Nicole Hall
11-27-12
Sociology 101
Social Inequality and Social Institutions: Race, Class, and Gender in Education
Social inequality is very prominent in today’s society. This essay will be discussing
social inequality in social institutions, specifically schools. Interviews were done on three
individuals: one Hispanic male, one white male, and one Asian-American female. These
individuals were questioned about their gender, race, and class and how it has affected different
aspects of their schooling. These interviews were done in person and lasted between fifteen to
thirty minutes and notes were taken. Questions were asked regarding how these differences
affected the classes they chose, their choice of pursuing or not pursuing higher education, degree
of support they received for continuing higher education, and how their families supported them
in education. They were also asked why they chose to pursue higher education. Inequality from
race, class, and gender were shown in different ways by each student interviewed.
There were many differences in the school experiences between the individuals
interviewed and myself. One major difference was the type of field chosen by each person. The
white male, Steven, chose a science based career of pharmacy. The Hispanic male, Jerry, also
chose an engineering field focused around science. The Asian-American female, Helen, chose
the fine arts and digital technology. I am working towards a clinical psychology degree in order
to eventually obtain a doctorate in psychology. The males both chose majors that were more
based in hard sciences and math while the females both chose softer degrees in art or social
science. Another difference was the reasoning for continuing higher education for each person.
Jerry is working towards education in order to later take care of his family whereas I, Steven and
Helen all expect to just support ourselves. A third difference was the financial aid given to each
student. Jerry and I were given extra help from the government because of both families being in
a low economic class. Jerry and Helen were both offered financial aid from an organization
Nicole Hall
11-27-12
Sociology 101
dedicated to aiding minorities. Steven did not receive any financial aid because his family makes
a higher yearly income and he is not a minority. Another difference was that both minority
students felt that there were specific instances where their race directly affected their schooling
but neither I nor Steven had any to think of. The final difference was the extra privileges given to
each participant in school. Helen and Jerry are given extra help through the Asian center at WSU
Pullman and extra mentors due to their statuses as minorities. Steven is given privileges because
of his higher social class and the fact that his mother is a pharmacist; this allows him to have an
advantage compared to other pharmacy students. I sometimes am given extra privileges because
I am a first generation college student. There were definitely significant differences between us
all.
There were also similarities shown between the individuals interviewed and myself. The
first similarity was that all individuals felt that they chose classes, not necessarily career paths,
based solely on what they enjoyed. No one believed that gender, race, or class had any influence
over the classes they chose in school. Another similarity was that all students wanted to pursue
education in order to gain financial stability, either for themselves or for their families. None of
the students believed that their race, gender, or class affected the degree of support they received
from their families for continuing education. All of the families were very supportive in their
children in any path they chose. Although none of the subjects mentioned their class affecting
their support towards higher education, it seems as if this may have played a factor which I will
discuss in the next paragraph.
Race, class, and gender played some role in school experiences. One of the most
prominent differences was that each person chose certain subjects to pursue. The male students
both chose paths that involved hard sciences and math but the females chose fine art or social
Nicole Hall
11-27-12
Sociology 101
science degrees. This is very common among a majority of college students, “women remain
over-represented in traditionally feminine fields of study” such as arts and humanities (Conley,
294). There is still a large amount of sexism regarding school subjects. Harvard president Larry
Summers made a comment that “…men might have an innate advantage over women in
scientific aptitude and that genetic differences could explain the scarcity of female hard
scientists…” even though there is no proof of this (Conley, 293). This is representative of a
common sexist belief surrounding higher education. Another aspect that seemed to be affected
by race and class was that of financial aid for pursuing higher education. Jerry and Helen both
received financial aid from the university and other sources specifically because of their race.
According to Conley, “Universities…act intentionally on the basis of race in order to compensate
for an implicit disparate impact on racial minorities or other protected groups” (Conley, 351).
Universities feel it is necessary to show a significant amount of minority percentages and could
possibly be aiding minority students more in order to keep them in the school. Socioeconomic
class also affected the amount of financial aid received in order to pursue higher education.
Steven and Helen, who both have parents that make over one hundred grand a year, were not
offered any financial aid towards higher education and must pay out of pocket or go in debt.
Jerry and I come from families of lower socioeconomic statuses and were offered a large sum of
financial aid in order to pursue our education. Students with higher class usually “enjoy better
educational opportunities” but those of a lower status that make it to college can receive more
aid from the government (Conley, 494).
Education seems to portray many different forms of inequality. There is better financial
aid given to minorities and lower income students, different genders are stereotyped early on
which seems to influence them to pursue certain careers, and opportunities arise differently
Nicole Hall
11-27-12
Sociology 101
depending on race, gender and class. There are many aspects shown through the interviews that
Conley did bring up in his text. There was not as much proof of Socioeconomic class negatively
impacting students but that is most likely due to the fact that only myself and Jerry were of low
socioeconomic class and we both have amazing self-motivation. This study may have shown
more of such inequalities if the sample was larger than four individuals. Race did prove to
provide inequality throughout school for two of the participants. Jerry found it to be more
difficult to focus on school early on because his father was gone working in the fields all the
time. He feels that this did make school more difficult but also pushed him to get education in
order to keep himself from having to do field work. According to Conley, only fifty three percent
of Mexican Americans complete high school (Conley, 497). Helen found high school a little bit
difficult because of stereotyping and discrimination on the part of her fellow class mates. She
was teased and also felt that others expected her to excel in math due to her Asian-American
race. Helen did not fall victim to a stereotype threat though: “when members of a negatively
stereotyped group are placed in a situation where they may confirm those stereotypes” (Conley,
500). Helen instead went in an opposite direction and chose a feminine field of fine arts and
digital technology which could be due to the classroom being “a sort of gender training ground
for boys and girls” (Conley, 295). Helen and I, both being females, chose very feminine fields
such as art and social science which portrays exactly what Conley believes genders experience in
the classroom which is enforcing gender inequality (Conley, 296). Gender seemed to be the most
influential of the three axes because both females are going into feminine fields that will most
likely pay less than math and science based fields. This will impact their entire lives. Both male
students will most likely be able to gain a higher socioeconomic class which will benefit their
children as well as themselves. Race is still an important form of inequality but institutions of
Nicole Hall
11-27-12
Sociology 101
higher education are offering extra financial aid, tutoring, and multicultural centers in order to
lesson gaps between white students and minorities so it seems that soon race may be the least
significant form of inequality in universities. Overall, stereotyping and inequality in general was
definitely noticeable in the classrooms of these students.
Although all forms of inequality have negative effects, sexism seems to be the one that is
currently the most problematic. Gender, “a social position, the set of social arrangements, that
are built around sex categories”, is socialized into children at a very young age constantly
segregates students throughout school (Conley, 268). The nuclear family, a traditional family of
a house wife, kids, and a working husband, is seen by some as the ideal family. Parson’s sex role
theory argues that women and men perform their stereotyped roles because it is the ideal
arrangement (Conley, 277). Views like this cause sexism inside school and the thought processes
of people in general. Many people with beliefs such as these believe that women are better suited
for more “feminine careers” if any at all. Even when women do obtain careers, they earn
significantly less on average than men. Women only make 81 cents to every one dollar a man
makes which is one major example of sexism in today’s society (Conley, 297). Sexual
harassment and the glass ceiling are two other obstacles that women face in society. The class
ceiling happens when an invisible limit is put on how high up women can get on the
occupational ladder (Conley, 298). There are many ways to lessen sexism in today’s society and
end views such as Parson’s belief that the nuclear family is ideal. One major way this can be
helped is by putting less emphasis on stereotyped gender roles with children. Children should be
shown images of both men and women excelling in math, science, and “masculine” stereotyped
fields in school. They also should be allowed to wear what they want and be given freedom to
explore games and play with toys that are both feminine and masculine. The income that females
Nicole Hall
11-27-12
Sociology 101
and males make should also be made equal; if females do the same work as males then they
should be making the same amount. Making a less extreme gender barrier could make the newer
generations less sexist because gender is not set in stone, it is something that evolves with
society and it is up to the current society to work towards gender equality (Conley, 204). Overall,
every form of inequality has extremely negative effects and should be worked on until a more
equal society is formed.