Multiculturalism
1. Sex & Gender
2. Social Construction of Gender
3. Patriarchy & Gender Inequality
4. Feminism
5. Women and Work
Final Next Tuesday, in class…50 MC/TF
Study the notes and slides…focus on major themes, definitions, key
points, trends not statistics (i.e. most women work outside the home, not
57% of women work outside the home)
Readings…make sure you have done them and know the main points and
can answer the review questions…
Quiz
1.Variations in gender roles (the way men and
women behave) found in the many different
societies studied by social scientists suggest that:
A. gender roles are biologically determined
B. gender roles are culturally determined
C. gender roles are essentially the same
everywhere, with only minor variations
D. gender roles have been the same forever
Quiz
2. By the late 1990s, the gap between men’s pay and
women’s pay
A. had virtually disappeared. Men and women’s pay
is now basically equal
B. remained, with women still earning less than
men
C. had been reversed, with women now earning
more than men
D. could no longer be measured since the census no
longer asks people if they are men or women
Quiz Bonus Point
NYC Taxis…
2.Cabbies in New York City will not pick up
Black men. When this occurs, a sociologist
would note that Black men have experienced:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Prejudice
Discrimination
Travelers neglect
Social Construction
Quiz
1.Variations in gender roles (the way men and
women behave) found in the many different
societies studied by social scientists suggest that:
A. gender roles are biologically determined
B. gender roles are culturally determined
C. gender roles are essentially the same
everywhere, with only minor variations
D. gender roles have been the same forever
Quiz
2. By the late 1990s, the gap between men’s pay and women’s
pay
A.
B.
C.
D.
had virtually disappeared. Men and women’s pay is now
basically equal
remained, with women still earning less than men
had been reversed, with women now earning more than
men
could no longer be measured since the census no longer
asks people if they are men or women
Still a gap…glass half full…or half
empty…
In 2008, women who were full-time wage
and salary workers had median weekly
earnings of $638, or about 80 percent of the
$798 median for their male counterparts.
In 1979, the first year for which comparable
earnings data are available, women earned
about 62 percent as much as men.
Bonus Point
NYC Taxis…
2.Cabbies in New York City will not pick up
Black men. When this occurs, a sociologist
would note that Black men have experienced:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Prejudice
Discrimination
Travelers neglect
Social Construction
Part 2. Discrimination
the denial of opportunities and equal rights to
individuals and groups because of prejudice or for
other arbitrary reason (D)
Not just an attitude, but an action
Cabbies won’t pick up Black men
Denny’s refuses to seat Black secret servicemen
Landlords refuse to rent to minority residents
Go to the corner of the room that
matches your belief…
In America today, whether a person is a man or
woman no longer matters since American society
treats everyone equally.
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswom2004.pdf
Women are 51% of Population…but
as for Political Power?
Sex vs. Gender
What doe it mean to say “gender is a cultural, not
a biological phenomenon?”
Sex - refers to biological differences between
women and men.(D)
Women have two X chromosomes while men have an X & Y
Men and women have different reproductive organs
Gender - refers to psychological, social and
cultural differences between women and men (D)
Little girls play with dolls, boys play with tools
Men are “rough,” women “dainty”
Gender
Born Male and Female
BUT…
We learn what it means to be a man or a
woman
“Gender is a cultural, not a biological,
phenomenon.”(p.232)
Gender Roles Vary Across Space
& Time…
Navajo Berdaches
Anatomically men
Marry other men who are not considered homosexuals
Berdaches as a 3rd gender…
• A role that doesn’t exist in US culture
Dahomey people of West Africa: women formed
the king's bodyguard because they were believed to
be fiercer fighters than men.
Gender Roles Vary Across Space
and Time…
America: 1850 vs. 1950 vs. 2000
America 2006 vs. Saudi Arabia 2006
Differences are stark
In US we have women police officers, soldiers, pilots,
construction workers, senators, boxers, basketball players,
engineers, lawyers, etc …NOTHING BIOLOGICAL
HAS CHANGED
Gender
“ Were differences between men and women
determined by biological factors alone, we
would not find the vast diversity that exists in
gender relations from society to society;
moreover, were sex differences universal in
content, what it means to be a “man” or to be a
“woman” would not vary from one culture to
another.”(Anderson, p.23)
What is the sociological term to describe the idea that
things like race and gender role are not natural?
Gender as a Social Construction
Gender as a SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
Gender is created, lived & transformed by social actors embedded in
certain historical circumstances
“refers to the many different processes by which the expectations
associated with being a boy (and later a man) or being a girl (and
later a woman) are passed through society.” (Anderson, p.231)
• Gender Roles are not rooted in nature…but in our
culture
• Process of construction begins at birth
 Blanket study
Creating Gender…
Organizational Rules and Laws
Laws or Rules limiting the rights of girls & women
• (i.e. no education, no vote, no right to own property)
Laws prohibiting women from certain jobs
• In US, organizational rules banned women from many occupations &
colleges until 1960s
Much of the world is still like this
Cultural Beliefs and Attitudes
Boys are athletic, girls are fragile
• My mother in law…
Boys get tool belts and guns, girls get dolls and ovens
Biological thing called crying…girls are allowed to, boys can’t
Girls urged to share feelings, boys must be stoic and tough
Girls occupations and boys occupations
• “I’m Glad I’m a boy, I’m Glad I’m a Girl”
Gender & Society
These laws and cultural attitudes lead to…
Patriarchy
male dominance in a society (D)
Patriarchy leads to Gender inequality
differences in the status, power and prestige women have in groups,
collectives and societies.(D)
It is not an exaggeration to say that until recently most men in the
US thought a “woman’s place was in the home”… “barefoot and
pregnant in the kitchen”
Many men on the planet still feel this way
Gender Inequality…in many
spheres
Violence
Estimated 1.6 million women battered every
year
Estimated 430,000 sexual assaults
Language
He as generic for people
• “all men are created equal”
Bride takes Husband’s name
Gender Inequality…
School Curriculum
1992 Study of 631 page 6th Grade Text: Exploring
our World, Past and Present
7 pages on issues relating to women
Only one American adult women mentioned
Susan B. Anthony not mentioned
Only 11 females mentioned in whole book
Clara Barton, Mother Jones, Rosa Parks, Mary
Wollstonecroft, Jane Addams, Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan…
Video Clip Part1
Gender Inequality, Society and
Work…Creating the present moment…
1) What are some examples of gender
inequality seen in the video?
Examples of ways women were treated as
second class citizens?
Video Clip Described Gender
Segregation
Working and Middle class women who did work outside the
home experienced…
Gender segregation- distribution of men and women into
different jobs in the labor force (D)
For most of US history, segregation was not just due to Cultural
beliefs…
• Male bosses think women are too meek to be miners
They were due to Organizational rules and laws that
narrowed options for women and segregated them into certain jobs
• Company rule: “No women may perform the following jobs”
Big Change…Rosie the Riveter
Feminism
the philosophy that men and women should be
politically, economically, and socially equal.
(D)
Video Clip Part 2
Discrimination Becomes
Illegal…
Feminism
the philosophy that men and women should be politically,
economically, and socially equal. (D)
Equal Pay Act of 1963
first federal law to require that men and women should
receive equal pay for equal work (D)
Civil Rights Act of 1964
banned employment discrimination based on race, sex,
religion, color and national origin. (D)
Multiculturalilsm
1. Women and Work
2. The Earnings Gap
3. Comparable Worth
4. Glass Ceiling
5. Second Shift
Final on Tuesday, in class…50 MC/TF
Study the notes and slides…focus on major themes, definitions, key points,
trends not statistics (i.e. most women work outside the home, not 57% of
women work)
Readings…make sure you have done them and know the main points and can
answer the review questions…
Website is up to date…today’s slides will be put up later
Women & Work Today
How many of you had moms that worked?
How many of the women in the class plan on
pursuing a career?
How many of you guys plan on staying home and
raising a family?
Women & Work Today
Most Women Earn a
Wage
Interesting time for
society…changing
roles… challenges for
society
One challenge…caring
for newborn
babies…What to do?
Challenging Times…
Family Medical Leave Act permits 3 months off… but
without pay.
U.S. is one of only five countries out of 173 surveyed that
does not guarantee some form of paid maternity leave
The others are Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua
New Guinea.
Examples of how other societies deal with situation
France: Law provides up to 6 months with 85% pay
Norway: Law provides1 yr with 80% pay
Sweden: Law provides 1yr with full pay
NJ just passed law giving 6 weeks with up to 2/3 pay
Another challenge…pay still lags for
women
Gender Gap 1 yr after Graduation
(PI
April 24, 2007)
120
99
100
80
75
81
105
82
60
% Salary
40
20
0
Service
Biz/man Res/Tech
Med
Engineer
Income Gap by Education
70000
60000
50000
40000
Men
Women
30000
20000
10000
0
HS
BS/BA
Masters
Pay Even Lags for Female College
Grads…
A gap in pay between U.S. college-educated men and
women starts soon after graduation and widens over
time, according to a study released yesterday.
One year after receiving degrees, women working
full time already earned 20 percent less than men, a
report from the American Association of University
Women found. The difference grew to about 30
percent a decade after graduation.
(Salaries for college-educated women lag those of men
soon after graduation…The gap grows with time (PI 4/24/07)
Explaining the gap…
Anyone have a hypothesis to explain why
women’s earnings lag those of men?
Gender Segregation &
Occupational Distribution
Pay gap is in part due the fact that women are
concentrated in low wage occupations
The majority (55%) of women work in traditionally
“female” occupations where wages have historically
been low
Clerical workers, sales clerks, or in service occupations such as
maids, food service workers, health service workers, hairdressers
and child care workers
Let’s consider the concentration…and then the pay
Occupational Concentration
Percentage of Women in Select Occupations
Secretaries
Dental Hygienist
1983
99%
98.6
1998
98.4%
99.1
Pre/Kind Teacher
Nurse
Truck Driver
Pilots
98.2
95.8
3.1
2.1
97.8
92.5
5.3
3.4
Carpenter
Firefighter
Auto Mechanic
1.4
1
.5
1.2
2.3
.8
Explaining the concentration…Why
do women concentrate in these jobs?
Past & Present Discrimination puts women in certain jobs
People my mom’s age were overtly discriminated against…legally
Women often face subtle and not so subtle discrimination in the labor market
(Firefighters…electricians… “North Country”).
Lack of role Models shapes what girls think they can do
Linked to past & present job segregation
• “All the women I knew were either teachers or nurses”
Gender Socialization shapes what girls want to do
Traditional gender role still linger
• Boys get tools and trucks, girls get dolls and ovens
Stereotypes Linger
• Men are technical, women are nurturing
• Men are leaders, women are submissive
Why low pay in female
documented occupations?
“Women’s work” traditionally not valued by society
Is a bus driver’s work worth twice a daycare worker’s…
$11.56
$12.00
$10.00
$7.80
$8.00
$6.12
$6.38
$6.00
$4.00
$2.00
$0.00
Child Care
Parking Lot
PreSchool
Bus Driver
Percentage of women in occupation has net negative
effect on earnings
Even when controlling for level of education and skills
• Teachers vs. other professionals
Comparable worth…big issue in
society…
Idea that women and men should be paid
equal wages for jobs that require comparable
skill levels; sometimes referred to as pay
equity.
Secretary & Groundskeeper
AFSCME v Washington State…Carpenter vs.
Licensed Practical Nurse?
Comparable worth…big issue in
society…(This is in the reading)
AFSCME v Washington State…
Man works career as Licensed Practical Nurse
• LPN needs 4yrs experience, 2 yrs school and license
About to retire, realizes “women’s job” will not provide
adequate pension”…transfers to carpentry department
• Carpenter self taught, no experience, no license
Makes more at bottom of carpenter scale than at top of
LPN scale
Court rules finds discrimination…Overturned by Court of
Appeals…but Washington State agrees to address situation
Occupational Concentration in low
wage jobs contributes to pay gap
Percentage of Women in Select Occupations
Secretaries
Dental Hygienist
1983
99%
98.6
1998
98.4%
99.1
Pre/Kind Teacher
Nurse
Truck Driver
Pilots
98.2
95.8
3.1
2.1
97.8
92.5
5.3
3.4
Carpenter
Firefighter
Auto Mechanic
1.4
1
.5
1.2
2.3
.8
Women in the Professions…pattern?
45
40
35
30
Engineer
Law/Jud
Man
Doc
25
20
15
10
5
0
1960
1980
1998
Women in Professions… There are More Women
in Traditionally Male Jobs …glass half…
45
40
35
30
Engineer
Law/Jud
Man
Doc
25
20
15
10
5
0
1960
1980
1998
There are More Women in Traditionally
Male Jobs…BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But earning gaps exist even within same
occupations, even high paying occupations.
Managers, Professors, Lawyers, Stockbrokers…
Explaining the earnings gap?
Earnings gap in part due to concentration…and due
to lack of value given to women’s work…
But earning gaps exist even within same
occupations, even high paying occupations.
Managers, Professors, Lawyers, Stockbrokers…
Why? Any ideas?
Why the Earnings Gap?
Research shows that it is partly due to a wage
penalty for motherhood
Recent study finds 7% penalty per child
Why do you think that this is?
Why are mothers penalized?
Having kids in a culture which pressures
women to be the primary caregiver…
Interrupts women’s employment, leading to breaks
in career
Results in fewer years of experience and less seniority
Leads many to seek part time work
Low pay, few benefits, often no career ladder
Earnings Gap within Occupation
But most of the gap is still a mystery?
Lower productivity?
Juggling work and family…
Old Fashioned Employer discrimination?
Merrill Lynch
• “Systematic discrimination” was found
• Favored men, paid them more, gave them better accounts, more
promotions
• “We agree, and regret, that nearly a decade ago there was
inappropriate behavior in the San Antonio office. It should not
have occurred and would not be tolerated today."
Explaining the Earnings Gap
Women do not rise to the highest
levels of their occupations and
thus earnings gap emerge
Glass Ceiling
A promotion barrier that prevents a
woman’s upward mobility within an
organization
• Approximately 90% of top executives
are men
A Glass Ceiling?
A promotion barrier that prevents a woman’s
upward mobility within an organization
Approximately 90% of top executives are men
So why do women hit a glass ceiling?
A Glass Ceiling?
A promotion barrier that prevents a woman’s upward
mobility within an organization
Approximately 90% of top executives are men
Why?
Legacy of past discrimination
• If women were not hired until 1970s, there will simply be fewer in
the cue for upper management
Persistent Stereotypes
• Women can’t lead…men won’t follow
• Women not as committed to careers (see slide)
A Glass Ceiling?
Why?
Legacy of past discrimination
• If women were not hired until 1970s, there will simply be fewer in
the cue for upper management
Persistent Stereotypes
• Women can’t lead…men won’t follow
• Women not as committed to careers
Discrimination
• “People like people like themselves”…most upper management is
white and male…
• Fewer Networks, mentors…
A Glass Ceiling?
A promotion barrier that prevents a woman’s upward
mobility within an organization
Approximately 90% of top executives are men
Why?
Legacy of past discrimination
• If women were not hired until 1970s, there will simply be fewer
in the cue for upper management
Persistent Stereotypes
• Women can’t lead…men won’t follow
Discrimination
• “People like people like themselves”
• Fewer Networks
Second Shift…what’s this?
In Two earner homes, “Who has more
responsibility for housework…”
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Men
Women
Shop
Cook
Clean
Bills
Repair
Second Shift?
Second shift- refers to employed mothers who do
two jobs. A full day of paid employment plus the
work at home (D)
Men do about 20% of the housework
Employed mothers now work an average of 66 to 89
hours a week counting paid labor, housework, and child
care.
Division of Labor at Home effects work
life…again, note comic
Women, wages and poverty…
Feminization of poverty
refers to the increasing
proportion of the poor who
are women and children.
60
50
40
30
Percent of all poor families
maintained by women
alone
More female headed
households
• Divorce…no marriage
Pov
20
10
0
1959 1946 1997
Women…
Feminization of povertyrefers to the increasing
proportion of the poor who
are women and children.
35
30
25
20
More female headed
households
• Divorce…no marriage
1973
1997
15
10
5
“Deadbeat Dads”
• Percent of Moms getting child
support from Dads
Lower wages for
women…next slide
0
Single
Mom
Never
Married
Low Wages lead to poverty…
“If men and women
were paid equally,
more than 50 percent
of low-income
households across the
country--dual-earner
as well as singlemother--would rise
above the poverty
line.”(Barko, p.1)
Gender Equality
What could improve the situation of women?
Changing cultural norms?
Just need to wait…will take time?
More Affirmative Action?
Firm goals and timetables…Must have 30% female
managers by 2015
New public policies?
Credit for time off?
Flexible Scheduling?
More enforcement of anti-discrimination laws?
Comparable worth legislation?
Multiculturalism
Multicultural courses emerge that
begin to incorporate the previously
“invisible” subjects into the
curriculum
Inequality and Class
Immigration
Race and Ethnicity
Gender
Brief introduction to these topics as
they are taught in college…
You can take semester long courses
on most of these topics…