Weberian Theory Of Gender Inequality

Question 1

What are the four explanations of gender inequality?

Answer 1

1. Women are more likely to face lower class positions than males due to social closure
2. Women are more likely to hold lower positions within the marketplace
3. Women hold less status within the labour market and therefore face a range of inequalities
4. Women are less likely than men to be in a position whereby they can exercise political power

Question 2

Who said women are more likely to face lower class positions than males due to social closure?

Answer 2

• Weber

Question 3

Who said women are more likely to hold lower position within the marketplace?

Answer 3

• Barron and Norris

Question 4

Which two explanations are a concept of class?

Answer 4

1. Women are more likely to face lower class positions than males due to social closure
2. Women are more likely to hold lower positions within the marketplace

Question 5

Who said women hold less status within the labour market and therefore face a range of inequalities?

Answer 5

• Equal opportunities commission

Question 6

Which explanation is a concept of status?

Answer 6

3. Women hold less status within the labour market and therefore face a range of inequalities

Question 7

Who said women are less likely than men to he in a position whereby they can exercise political power?

Answer 7

• Electoral commission

Question 8

Which explanation is a concept of party?

Answer 8

• Women are less likely than men to he in a position whereby they can exercise political power

Question 9

What did Weber say?

Answer 9

• discusses idea of social closure which can be applied to gender, in particular the social class of women
• certain groups exercise social closure when describing the exclusion of certain people from membership to certain status groups and rankings within the labour market
• a range of characteristics impact someone’s social class position
• men reserve and protect these top positions in society for themselves meaning that they exclude women through the process of social closure
• less than 1/3 of the UKs top jobs are filled by women

Question 10

What did Barron and Norris say?

Answer 10

• there is a dual labour market which can be used to explain women’s employment patterns eg. Primary labour market and secondary labour market
• women are more likely to be found in the disadvantaged position for three core reasons: there is some evidence that employers may hold stereotypical beliefs about the unsuitability of women for primary sector roles, women are likely to experience disrupted career development due to maternity leave and the legal and political framework supporting women’s rights within the marketplace is often weak and ineffective

Question 11

What did Equal opportunities commission say?

Answer 11

• key explanations for horizontal segregation: individual differences (human capital theory), individuals career choices based on their perceptions about different careers, discrimination by employers and barriers within organisations
• concept of glass elevator referring to how men often rise higher and faster up the career ladder than women, particularly in female dominated careers such as teaching and nursing
• this is due to men having hidden advantages such as: gender stereotypes resulting in men being viewed as more natural leaders, the way women are seen as making emotional decisions whereas men are viewed as making rational decisions, views about women’s childbearing and family obligations and the rarity of men in certain occupations
• suggests that women are likely to hold lower market positions and therefore lower status within the workplace

Question 12

What did the electoral commission say?

Answer 12

• women tend to participate less than men in groups that exert pressure and power in society (political activism gap)
• due to marital status (married men significantly more likely to participate than married women) and age and ethnicity have different effects on men and women’s level of activism (women of ethnic minorities are less active than other women)