males and gender inequalities Flashcards
what are males and gender inequalities?
- much of the evidence on key indicators relating to life chances shows that men do better than women on most measures
- gender inequalities appear to disadvantage women more than men and are a persistent feature of life in the UK
- however as already discussed good sociology involves taking a multidimensional approach to gain a valid picture across different social groups
- -there is evidence that working class men have experienced a chaing in their circuamstances and their life chancesrs
what did mac and ghail (1994) say about males and gender inequalities?
- mac and ghail (1994) referred to a crisis of masculinity brought about by a number of social and economic changed including de industrialisation and feminisation of the labour market
- there is a concern that young men have no clear identity or path in life as a result of the growing equality of women, the lack of traditional male jobs and the expectations placed on men today
- this has resulted in many young men displayed their masculinity in anti social and criminal ways
- it is argued that males particularky from the working class have become unclear about their identity and role in society
- the concept has also been used to explain educational underachievement among working class boys
how are males unequal in education?
- GCSE results consistently over a number of years show that girls in the UK gain more A*-C grade GCSEs compared to boys
- government data shows that boys are twice as likely to have liyeracy problems and are also 4 times as likely to be excluded from school
- department of education figures since 2008 have shown that white working class boys are the largest underachieving groups in educationthe head of Ofsted sid in 2012 that this was due to their anti schoool subculture
- tests conducted 2009 by the programme for international student assessment, carried out by the organisation for economic co-operation and development, showed that boys lag a year behind girls at reading in every industrialised country
how are boys unequal in health?
-the department of health data from 2010 showed that on average females are likely to live four years longer than males
-the ONS data in 2010 found that on average men develop heart disese ten years earlier than women
-ONS data in 2011 found the rate of suicide for men is three times that of the number for women
=men are more likely to have an alcohol or drug problem, 67% of British people who consume alcohol a/t a hazardous level and 80% of those dependent on alcohol are malle and almost three uaters of people dependendt on cannabis and 69% of those dependent on other illegal drugs are male
how are males unequal in work and income?
- according to health and safety data collected in the UK, more tha 95% of the 200 people killed in the workplace every year are men
- in 2010 the office for national statistics found that men in the UK work an average of 39 hours a week, compared with 34 for women
- Benatar (2012) states that the least desirable and most dangerous jobs and those with least pay and security, remain largely the domain of men
how does wain (1999) say males are unequal in family life?
- warin et al (1999) found from their study of 95 families in Rochdale that the majority of fathers, mothers and teenage children believed that the father should be the breadwinner
- they found that fathers felt under pressure to provide for their families and this was intensified by demands of teenage children for consumer goods and designer label fashions
- men in low paid jobs and those who were sick, disabled or unemployed were frustrated and sad that they were unable to supply what their family wanted
- the study claimed that the contribution of fathers tends to go unrecognised
- according to the study, fathers nowadays are attempting to juggle the role of provider with the emotional support role traditionally provider with the emotional support role traditionally provided by mothers
- men are turning into all singing, all dancing superdads
what did the report published by the equal opportunities commission (2007) say about male inequalities in family life?
- fathers are more likly to be employed and to work longer hours than men without dependent children
- 89% of fathers are employed, compared with 74% of men without dependent children
- fathers are less likely to work part time than men without children, unlike mothers, who are more likely to work part time than women without children
- UK fathers work the longest hours in Europe
- fathers working more than 50 hours a week spend less time looking after children than fathers working shorter hours
- male dominated workplaces especially in traditional craft industries and occupations are less likely to offer flexible working arrangements than other employers
how are feminists a weakness of male inequalities?
- feminists tend to agree that male inequalities are minor in scale compared to those faced by women
- walter (2008) there is more debate to be had about the sacrfices than men make but obviously i wouldnt go so dar as to say that shows women hold all the cards
- you have to look at the structural inequality
- sexism against men doesnt exist in the same way because of the way the system is balances
how is labour market evidence a weaknes of male inequalities?
- it may be argued that evidence shows that the labour market continues to favour men and that is a crucial way in which inequaliry is maintaines
- in 2012 there ewe=re still 13 million males in full time employment compares to 8 million women and 3 million males compared to 6 million females in part time employment
how is the gendr pay gap evidence against male inequalities?
-similarly evidence shows that the gender pay gap persists and in almost every profession men still earn more on average than women
