Lecture 8-Work

Question 1

What is the “glass ceiling”?

Answer 1

The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier that keeps women from rising to the highest levels of leadership in the workplace.

Question 2

What does “sticky floor” refer to?

Answer 2

The tendency for women to remain at the bottom of an organizational hierarchy in jobs with limited opportunities for advancement.

Question 3

What is the “gender deviance neutralization” theory?

Answer 3

Suggests that people use justifications to explain why women are in non-traditional roles or why they deviate from expected gender norms.

Question 4

What is the main expectation for men’s work from graduation to retirement?

Answer 4

Men are expected to work full-time, continuously, and are not allowed to be dependent or ask for help.

Question 5

How is a man’s identity linked to his work?

Answer 5

A man’s identity is often tied to his work, with men who earn more feeling more masculine.

Question 6

What role does work play in a man’s life according to the Male Work-Role Model?

Answer 6

Work is the central focus of a man’s life, and he is expected to be the breadwinner in separate spheres from other roles.

Question 7

What do most women expect regarding work and family?

Answer 7

Most women are expected to balance work and domestic duties, and some may leave work to have children.

Question 8

Do women typically view work as a means to self-actualization?

Answer 8

Few women view work as a key means of self-actualization, and they rarely define themselves as breadwinners.

Question 9

What does Deutsch’s research say about dual-earner couples?

Answer 9

Women want their husbands to earn money, and men want their wives to earn money but not more than they do.

Question 10

How is women’s income viewed in dual-earner couples, and how are finances typically divided?

Answer 10

Women’s income is often seen as “helping” rather than “providing,” and men usually pay the “real” bills, maintaining traditional financial divisions.

Question 11

What is “opportunity cost”?

Answer 11

Refers to the value of what one must give up in order to pursue something else, such as the trade-off between paid work and unpaid caregiving duties.

Question 12

Why did rates for women in the workforce increase?

Answer 12

1. Expanded service sector → more job opportunities for women
2. Inflation → increased need for two incomes
3. Changing gender role expectations → married women with children returning to work

Question 13

Why did men’s participation in the workforce decrease?

Answer 13

1. More men retired early
2. Everyone stayed in school longer

Question 14

What type of jobs are women more likely to work in?

Answer 14

Women are more likely to work in jobs that are lower in pay, prestige, and status, often lacking authority and decision-making power.

Question 15

What defines precarious work? (5)

Answer 15

Involves short hours, low pay, limited benefits, limited control over working conditions, and limited job advancement.

Question 16

What are examples of precarious jobs?

Answer 16

Examples include part-time jobs, contract jobs, and low-paid occupations such as childcare, cashiers, and food service workers.

Question 17

What is horizontal occupational gender segregation?

Answer 17

Refers to the tendency of men and women to cluster into different professions, often with men in higher-paid roles and women in lower-paid roles.

Question 18

What is vertical occupational gender segregation?

Answer 18

Refers to the tendency for men to hold higher-status positions with more authority and pay within any field.

Question 19

What are the two causes of horizontal occupational gender segregation?

Answer 19

1. Women tend to “choose” care work.
   - Assumption that women are naturally caring is used to justify lower salaries.
   - Care work pays less than other work, even when controlling for education and experience.
2. Pay rates were historically set when employers assumed women didn’t need to financially support their families.

Question 20

How is horizontal occupational gender segregation decreasing?

Answer 20

Women and men with four-year degrees are moving toward more integrated professions, like law and medicine.

Question 21

In which type of jobs is there less integration between men and women?

Answer 21

There is less integration in traditionally male-dominated, working-class positions, such as construction and plumbing.

Question 22

What happens to the salaries and status of male-dominated careers as women move into these jobs?

Answer 22

The salaries and status of male-dominated careers tend to decrease as women move into these jobs.

Question 23

What is the “labyrinth” metaphor in workplace discrimination?

Answer 23

The complex obstacles women face in the workplace that thwart all but the most exceptional women.

Question 24

What is the “glass escalator” in workplace dynamics?

Answer 24

The tendency for men to be promoted to leadership positions rapidly when working in traditionally female-dominated fields.

Question 25

What is the “glass cliff” in workplace discrimination?

Answer 25

The tendency for women to be promoted to leadership roles during precarious times, such as when a company is at risk of failure.

Question 26

What is the “double bind” that women face in salary negotiations?

Answer 26

1. Women tend to negotiate less than men, leading to financial losses.
2. When women negotiate for themselves, they are often evaluated more negatively.

Question 27

What is the “motherhood wage penalty”? Why do they earn less? (4)

Answer 27

The tendency for mothers to earn less than non-mothers due to:

1. Employer discrimination.
2. Expectations that mothers prioritize caregiving over work.
3. Mothers switching to part-time work.
4. A drop in earnings after the birth of the first child (not experienced by fathers).

Question 28

What drives the gender wage gap?

Answer 28

1. Occupational segregation.
2. Undervaluation of women’s work.
3. Lack of unionization/bargaining power.
   4.Discrimination in hiring and promotion.
4. Burden of domestic work and childcare.
5. Inflexible work environments.

Question 29

What is Marilyn Waring’s perspective on unpaid work? (3)

Answer 29

1. Unpaid work is vital for society but undervalued.
2. The monetary economy depends on women’s caregiving and reproductive work.
3. Women fill gaps the paid economy ignores, such as nursing, childcare, and immigrant support.

Question 30

What is “replacement value” in the context of unpaid work?

Answer 30

Refers to the cost of hiring someone to perform unpaid work (e.g., childcare, cooking, cleaning) if the person doing the work were not available.

Question 31

What is “role enhancement theory”?

Answer 31

Suggests that multiple roles can enrich an individual’s life by providing diverse experiences and sources of satisfaction.

Question 32

How does “unpaid work” affect women’s economic security?

Answer 32

Contributes to women’s lower earnings, economic vulnerability, and higher rates of poverty, especially in later life.