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
Violence Against Women and Men
Widespread problem linked to society’s definition of gender
Sexual Harrassment
Comments, gestures, or physical contact of a sexual nature that is deliberate, repeated, or unwelcome. Victimizes mostly women because our culture encourages men to be assertive and to see women in sexual terms
Pornography
Portrays women as sexual objects; Many see it as a moral issue; it dehumanizes women, so it is also a power issue
Structural-Functional Theory
Pre-industrial societies: distinctive roles for males/females reflect biological differences. Industrial societies: Gender inequality becomes dysfunctional and gradually decreases
Talcott Parsons
Described gender differences in terms of complementary roles that promote the social integration of families and society as a whole
Symbolic-Interaction Theory
Individuals use gender as one element of their personal performances as they socially construct reality through interactions; gender plays a part in shaping almost all our everyday experiences.
Sex Roles
Men are in control of social situations, women play a more deferential role
Social-Conflict Theory
Gender is an important dimension of social inequality/conflict; benefits men and disadvantages women
Friedrich Engels
Tied gender stratification to rise of private property and class hierarchy; marriage/family are strategies by which men control their property through control of women’s sexuality; capitalism exploits everyone by paying men low wages and telling women to maintain home
Feminism
Endorses social equality of women/men and opposes patriarchy and sexism; seeks to eliminate violence against women; advocates giving women control over their reproduction
Liberal Feminism
Seeks equal opportunity for both sexes within the existing society; support is widespread
Socialist Feminism
Claims that gender equality will come about by replacing capitalism with socialism; opposed greatly
Radical Feminism
Seeks to eliminate the concept of gender itself and to create an egalitarian and gender-free society; opposed greatly
