Gender inequality Flashcards
Gender inequalities are the result of biological differences - Murdock
Social roles lead to differences in outcomes as they are socially constructed and reinforced. Roles stem from the natural, biological differences. Women need to be located in the home to bear children. Men’s stronger physique means they perform strenuous task so are breadwinners for families. The gendered division of labour in nuclear families is essential to a functional society.
Gender inequality is the result of socialised roles which are necessary for society - Parsons
Women are socialised into expressive caring roles, while makes are socialised into breadwinner roles. Men are more suited to paid employment and women are more suited domesticity. Women are less motivated and less suited to labour market than men, so they’re paid less. These differences are innate, ascribed at birth and contribute to a healthy, smooth running society.
Women’s Expressive Role Is Crucial For Primary Socialisation & Personality Stabilisation - parsons and bale
Women are the key figure in providing primary socialisation for children (which is essential for reproducing social order)
Furthermore, women provide personality stabilisation for other adult family members (namely men). Women provide comfort to their husbands when they are not at work which is crucial for men to be able to be productive
This inevitably means that women are not present in certain sectors of social life which lead to things such as individual wealth, power or authority
Gender inequalities in work are inevitable - Rastogi
The pay gap between younger men and women is practically non-existent. It is post-30 that the pay gap manifests. This is not due to discrimination, but due to men naturally overtaking women in terms of human capital. Men are more work-oriented and committed to their jobs than women, who typically choose to prioritise their roles as homemakers and caring for family over their careers. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where men simply become more valued in work, giving men more confidence, while women feel less confident in work and take lower-status, less well-paid positions
