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"Gender Inequality in the U.S." Learning Module:
HE 5050, Kaitlin Newman
Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke.
- Gloria Steinem
Gender Inequality
The difference in “power, status, access, and choices between men and women”; the unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender.
Since 1789 almost 2,000 men have served in the U.S. Senate. And how many women? Only 38, including 17 current senators.
Not until 1992 was the first African American woman (Carol Moseley-Braun) elected to the U.S. Senate.
(Henslin, 2012, p. 273)
Glass ceiling: barrier preventing women (and minorities) from climbing the corporate ladder, regardless of their skills and qualifications
Glass escalator: men rising higher and faster in female-dominated fields
Pay gap
Gendered fields, where “female-typed” work is less valued and underpaid
Sexual harassment in the workplace
How often do we think about our gender, and what it means to be a man or woman? For some, it may be often -- for others, it may be never. Oftentimes we assume that our gender, and the treatment we receive because of our gender, are simply innate. When we think critically about gender and equality, we realize that these things aren't innate at all. Gender inequality is a continuing battle in the United States. While the breach is slowly closing and conditions are getting better, there are still glaring gaps. Unfortunately, there are still significant gaps in the way men and women are treated.
The glass ceiling is an interesting phenomenon. The phrase was first seen in print in 1984, and has since been used to describe the barriers that women as well as minorities face in the work force. These barriers can be “invisible” or blatant. Men make up the majority of the executive branch of a company, and women are viewed as being excellent at “supportive roles” such as sales or human resource jobs. Women are also viewed as being less effective in leadership roles.
As seen in the previous slide, there is a large pay gap between men and women. This is especially seen among college graduates where men make approximately $34,000 more than women. Is this because women are more likely to go into jobs that pay less? Women do make up the majority of teachers, secretaries, and nurses, but does this fact account for the massive difference in salaries?
Men greatly outnumber women in political office.
Women are considered to be a voting demographic, not leaders in politics.
Gender stereotypes mean female politicians are not taken seriously
The higher the government position, the less women there are.
Boys are favored in classrooms.
"Boys will be boys"
Girls are discouraged from STEM disciplines
As the chart has indicated, women are vastly outnumber by men in every kind of political office. One of the explanations for this is that political parties put a disproportionate amount of male candidates on their party tickets. The goal of the political party is to put as many party members into position as possible. Funding is funneled into political campaigns that are more likely to succeed, and as a result men find more support for their political efforts. The first women that comes to mind in politics today is Hilary Clinton. Hilary has been the target of much scrutiny and has been criticized as being “too emotional” and “too cold."
While women in the U.S. have significant access to education, gender inequality continues to be present in the classroom. Boys are largely favored in classes, and receive considerably more attention, both positive and negative. Despite the negative attentive they may receive for behavioral problems, misbehavior in boys is largely overlooked when compared to girls (who can not ‘get away’ with the same behavior) – “boys will be boys.” Stereotypes about women’s abilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics also discourage girls from participating in these fields. Women continued to be significantly underrepresented in STEM disciplines. In spite of this, women are now the majority on college campuses. Unfortunately, while women are graduating more, they still fail to attain the most prestigious and highest-paying ranks in their fields.
(The above chart is from one of my old Sociology books, ideally it would be much clearer!)
A clear gap in wage between men and women continues to exist. For college graduates, men make over $30,000 more per year than women. One of the primary reasons for this the lack of value placed on so-called “feminine skills” or caretaking: careers associated with women tend to pay much less than careers dominated by men. Paying women less also means that the woman is more likely to stay home with her children, as their family will loose less income. This robs male partners of the chance to stay home with their children.
Sex: biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and external sex organs
Gender: the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine.
Feminism: the belief that both men and women should be "politically, economically, and socially equal.
Transgender: individuals whose gender identity does not match their birth sex.
Feminism is the philosophy that men and women should be equal politically, economically, and in all other spheres of life. Feminism has nothing to do with supremacy or putting down men, but valuing men and women equally. It's important to recognize that, yes, women in the U.S. have their fundamental rights. Still, this does not mean that gender inequality doesn’t exist.
There’s a lot on this particular graphic, but the numbers speak for themselves. Out of 535 seats in Congress, women occupy 99. Out of 318 statewide executive positions, women occupy 72. There are 5 female governors. Under 25% of all state legislature positions are held by women.
Feminism is the philosophy that men and women should be equal politically, economically, and in all other spheres of life. Feminism has nothing to do with supremacy or putting down men, but valuing men and women equally. It's important to recognize that, yes, women in the U.S. have their fundamental rights. Still, this does not mean that gender inequality doesn’t exist.
Andersen, M. L. (2006). Race, gender, and class stereotypes: New perspectives on ideology and inequality. Norteamerica, 1, 69-91. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from the Academic Search Premiere database.
Crossman, A. (n.d.). What Sociology Says About Gender and Society. Sociology of Gender. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://sociology.about.com/od/Disciplines/a/Sociology-Of-Gender.htm
Current Numbers of Women Officeholders. (n.d.). Center for American Women in Politics. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/fast_facts/levels_of_office/Current_Numbers.php
Ferro, L. (2012, March 19). Gender inequality in the U.S. today [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.trustwomenpac.org/2012/03/gender-inequality-in-the-u-s-today/
Henslin, J. (2012). Sociology: A down-to-earth approach. Boston: Pearson Inc. (Original work published 2008)
Nobelius, A. (2004, June 23). What is the difference between sex and gender? Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.med.monash.edu.au/gendermed/sexandgender.html
Mueller, J. (2014). Resources for the teaching of social psychology. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from North Central College: http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/crow/activitiesgender.htm
Rampton, M. (2008). The three waves of feminism. The Magazine of Pacific University. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.pacificu.edu/magazine_archives/2008/fall/echoes/feminism.cfm
Tam, T. (1997). Sex segregation and occupational gender inequality in the United States: Devaluation or specialized training? American Journal of Sociology,102(6), 1652-1692. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from the Academic Search Premiere database.
Walsh, S. (n.d.). Hooking Up Smart. Assortive Mating and Income Equality. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.hookingupsmart.com/2014/01/27/politics-and-feminism/assortative-mating-income-inequality/
World Economic Forum. (2013). The 2012 global gender gap report. Retrieved from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf
Many careers continue to be gendered, and are dominated by one particular gender. This deprives both genders of the opportunity to enter into fields that may not be considered “appropriate” for their gender.