Topic 3 - gender inequality Flashcards
Introduction?
In modern Britain, a vast amount of data is collected about men and women, with gender being a key social category. Most organizations categorize information by sex, but there is growing awareness of transgender issues. Gender differentiation often starts before birth due to technologies that reveal the sex of unborn babies, leading to early socialization through gendered clothing and toys. This early differentiation can result in significant social inequalities later in life, with women facing disadvantages in the workplace and men experiencing challenges in family life.
Operationalising gender?
Sex refers to the biological differences between males and females, while gender pertains to the roles and behaviors society expects from each sex. While geneticists and biologists often argue that females behave in a feminine way due to inherent biological differences, sociologists reject this view. They emphasize that gender socialization plays a much more significant role than biology in shaping behavior.
Evidence of educational equality and gender?
Official data shows that girls now tend to outperform boys at most levels of education, marking a shift from previous patterns. In the 1970s, males were still viewed as the gender of academic achievement.
Millenium cohort study
the Millennium Cohort Study suggests that gender differences in behavior appear early, with girls showing slightly greater abilities, such as waving goodbye at 9 months. Parents also tend to spend more time teaching and engaging with daughters than sons. Girls consistently outperform boys in GCSEs across most subjects, particularly in arts, languages, and humanities, while the gap is narrower in sciences and mathematics. Boys are more likely to leave school with no qualifications. At A-level, girls also perform better, but the gender gap in pass rates is smaller. In 2009, the Higher Education Policy Institute noted that girls’ better performance at GCSE and A-level has led to more women attending universities than men. Evidence also shows that boys account for the majority of school exclusions, while girls are more likely to report bullying. In the teaching profession, females dominate, especially in primary schools (over 80%), though males are more likely to hold leadership positions, with 65% of headteachers being male. Overall, girls have become the gender of academic success, though there are still gender inequalities in education.
Evidence of health inequality and gender?
Health inequality in the UK shows notable gender differences. Women have a longer life expectancy than men but are more likely to experience health issues, including long-term illnesses and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. The Acheson Report (1998) found higher rates of mental health disorders in women, though it’s unclear if this reflects more reporting or actual higher rates of illness. Men, however, often underreport mental health issues. The New Policy Institute (2013) found that women generally live longer than men, but men from wealthier backgrounds live longer than women from deprived backgrounds, highlighting both gender and social class inequality. Men’s Health Forum (2009) data showed that men in poorer sectors face more severe health issues than women in the same socioeconomic group, with men more likely to commit suicide, be overweight, or die from cancers. The Wilkins Report (2008) identified that men are more prone to heart disease, while women are more likely to experience strokes. Men also engage in riskier behaviors, such as alcohol abuse, compared to women, with men of lower social class being more at risk. However, Batty et al. (2012) found that women from higher socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to have alcohol-related problems. Smoking rates among men are higher, though the gap has narrowed, and younger women are increasingly smoking.
Evidence of gender inequality in the workplace?
Since the 1970s, the UK government has aimed for gender equality in the workplace, but women still earn less than men. In 2015, the government proposed legislation requiring companies with over 250 employees to publish their gender pay gaps, promoting transparency and potentially leading to pay equality. However, gender inequality affects men as well, as they do not receive paternity leave on the same terms as women receive maternity leave.
The Fawcett society gathered data from women in work and found the following?
The Fawcett Society found that women earn less than men over a lifetime, with a gender pay gap of around 13% for full-time workers and 20% for all women. Female graduates earn £8,000 less annually than their male counterparts with the same degree. Women make up 80% of the lowest-paid workforce and are more likely to work in low-skilled, low-paid jobs or part-time roles. Meanwhile, 90% of highly skilled paid jobs are held by men. Women are also more likely to be overqualified for their positions, take on family and caregiving duties, and face career gaps, which hinder promotions and additional training opportunities. They are more likely to experience workplace discrimination and are often paid less for similar work. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (2015) found that 54,000 women leave the workforce each year due to pregnancy-related issues. Although more women work part-time, part-time men earn 6% less than women, and younger women in full-time work may earn slightly more than men. However, older women face challenges like maternity leave and caregiving, widening the pay gap. The gap in skilled trades is 25%, with the highest-earning men making 50-60% more than their female colleagues. By 2024, the gender pay gap among full-time employees had decreased slightly to 7%, down from 7.5% in 2023.
