Transcript Chapter 8 Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Social Inequality This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law.

Chapter 8
Gender,
Sexual
Orientation,
and Social
Inequality
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protected under copyright law. The following
are prohibited by law:
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Myth or Fact?
More women are
seeking political
office than ever
before.
Myth
By the 1990s, the
U.S. had become
solidly supportive of
equal rights for
women.
Myth
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Men and Women in Society
The Biological Perspective
Assumes that innate biological
differences between men and women
shape the contributions that each can
make to society.
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The Functionalist Perspective
Talcott Parsons posited that sex roles
became divided along the lines of
instrumental tasks and expressive
tasks.
Functionalists argue that a problem
exists when the sex-role division of
labor is no longer consistent with the
needs of a particular society.
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The Conflict Perspective
Sexual differentiation becomes a
“battleground” for the struggle over
scarce resources.
Conflict theorists view sexual
inequality as a problem when some
group, such as women, realizes it is
being exploited and strives to do
something to change the situation.
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The Interactionist Perspective
Interactionists emphasize social definitions
and symbolic representations of
appropriate behavior for males and
females in trying to understand sexual
inequality.
Conversational styles of men and women
can reflect and reinforce gender patterns of
dominance and subordination.
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Socialization of Men &
Women
Sex refers to the
biological terms of
male and female.
Gender refers to
the learned
behavior involving
how we are
expected to act as
males and females
in society.
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Agents of Socialization
The family
Parents are likely to treat male and female
infants and young children in ways
consistent with how they view masculinity
and femininity.
Parents today are more aware of the
negative consequences of gender
stereotyping.
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Agents of Socialization
The schools
From the beginning of school, children
see men in positions of authority and
dominance over women.
Evidence shows that sexist treatment in
the schools does result in lower selfesteem for female grade school and high
school students.
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Agents of Socialization
The media and the electronic world
Television
Perhaps the most significant form of media for
the socialization of young people is television.
It has been estimated that children watch from
10 to 25 hours of television a week.
Despite the fact that television has “cleaned
up its act” to some extent, this powerful
medium still overwhelmingly portrays
stereotyped gender roles.
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Agents of Socialization
The Media
Music
Although one can find practically any message,
including strongly egalitarian and feminist ones, in
some musical formats, the predominant portrayals
tend to be of men who are dominant, strong, and
aggressive, and of women who are young, physically
attractive, and sexually alluring.
Internet and cyberworld
The e-world vastly expands the possibilities in terms
of gender socialization for the young. It offers them
contact with a vast array of socializing agents, other
than the traditional ones (family, school, church).
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Extent of Gender Inequality
in the U. S.
Women occupy a subordinate
position in comparison to men on
virtually every dimension of
socioeconomic status (SES).
Women face discrimination on the
basis of sex in education, occupation,
income, the military, and the courts.
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Global Perspective
Gender inequality is widespread
throughout the U.S. and around the
world.
In all parts of the world the rate of
illiteracy is higher among women than
men.
Women are poorly represented in
political positions where important
decisions are made.
Poor women in many developing
countries have been among the victims
of a capitalist world economy.
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Future Prospects
The future of gender inequality will
depend on the feminist movement
and how much collective action is
mobilized around the world.
The women’s movement refers to the
collective activities of individuals,
groups, and organizations whose goal is
the fair and equal treatment of women
and men around the world.
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Future Prospects
Changes in the law affecting women,
such as comparable worth, and
changes in the workplace, such as
increasing numbers of women in the
labor force, will be important.
Any meaningful changes in the situation
surrounding sexual inequality will involve
a redefinition of masculinity and
femininity.
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Future Prospects
Changes in the workplace have had
mixed results
Affirmative action programs encourage
employers to hire women
There are more women in the workplace
“Women’s jobs” tend to be devalued and
pay less
Many women leave management
positions to raise families
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Future Prospects
Changing face of politics
Very few women are elected
representatives at the national level
Gains have been made at state and
local levels
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Future Prospects
In good part because of the effective use
of collective action by gays and lesbians,
homosexuality is more public and widely
accepted today, and is more protected
from discrimination and other negative
reactions.
However, significant sources of
homophobia persist.
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