SOCIO2001 - Sex and Gender Inequality

Ch 9

Sex is? Gender is?

biological, socially constructed

Sex

biological and anatomical differences

reproductive organs and structures

males and females

Gender

socially formed traits of masculinity and femininity

gender binary

2 discrete and non overlapping forms of masculinity and feminine

nonbinary

a gender identity that does not fit squarely into the cultural binary

transgender

identification/expression of gender identity that differs from

gender can be both

ascribed and achieved

gender is often a

master status

social construction of gender

learn through socialization - taught by family, school, peers, media

definition of gender is

dynamic

changing norms

cross cultural comparisons

changing gender roles, from relationships and even employment

changing economy

changes in labor and supply

gender nonconformity as deviant

because social construction of gender is normative, nonconformity is norm-breaking

ex: a man wearing dresses and wearing makeup

someone using they/them pronouns

gender roles

range of behaviors that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on cultural norms

what has been an important mechanism for determining peoples relationship to home, employment, and society

gender roles - traditional ways labor was divided among famlilies

women in american workforce

has increased over the last century

yet economic structure continues to differ from men to women

different normative expectations, institutional discrimination, occupational segregation

prime age labor force particpation rate by sex, 1960-2025 - men

89.2%

prime age labor force particpation rate by sex, 1960-2025 - women

77.7%

prime age labor force particpation rate by sex, 1960-2025 - all

83.4%

female to male earnings percent

80.9%

female to male earnings dollars

men: $71,090

women: $57,520

large share of women occupations

preschool, kindergarten teachers- 97.2% (highest)

highest median of women workers

physicians and surgeons - $171,880

occupations with the largest gender earnings gap

financial specialists - 49.2-

drivers/sales workers, truckdrivrs 70.8

the “second shift”

balancing work outside the home with work inside the home

studies show a clear gender gap in housework

tension of work/family demands can be trying; role strain and conflict

the decline of less educated men

major loss of ground among less educated men, as measured by health and economic wellbeing variables

factors like, low wages, high incarceration rates, decline in marriage

reflected in falling labor force partcipation

gender stratification - functionalist perspective

gender role differentiation contributes to social stability

clarifies role expectations - defines division of labor in the economy and household

gender stratification - conflict perspective

gender relations are characterized by unequal power

men: specifically dominant

gender and sexual orientation hold greater power in most societies compared to women

gender stratification - symbolic interactionist perspective

gender relations best understood by observing micro level interactions

how do our everyday interactions shape how we see gender and ourselves?

how does this interactional expreience lead us to understand gendered inequality

gender is socially

constructed

gender plays a major role in

shaping individual realities and social stratifcation