How the belief system or ideology defines gender and gender roles Flashcards
How does if define gender and gender roles?
In general terms, feminism can be defined as a movement which aims to put an end to sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression to achieve full gender equality in both law and practice.
In the second wave of feminism, the protests were about jobs that were available to women. At this time in the 1960s, jobs available to women were very limited and they were limited to being wives/mothers, secretaries or office work.
The main idea of feminism is to break down and challenge stereotypes around gender and gender roles.
Gender equality, the main driving force of feminism, is defined as “equal respect, rights and opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender identity.”
Despite the three waves of feminism, there are still gender roles in society and in the workplace. There are certain jobs and industries that are more ‘masculine’ such as construction and IT, and this can make it difficult for women to be accepted in the workplace or even apply for these roles. As of April 2022, only 24% of computing jobs in the world are held by women.
Whilst the term ‘feminism’ is defined as equality for both men and women, the term is inherently female, which some argue as being an inherent exclusion of men.
Certain roles, including that of a nurse, nanny and secretary, are largely associated with feminine work. This puts men off applying for these jobs while also reinforcing the stereotype that women are more suited to domestic and administrative work.
There are some around the world that believe femininity is considered a weakness in leaders, believing that women are too emotional or weak to handle high stake positions. Globally, women hold 23% of executive positions, 29% of senior management, 37% of manager positions, 42% of professional positions and 47% of support staff positions. This demonstrates that whilst feminism has been trying to challenge stereotypes and traditional gender roles, they are still evident in society.
