Ch. 10 Inequalities of

Gender and Age

Sex and Gender Identity• Sex – classification of people as

male or female based on biological characteristics

• Biological Determinism – principle that behavioral differences are the result of inherited physical characteristics– This lacks scientific proof– What few tendencies that are

biological are easily overruled by society and culture

• Gender Identity – a sense of being male or female based on learned cultural values

Biology, culture, and behavior• Research indicates that the brains of

men and women are slightly different• The majority of sociologists argue that

gender-related behavior is not primarily the result of biology

• Margaret Mead’s research (1950) on New Guinean peoples– The Arapesh – Men and women were

raised to be cooperative, unaggressive, and empathetic. Traditional concept of the female gender role

– Mundugumor – Men and women were raised to be aggressive, ruthless, and unresponsive to the needs of others

– Tchambuli – gender roles were opposite of those in Western culture

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender

• Functionalism and Gender– Any pattern of behavior

that does not benefit society will become unimportant• Therefore the division of

responsibilities b/w male and female benefited human living

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender

• Conflict Theory and Gender– It is to the advantage of men

to prevent women from gaining access to political, economic, and social resources• “Gender Apartheid” in Afghanistan

– Conflict theorists see traditional gender roles as outdated

– Women who prefer careers in fields formerly reserved for men have every right to make that choice, whether or not it is “functional” for society

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender• Symbolic Interactionism and

Gender– Focuses on how boy and girls

learn to act the way they are “supposed to act”• Gender socialization – the

social process of learning how to act as a boy or girl

– The effect of the media is very powerful

– Parents are vitally important in gender socialization• Blue or pink clothes• Trucks vs. dolls• Mowing the grass vs. doing the

dishes

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender

– Schools also aid gender socialization• Teachers encourage different

behaviors• Clothing styles, school functions,

after-school activities

– Peers contribution to gender socialization• Kids who most closely resemble

the traditional roles are typically given the most respect– Football players, cheerleaders

• Feminine boys and masculine girls are typically assigned low status

Gender Inequality• Sexism – a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to

justify sexual inequality• Occupational and Economic inequality– In 1999 65% of women worked outside the home compared to

77% of men– Occupational sex segregation – the concentration of women in

lower-status positions• Ex. – only about 11% of engineer positions are held by women, and about

29% of attorney jobs• When women are in high-status occupational groups, they are

concentrated in lower-prestige, lower-paid jobs– In 1999 women who worked full-time earned only 72 cents for

every dollar earned by men– In virtually every occupational category, men’s earning power is

greater than women’s– Compared globally U.S. women are closer to the bottom of the

equality list than the top

Legal and political Inequality

– – – Women are participating in elective politics at an

increasing rate– 1988, Geraldine Ferraro became the 1st female vice-

presidential candidate in the history of the U.S.– 1996, Madeleine Albright was named the first female

Secretary of State– Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed the 1st female

Supreme Court Justice in 1981 by Pres. Reagan

Ageism• Age stratification – the unequal

distribution of scarce resources based on age

• Ageism – a set of beliefs, attitudes, norm, and values used to justify age-based prejudice and discrimination

• Functionalism and Ageism– Elderly people in a given society

are treated according to the role the aged play in that society

– In many cultures the elderly are treated with great respect and honor

– Attitudes about aging changed greatly as industrialization changed the nature of work

Ageism• Conflict Theory and Ageism– Competition over scarce

resources is the heart of ageism for the conflict perspective

• Symbolic Interactionism and Ageism– Children learn negative images

of older people just as they learn other aspects of culture, through socialization

– Stereotypes of the elderly• Senile, forgetful, or “daft”• Sexless• Incapable of learning new things

Inequality in America’s Elderly Population

• Sociologists believe that elderly should be viewed as a minority group

• Economics of the Elderly– The Federal Government assumes that elderly need less money to

live– About 16% of those over the age of 65 are poor– Most elderly in America do not have sources of income beyond

Social Security– Poverty rates for minority elderly are high than that of white

elderly• Political Power and the Elderly– Voting turn out increase w/ age in the U.S.– Interest groups – a group organized to influence political decision

making• AARP