Power, Politics and the Law: The Issue of Gender Inequality - Assignment Example

Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective Chapter 14: Power, Politics and the Law I. OUTLINE A. Crime i. In contemporary societies, crime features as one of the highly gendered social activity in any given community. This generalization is derived from the fact that all major crimes like murder, homicide and rape are either propagated or committed by men. ii. Actually, 100% of all rape crimes are committed by men. On the other hand, women involved in crime engage in nonviolent activities like prostitution, shoplifting and truancy. This pattern of gendered criminal disparity appears in all societies across the globe. iii. As of 2008, statistics indicates that the ratio of male criminals to female counterparts stands at 4:1. For every 4 male criminals, there is one female criminal. This disparity in ratio withdrew authorities’ attention from female criminals and directed it to male offenders. iv. Consequently, negligence of female crime trends led to growth in the number of women involved in criminal activity (Lindsey 407). Currently, women engage in violent behaviors like assault and gang behavior. Increase in female crime rate is attributed to the three factors discussed below. a. Socialization i. Difference in crime ratio between male and female genders is largely based on social structures and patterns within a given society. Usually, boys possess substantial attributes of physical aggression, impulsivity and rebellion, while girls are expressive and conservative. ii. Such inherent social patterns reinforce aggressive traits in men; hence predisposing them to opportunities for criminal activity. On the contrary, girls remain protected and monitored, thus having minimal chances of engaging in crime. b. Economic Background i. Increase in female crime rates can be attributed to economic disparity between the two genders. In modern societies, inequitable distribution in resources challenges the socialization structure. ii. Women are increasingly engaging in crime as a means of bolstering their economic status. Lack of economic security compels women to engage in nondomestic activities like robbery and theft. c. Criminal Justice i. Gender roles understood from traditional societies influence the manner in which judiciary execute their duties. Apparently, police are reluctant to arrest women while judges hesitate before incarcerating female offenders. ii. It is undeniable that by virtue of gender, male criminals are treated harshly compared to their female counterparts (Lindsey 407). In this case, prejudice in handling criminals based in gender masks the intensity and severity of crime among the female population. B. Prostitution i. Prostitution features as one of the oldest professions conducted by poverty-stricken women as a means of survival. In modern societies, some female members of the society earn their entire living from prostitution. ii. In poor structured societies within third-world nations, children as young as 13 years are forced either by economic circumstances or by perpetrators into sex labor. Despite changes in gender roles in regard to prostitution, more women are continually arrested and charged with sex work compared to their male counterparts. II. POLITICS Apart from other important aspects like economy and education, modern politics have been largely centered on gender equality. Political analysts strive to understand gendered perceptions during elections. Since 1970s, there are increasing concerns on social policy meant to address gender equality in administrative offices. Currently, women are increasingly taking positions in influential administrative bodies like the congress and senate. Undeniably, presence of women in these influential institutions helps in passing supportive policies meant to provide economic and social support to disadvantaged groups in the United States Lindsey (409). In practice, gender roles in politics manifest in form of gender gap and barriers to female candidates in public offices. A. The Gender Gap i. Back in 1920 when women received the right to participate in general election, it was expected that there would be significant difference in political perceptions between male and female voters. However, this expected trend was unfounded, hence failed to take root in American politics. ii. However, difference in political perceptions would soon be realized during president Reagan’s time. In 1982, gender gap started widening. iii. Women started focusing on issue based politics while men voted along the concepts of class, ethnic and religion. Approximately 55% of women voters opposed Reagan’s economic and environmental policies compared to only 34% of men who opposed the same policies. a. Presidential Voting Patterns i. Since 1982, presidential candidates in the US have tried to address the widening gender gap by forming inclusive and objective policies for their campaigns. It remains evident that women are more concerned with policies as opposed to their male counterparts. ii. Since 2000, statistics on presidential voting patterns shows that women voters prefer independent candidates rather than either democrats or republican contenders. On the other hand, men’s voting patterns are closely inclined towards party identification as opposed to underlying policies. iii. Despite efforts aimed at neutralizing gender gap in general elections, 7% more women voted in favor of Obama in 2008 Lindsey (410). This gender based voting pattern can be attributed to the fact that Republicans are still struggling with the gender deficit in their public offices. b. Gendered Issues i. Basically, the width of gender gap depends on policies likely to present substantial impact on women voters. Women portray a strong support for rights of minority groups. Gender gap widens because of difference in perception in issues like gay rights, child care and reproductive freedom. ii. In order to mitigate the widening gender gap, political parties are basing their policies on issues like environmental protection, religious conservatism provision of social support programs, especially to older women. B. Gender and Public Office After every general election, gender gap becomes influential in determining public office holders. Distribution of public office holders depends on factors which include; a. Political Party i. Principles subscribed to by the two political parties determine office holders in terms of gender equality. It is apparent that republican women remain conservative in their administrative attitudes. This means Republican women politically hindered by their gender –based convictions. a) Republican women are hesitant in expressing progressive support for feminism. However, female public office holders from the Democrat section remain vocal in advocating for equal rights for women. b) However, female public office holders usually become sympathetic to women issues like abortion rights irrespective of their political inclination. ii. After learning that women are more likely to vote as a bloc based on underlying policies, political parties are aligning their strategies to suit gender differences in offices in an attempt to gain support of female voters in succeeding campaigns. b. Women in Office i. Long-term goal in achieving gender equality in administration can be solved through gender equity in all government levels. Women must be given equal opportunities to contend for office posts in municipal, state and federal levels. ii. In terms of office holding, women’s presence in federal institutions has increased from 10% to 24% over the past two decades (Lindsey 412). Despite women’s presence in congress and senate bodies, they are yet to receive prominence in important congressional committees. C. Barriers to Female Candidates Fortunately, the entire American society seems to trust women office holders. Female administrators and legislators are decisive, competent and objective in advocating for public policies. Both Republicans and Democrats have kept their promises of ensuring prominence of women either elected or appointed to head public institutions. However, women candidates stiff face numerous hurdles which include; a. Socialization Factors i. Similar to traditional structures, women are yet to achieve the same level of aggression and competitiveness compared to their male counterparts. American politics still struggles from masculine ideologies, thus giving men candidates a competitive advantage over female candidates. ii. Apart from advantage in terms of aggression, voters are usually stereotypical in appraising candidates for any given office. Women are viewed as being public spirited and oriented to equal rights, while men politicians strong support to party conservation of power. b. Beliefs about Women’s Roles i. The general public holds a misguided notion that women are supposed to take care of their children and husbands (Lindsey 413). In case a woman is elected or appointed to a public office, she will neglect her role as a mother and a wife. ii. Irrespective of their political parties, most women will have to struggle with issues centered on their marital status, modesty and motherhood responsibilities. On the contrary, male office contenders are not subjected to such ordeals. c. Structural Barriers i. Currently, women still have to struggle with limits imposed by elements of academic qualifications, work experience and age. ii. The question of experience in job interviews proves challenging because women start their political careers later than their male counterparts. D. Race and Gender in Election 2008 Presidential election in 2008 served as an instrumental indication of gender-based politics in higher offices. All the candidates contending for the general election portrayed cultural representation of race and gender. Aspects of race and gender became influential in the following three contexts; a. The Primary Election i. Despite the prevalent gender gap in American politics, racial demographics were practically influential during the primaries. Obama received tremendous support from the African-American voting bloc while Clinton was favored by older women. ii. In the primary election, race triumphed over gender. African-Americans voted for Obama regardless of their gender. However, gender based policies was dominant among the white voters. b. The General Election i. Gender became dominant during the general election as opposed to influence of race in the primary race. McCain coupled with Palin as a means of drumming up support from women who were dissatisfied with the other candidate. On the other hand, Obama gained support from women who were dissatisfied with McCain’s foreign policies and reproductive rights. ii. Women voters agreed that McCain-Palin ticked discussed about obsolete issues on women. On the other hand, Obama received support from Democratic women with liberal and diametrically aligned political attitudes. c. The Hillary Factor Clinton held progressive attitudes towards public policies. In 2008, she was a politically ambitious woman who continually challenged gender stereotypes on public based policies. III. THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) touched on issues of gender equality in public institutions. ERA received substantial support from both Republicans and democrats. It was the first objective gender-based amendment that attracted support from men and women with diverse political philosophies. A. Ratification’s Rocky Path The ERA was to be ratified within a period of 10 years. During this period, numerous factors created a synergistic effect which led to the defeat of ERA. Those behind this amendment remained doubtful on the program’s implementation process. Among the factors that influenced defeat of the ERA include; a. The New Christian Right Christians across the US formed a coalition meant to bring down the ERA. The New Christian Right movement held strong beliefs concerning a woman’s traditional role in the society. This organization believed that emancipation of women marked inception of secularism and post-modernity (Lindsey 417). As a result, they strived to restore moral order. b. Issues of interpretation Ratification of the program met high hurdles on steps required in implementing the project. All anti-ERA groups capitalized on the fact that the amendment lacked a clear understanding and interpretation. Consequently, there was conflict of interpreting provisions of the amendment in different states. B. Feminism in the 21st Century i. New Christian Rights movement emerged victorious after the defeat of ERA. NCR have always felt that promotion of feminism principles undermines the moral role of women in the society. Even in the 21st Century, feminism still experience problems from masculine prejudice and opposition from religious bodies. ii. Feminism is motivated by a desire to free women from the shackles of economic and social inequality. Currently, feminism is taking a new direction by influencing policy formulation in high levels of government, especially in legislation. iii. Strategies employed by advocates of this movement create a synergistic effect by combining progressive tactics touching on rights of minority groups and social security programs. Work Cited Lindsey, Linda. Gender Roles: A sociological perspective. 5th ed. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print. Read More