Gender Stratification

FIT – Introduction to Sociology – Professor Graham

How does gender inequality differ throughout the world?P. 279 is Global Map 10-1…this map gives an

estimate of the social standing of women in different nations

Gender Stratification in a Low Income Country - Nigeria

Remember from Ch. 9, we discussed the characteristics of low income countries. What are some of these characteristics?

Gender Stratification in a Low Income Country - Nigeria

Two of these characteristics are: They are traditional ; They are agricultural

Countries with these characteristics tend to be poor, and the women tend to be the poorest because they are denied education and opportunities to work

The best way to combat poverty for women AND combat poverty for the country is by letting women be self-sufficient. Here is a video about women entrepreneurs in Nigeria: http://www.undp.org/women/

How are people from different countries socialized to understand gender? Remember the four “agents” of socialization?

(Chapter 3) Remember the connection between status and role?

(Chapter 4)

In each country, the roles given to the status of gender are

slightly different. In each country, people are socialized by

the four agents of socialization to understand how males

and females are supposed to behave.

The Family In many low income countries, the parents

hope their child will be a boy and not a girl. Why?

After birth, parents choose “pink” colors for girls and “blue” for boys

Girl infants are handled more tenderly than boys

The female world revolves around cooperation and emotion, the male world revolves around independence and action

Peer Group Boys favor games with an objective, winners

and losers Girls favor games that do not always have a

clear winner…and they emphasize interpersonal skills and communication

These games (remember Mead) teach us how to live as adults. Girls learn to be cooperative, and men learn to be competitive

School

Males tend to go into science and math- Engineering- Physics- Biology

Females tend to go into fine arts, social sciences- English/Literature- Psychology- Sociology

Mass Media Men are seen as dominant and superior in ads

(me are taller, shown as managers and businessment)

Men’s facial expressions in ads show competence and dominance

Women are seen as childlike, submissive, and sexual

Mass Media Examples“Men are for action…women are romantic interests…”

What is the beauty myth? (p. 282) Cultural patterns create a beauty myth that is

damaging to women- Society teaches women measure their worth by

their physical appearance- Society teaches women to prize relationships with

men, who they attract with their beauty- The myth affects men…men are told repeatedly

that they should want to possess beautiful women

Beauty is in every culture…but the question is how much value do we place in beauty? Also, whether or not beauty is how we look, or how we act?

The Beauty Myth…Examples

These women are successful professionals..but the show revolves around them dating men

The idea here is that it is so uncommon for an “Ugly” woman to be on TV, that they can make a show about it

The Beauty Myth?...What is the pattern here?

How does gender effect income and wealth? (p. 288)

In 2006, the median earnings for women were $34,989 and men working full time were $44,958.

The main reason why women earn less is because the jobs women do, “women’s work”, are not valued in society (Remember the Davis-Moore Thesis, Ch. 8)

How do sociologists understand sexual harassment? (p. 291)2 reasons for sexual harassment- Our culture encourages men to be sexually

assertive- Most people who are in positions of power are men

Most (but not all) victims of sexual harassment are women

Harassment does not need to be physical…and can be subtle. A man complimenting a woman on her appearance repeatedly may be considered harassment. How?

Viewing of Bangkok GirlUnderstanding the Documentary

This is a documentary about the sex industry in Bangkok. We should view this documentary as the intersection between global stratification and gender stratification.

Thailand is a middle income country, but poor by high income country standards. Tourists from America, Europe, and Japan spend their high value currency here.

The women in Thailand do not have the same legal protection or opportunities that women in other countries have. The sex industry is a way to gain resources.