
Issues of Sex and
Gender
 How Females Became a
Minority Group
 Gender Inequality in the
United States
 2
Inequalities of Gender and Age

“Unequal Access to Power, Prestige, and
Property on the Basis of Sex.”
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Inequalities of Gender and Age

Inequalities of Gender and Age

 Gender Roles:
 The patterns of behaviors and attitudes that a person displays based upon one’s sex.
 Device by which controls members of our society
 Each culture has its own definitions of gender
 We inherit our sex and learn our gender
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Attributes considered appropriate for males
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Attributes considered appropriate for females
Inequalities of Gender and Age

 Some biological differences must be accepted as givens.
 Women are better prepared biologically for “mothering” than men.
 Women are more sensitive to the infants’ soft skin and to their nonverbal communications.
 Differences in male and female behaviors are the result of societal expectations of gender.
 Biological differences create societal expectations that women are inferior.
 Men have “math genes”
 Women have “caring genes”
 Gendered people do not emerge from physiology or hormones, but from the social order.
 Gender and Work: Women in
India
Inequalities of Gender and Age

 Vietnam Veterans Study (1985)
 Researchers measured the testosterone level of 4,462 veterans
 Margaret Mead’s Study of the Native tribes of New
Guinea
 Arapesh
 Mundagamor
 Tchambuli
 Hormones and Motherhood
 Socialization of females maximizes attachment to the young, while it is minimized for males.
Inequalities of Gender and Age

 Origins of Patriarchy
 Early On, Life was Short
 Females Limited by Childbearing
 Men Became Dominant as Hunters and Warriors
 Weapons, Trade, and Knowledge gained from
Contact with Others Gave Men Power
 Definition: Ideology developed that women were less dominant than men
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Inequalities of Gender and Age

Feminism – the belief that biology is not destiny and that stratification according to gender is wrong
 1 st Feminist movement – 1920s- Trying to win the right to vote for women
 2 nd Feminist movement
– 1960s- Trying to earn equal pay for women
 This came about partially because of the Quiet Revolutionthe large number of women entering the workforce in the
50s and 60s.
 3 rd Feminist movement –
Focus is on the problems experienced by all women globally
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Inequalities of Gender and Age

The philosophy that men and women should be politically, economically, and socially equal; organized activities on behalf of this principle.
 The importance of change.
 Expanding human choice.
 Eliminating gender stratification.
 Ending sexual violence.
 Promoting sexual autonomy.
Inequalities of Gender and Age

 Sexism in the elementary level
 Rules of etiquette are different for the male and female students.
 Sexism in the Curriculum
 Books and literature often reinforce traditional gender stereotypes
 Higher Education
 No gender inequality in terms of attainment of B.A. and M.A.
 57% of Bachelor and 59% Master degrees are earned by women
 Gender Tracking
 Male-female distinctions in terms of academic fields
 82% of men receive a B.A. in “masculine fields” such as engineering
 87% of women receive B.A in “feminine fields” of study such as library science
Inequalities of Gender and Age

 Proportion of women drop and men dominate in all fields of study in doctoral programs except for psychology.
 Women are less likely to complete program.
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Inequalities of Gender and Age

 Women’s participation in the workforce
 Participation of married women in the workforce has made some considerable gains since 1900’s.
 1900 one out of five women work.
 Today one out of two women work.
 Quiet Revolution
 The consequences of so many women joining the ranks of paid labor.
 Transformed consumer patterns, relations at work, self-concepts, and relationships with husband, boyfriends, and children.
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Gender Gap
 Today U.S. women who work full time average only 70% of what men are paid
 Gender gap has persisted throughout the decades.
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Inequalities of Gender and Age

Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Gender Pay Gap
 Pink collar jobs
 The service work category includes occupations such as nursing, child care, household service, restaurant work, social workers, nurses, elementary teachers, etc.
 Occupations primarily held by females
 Occupations receive far less income, power, and prestige than male dominated jobs.
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Gender Discrimination
 Child penalty
 Women loose work experience while they care for children.
 Women return to work either to be demoted or receive less pay than before.
 When women with children remain in the labor force, they continue to receive less than men and even less than women without children.
 Gender Tracking
 Stereotypes has led to “gender tracking” or separate career ladders for men and women
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Inequalities of Gender and Age

Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Gender Discrimination
 Glass ceiling
 The mostly invisible barrier that prevents women form reaching top levels at work
(leadership roles).
 Glass escalator
 Mostly invisible accelerators that push men into higher-level positions, more desirable work assignments, and higher salaries.
 Sexual Harassment
 The abuse of one’s position of authority to force unwanted sexual demands.
 Quid pro quo
 Creating a hostile environment.
Inequalities of Gender and Age

Gender Inequality in the Media
 Masculinity and Femininity
 Media’s portrayal of gender is a common patriarchal theme that has changed very little over time: women are subordinate to men
 Sex, Gender, and Advertising
 Women advertise household products, secretarial equipment, and child care products
 Men advertise business equipment, computers, and medical, scientific, and technological products.
Inequalities of Gender and Age