gender inequalities theory

Question 1

what does murdock say about gender inequality?(functionalist)

Answer 1

women are located in their home because of their biological function of bearing children and because their physicque meant that they were less able to perform strenous tasks. this gender division of labour is evident in all societies because they are functional. studied gender role in over 200 societies

Question 2

what does parsons say about gender inequality?(functionalist)

Answer 2

reffered to men as having ‘instrumental’ role, practical role, whilst women have the ‘expressive’ caring role. these seperate roles are seen as contributing to the smooth running of society. says women are less motivated and less suited to the labour market than men. therefore it is not surprising that on average they get paid less

Question 3

what does rastogi say about gender inequality?(functionalist)

Answer 3

human capital is ‘knowledge, competency, attitude and behaviour embedded in an indivdual’ supports meritocracy. men are work orientated. women chose and prioritise their role as home maker

Question 4

what does murray say about gender inequality?(new right)

Answer 4

in the uk he said that rising birth rates outside of marriage, crime, youth , unemployment were all signs of irresponsible attitudes in the underclass were affecting certain neighbourhoods:advocates the nucluear family, blames single parent mothers, it is functional for women to fulfil the housewife role

Question 5

what does dennis and erdos say about gender inequality?( new right)

Answer 5

fatherless children are less likley to be succesfully socialised into the culture of discipline and compromise and so are lss likley to be succesful parents themselves

Question 6

what does schafley say about gender inequality?(new right)

Answer 6

against feminism, she acknowledges marraige can be difficult but see it as the most fulfilling role for women and statesthat “marriage and motherhood have their trials and tribulations, but what lifestyle doesnt?… the flight from home is a flight from self, from responisbility from the nature of women in pursuit of false hopes and fantasies”

Question 7

what does engles say about gender inequality?(marxist)

Answer 7

he suggested that womens subordinate position is a result of the ownership of private property development of the nuclear family that went with it. the exploiter exploitee relationship that occurs between the bourgoise and the prolateriat is translated into household relationships between men and women

Question 8

what does stanko say about gender inequality?(radical feminist)

Answer 8

argues that sexual harrasment in the work place is used to keep women in their place. men use their power to protect their position. women in jobs such as bar work secraterial work are sexualised, and are not taken seriously as male workers or considered for promotion

Question 9

what does adkins say about gender inequality?(radical feminist)

Answer 9

carried out research into the gendered division of labour at an amusement park. found horizontal segregation with male and female employees being given different types of roles in the theme park.e.g females waitresses, males ride operators. vertical segreagtion- men dominate the top, women dominate the bottom

Question 10

what do delphy and leonard say about gender inequality?(radical feminist)

Answer 10

argued that people who benefitted from womens work were not ruling class but men. saw the main role of family as maintaining patriachy. see women as exploited. payement for women through rewards such as clothing.

Question 11

what does millet say about gender inequality?(radical feminist)

Answer 11

men originally acquired power over women due to biological factors (women getting pregnant) but inventions like the contraceptive pill means men can no longer legitimate their power

Question 12

what does johnson say about gender inequality?(radical feminist)

Answer 12

patriarchal terrorism-explains violence is a result of patriarchal traditions of mens right to control women. used by husbands against their wives. johnson is very criticl of the family and marriage

Question 13

what does feeley say about gender inequality?(marxist feminist)

Answer 13

women emerge from family life preconditioned to accept their places in capitalist heirarchy-the family is designed to teach passivity not rebellion. it socialised family members to accept traditional roles and view that it is natural for them to take responsibility

Question 14

what does benston say about gender inequality?(marxist feminist)

Answer 14

argues that the wife keeps the husband in good running order by feeding and caring for him and that is essential for the smooth running of capitalism. the fact that the husband provides for his wife and kids means that he is less likley to challenge the capitalist system

Question 15

what does ansley say about gender inequality?(marxist feminist)

Answer 15

sees women as acting as a ‘safety valve’ and as ‘takers of shit’ as husbands return having been exploited at work & take their frustrations out on their wives. women act as a sponge for mens revolutionary ire, which helps maintain the capitalist system

Question 16

what does oakley say about gender inequality?(liberal feminist)

Answer 16

there are 4 processes of socialisation:
-manipulation-encouraging or discouraging gender appropriate behaviour
-cannelisation-parents directing childs interests into certain toys and play
-verbal appelations- parents using sterotypical feminine and masculine descriptions such as ‘gentle’ girls and ‘strong’ boys
-different activities-boys and girls encouraged to to help with gendered activities-daughters have cultural expectations for future responsibilities

Question 17

what does mcrobbie say about gender inequality?(liberal feminist)

Answer 17

-cult of feminity
-bedroom culture

Question 18

what does brewer say about gender inequality?(black feminist)

Answer 18

argues that class, gender and race combine to create multiple sources of deprivation and inequality. black women suffer from disadvantage because they are black,women and working class. this is known as the triple systems theory

Question 19

what does yuval davis say about gender inequality?(black feminist)

Answer 19

critiseses feminism and argues that it is ethnocentric

Question 20

what does abbot et al say about gender inequality?(black feminist)

Answer 20

other feminists views claim to address issuses concerning women in general but they actually concentrate on ‘womens experiences derives from white feminists perspectives and priorities’. white feminists have been allowed to speak on behalf of black women but black feminists are not expected/allowed to speak on behalf of white women

Question 21

what does walby say about gender inequality?(post feminist)

Answer 21

wrote about the effect on women of the combined systems of capitalism and partirachy. tripple systems of oppression. six structures of patriarchy, belived patriarchy is not fixed and changes over time, argues it evolved from private patriarchy to public patriarchy

Question 22

what does hakim say about gender inequality?(post feminist)

Answer 22

argues that women are not the victims of unfair employment practises but they have preferences and make rational choices in terms of the type of work that they do for example they chose part time jobs so that they can take care of children

Question 23

what does weber say about gender inequalities?(weberian)

Answer 23

identified three dimesions of stratification-class, status and party, and it is the latter of the two that seem particularly useful when discussing gender inequalities

Question 24

what do barron and norris say about gender inequalities?(weberian)

Answer 24

argues that there is a dual labour market which can be used to explain womens employment patterns. primary labour market and secondary labour market

Question 25

what do the electoral commission-political activism gap say about gender inequality?(weberian)

Answer 25

-those in paid employment are more likley to be active politically
-actvisim gap smaller in wealthy households
-women less likley to be involved in trade unions
-women less likley to be involved in elections
-women have lower confidence that they can be involved in politics

Question 26

what does skeggs say about gender inequality?(postmodernism)

Answer 26

argues that women are too divided by class, gender, ethnicity and age for these concepts to be useful. women have instrumental attitudes to work

Question 27

what does faludi say about gender inequality?(postmodernism)

Answer 27

suggests that there has been a feminist backlash and the younger generation do not want to talk about the f word. some people have the view that ‘women have got it good now’ . also states that women think women have more choice and freedom