal work, equal education and job opportunities, reproductive rights, end to laws that allow for men’s dominance/aggression to women

Question 17

Third wave feminism…

Answer 17

• Mid 1990s
• Focuses less on laws and more on individual identity i.e. women come from different ethnicities, religions etc

Question 18

Fourth wave feminism…

Answer 18

• 21st century
• Technology is allowing for women to bring about change when they see fit through online petitions and direct action

Question 19

Liberal feminism…

Answer 19

Gender inequalities are from gender role socialisation rather than biological differences. Changes in norms and values that reinforce gender divisions will bring about equality

Question 20

Evaluation of liberal feminism…

Answer 20

• Radical and Marxist feminists say they fail to explain how males and females have come to hold different levels of power in society. Radicals say patriarchy. Marxists say capitalism.
• Are overly optimistic about their achievements e.g. despite equal pay act there is still a big gender pay gap
• Is a middle class movement that fails to register the concerns of women of different classes or ethnicities

Question 21

Marxist feminism…

Answer 21

• Social class affects the life chances of women.
• Capitalism is an economic system that leads to the oppression of women as the family is a patriarchal institution and women’s role in this as wives and mothers leads them to being exploited by capitalism

Question 22

Evaluation of Marxist feminism…

Answer 22

• Too much emphasis on class and not other factors affecting women’s lives e.g. age, ethnicity
• Postmodernists are critical as they believe class is no longer a significant social division
• Radical feminists critical of emphasis on capitalist exploitation as patriarchy is more significant and present in all societies

Question 23

Radical feminism…

Answer 23

Female oppression is due to the power men have in society and how they control women through a combination of force and ideological persuasion

Question 24

Evaluation of radical feminism…

Answer 24

• Don’t talk about differences in family life between classes and ethnicities
• Over emphasise the factors separating men and women when they can work co-operatively
• Liberal feminists argue the position of women has changed over time and this is ignored

Question 25

Intersectionality…

Answer 25

The complex relationship between different forms of social inequality e.g. class, gender, ethnicity etc

Question 26

Functionalism…

Answer 26

Men and women have separate social roles based on biological differences and these different roles contribute to the smooth running of society - this leads to a division of labour between men and women

Question 27

Human capital theory…

Answer 27

Differences in wages, employment etc can be explained by the skills and knowledge an individual has. The amount of income a person has depends on their investment into developing capital

Question 28

Evaluation of functionalism…

Answer 28

• Refers to the experiences of white, middle class people and neglects other social groups
• Feminists argue gender roles are socially constructed rather than based on biological differences
• Human capital theory ignores the structural constraints of society that disadvantage women