Gender Stratification Flashcards
Gender
Meaning a culture attaches to being female or male
Culture
Evidence that gender is rooted in culture includes global comparisons by Margaret Mead and others showing how societies define what is feminine/masculine in various ways
Social Stratification
Societies give more power and other resources to men than women; sexism is built into operation of social institutions
Patriarchy
Form of social organization in which males dominate females; varies throughout history and from society to society
Gender Stratification
Unequal distribution of wealth, power and privilege between men and women
Matriarchy
Form of social organization in which females dominate males
Sexism
The belief that one sex is innately superior to the other
Gender
The personality traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male
Gender Roles
Attitudes and activities that a society links to each sex
Workplace
Majority of women are in paid labour force, but 30% hold clerical/service jobs; women earn 71% of male income; differences in jobs, family responsibilities, and discrimination
Family Life
Most unpaid housework performed by women; pregnancy/raising small children keeps women out of labour force when male peers make career gains
Education
Women earn majority of degrees; women make up majority of recent medical school graduates
Politics
Number of women in politics has increased significantly; 74% of parliament members are men
Minority
Any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural difference that a society sets apart and subordinates
Intersection theory
Analysis of the interplay of race, class, and gender, often resulting in multiple dimensions of disadvantage. All women are a minority even though white women don’t think of themselves that way
