Gender inequalities: Weberian

Question 1

What is Weber’s ideas about how status explains gender inequalities ?

Answer 1

• women are more likely to work in low-status jobs
• women’s domestic role as housewives and mothers doesn’t carry status

Question 2

What is occupational segregation and what are the two types ?

Answer 2

• helps explain gender inequalities
• horizontal segregation
• vertical segregation

Question 3

What is horizontal segregation ?

Answer 3

• differences in the number of males and females present across occupations
• horizontal segregation has a strong influence on young peoples choice of career depending on how their gender is represented
• 75.2% of school teachers are female
• 13.7% of engineers are female

Question 4

What are the reasons for horizontal segregation that the equal opportunities commission gave ?

Answer 4

• individual differences - human capital theory
• perception about different careers - influences of parents, teachers
• discrimination by teachers
• barriers within organisations and institutions

Question 5

What is vertical segregation ?

Answer 5

• men dominating high ranking jobs in most careers
• Glass ceiling = invisible barriers that keep women from achieving power and sucess
• Concerete ceiling = this is barriers for ethnic minority women
• Glass elevator = men rise higher and faster in the career ladder than women - even in female dominated jobs
• teaching, nursing etc

Question 6

What are the hidden advantages in society for men ?

Answer 6

• gender stereotypes
• women are seen as emotional, men are seen as rational - effects decision making
• women expectations in the family - expect women to get pregnant

Question 7

What do Baron and Norris say about gender inequalities ?

Answer 7

• Weberian
• Dual labour market - explains female employment patterns
• Primary labour market - secure, well-paid, good promotions - male domination
• Secondary labour market - low pay, poor security - female fominated

Question 8

What are the evaluations of the Weberian theory ?

Answer 8

• Weberians don’t explain why men and women end up in different sectors of the labour market
• Post-modernists - there is no longer a consensus about what is high and low status - norms and values aren’t fixed