Examining Gender Issues on Three Sociological Levels - Essay Example

Gender issues Introduction If one takes a close look at the society, one can not help noticing that it should be viewed asan important prerequisite for the development of the inner potential of a person. Indeed, if it had not been for this platform, a considerable number of abilities which are regarded as characteristic ones would not have developed. Nevertheless, it must be noted that there may be situations when a part of the population is not able to live life to its fullest as it belongs to the group that is being oppressed. While discrimination is always a negative phenomenon, gender based discrimination is surely one of the most devastating ones. This paper will analyze various gender issues, examining them on three sociological levels, in the context of crime and violence as well as decision making process in criminal justice system. Different levels of analysis The first level that would be engaged is the micro level. Thus, if one analyzes the way a woman is primarily treated by her relatives, one will be able to see that she is often placed in the limits of gender roles (Sudha, 2000, p. 151). Indeed, nowadays when the society promotes gender equality, seeing a woman as a bread winner for the family is more that unusual. In spite of the fact that the population acknowledges the need to eliminate gender stereotypes when it comes to social role, the inertia is too strong to be dealt with over one or several generations. This means that on a micro level a woman is often attributes some characteristics that limit her freedom of action or expression, while men are give green light when it comes to satisfying their ambitions. It is quite understandable that such inequality will have a significant impact on the future of a person. On the mezzo level one might observe different manifestation of gender inequality, one of the most dramatic ones is wage gap (Roseberry & Ross, 2014, p. 210). In spite of the fact that two employees might have similar qualifications and work experienced, as a rule men are likely to earn more than women. The latter will often experience the so called glass ceiling which does not allow them to rise above a particular position or receive a raise in their salary. What is more important is that such state of affair reinforces the gender roles which were discussed in the previous paragraphs: men will surely make more money than women; so, the latter are forced to occupy other roles since the productivity of their work is not as high due to absolutely artificial reasons. Finally, on macro level, a person might observe the establishment of the so called patriarchic society (Marinetto, 2007, p. 83). In spite of the fact that at a particular point in time there was some rationale for this, since men relied on their physical strength to bring food and provide protection; at the present moment, these issues which were essential at first are not important. As a result, the contemporary society continues the tradition which is not beneficial at the preset moment, but only oppresses women, proving men with unreasonable advantages and allowing them to dominate the social environment, in spite of the fact that from a statistical point of view, they belong to minority. Risk of crime and violence The next important aspect that should be taken into account is the way gender might modify the risk of crime and violence. It would not be a mistake to suggest that men and women generally differ in their physical constitution, with the former being stronger. As a result, this contributes to a certain preconditions of a crime. Indeed, it is far easier to assault a women who will probably show no resistance if compared to man who is likely to fight back. That is why it is clear that the probability that a woman will become the victim of a crime is many times higher than in case of a man. This results in the fact that many situations in life seem different for women than for men. For example, the former are not comfortable walking late at night alone. On the other hand, the statistics shows that the number of males who are incarcerated is significantly bigger than the number of women. That is why it is quote obvious that men are likely to become perpetrators. In other words men have a natural predisposition to become offenders. Of course, it does not mean that the majority of men are criminal, but it surely shows that the society encourages men to exercise their inbuilt aggression which is often manifested in behavior that leads to problems with law. All this can be viewed for a broader perspective of the patriarchic society that promotes the male dominated culture the inevitable consequence of which a large population of criminals who behavior was conditioned from their childhood. Speaking of the risks of violence, one might argue that gender also modifies those. For example, there are numerous cases of domestic violence when women are victims. Of course, there are surely might be the cases when men are abused, but in the majority of the situations more dependent and less strong women are victims of this negative phenomenon. As it has already been mentioned, there are may be two reasons for that. First of all, women are physically weaker which means that they are not able to show resistance with bare hands. Secondly, the contemporary culture that is being promoted in the society enshrines the supremacy of men. That is why if some fact of domestic violence are known, men are likely to conceal it in order not do disturb the social environment. Gender and decision making process Now it may be particularly important to analyze the way the notion of gender is able to interact with the decision making process that is happening in the criminal justice system. To begin with, it may be particularly important to point out a significant fact: the majority of judges are males (Neubauer, 2011, p. 209). Indeed, this very fact should note that the criminal justice system is not likely to be fair. At first sight, the male dominance in the population of judge does not seem dramatic. However, it will surely affect the decisions that are made. One might argue that female judges are not likely to impose strict punishments on the criminals as their male counterparts would. Partially, this might explain the big number of people in prisons. The next aspect that should be taken into consideration is the peculiarities of social interaction when it comes to crime and gender. One would not make a mistake pointing out that when a man as convicted of a crime, this is seen as a disgraceful situation. However, if a woman is convinced, this puts a stigma on her since in the mentality of the society often requires women to be highly moral citizens as this is conditioned by the gender roles. In other words, there are certain double standards when it comes to public opinion about men and women who violates the law. This means that the criminal justice system is likely to reinforce them. One should also point out that there even may be a division into crimes that are typically male or female. For example, it is rather unlikely to see a woman as a sexual assaulter or a kidnapper. Finally, one should also take a look at the issue of violence in the context of criminal justice system. Thus, as it was mentioned the probability that a judge will be a male is rather high; in addition to that if he hears a case about violence that was directed against women, one might expect that the punishment will be stricter if compared to the case when violence happened against a man. This can be explained by the fact that the society might promote male supremacy, but it also promotes the positive image of a man who does not cause any harm to women. This means that if such cases a known and can not be disclosed, the society will do its best to make sure that the perpetrator is punished accordingly. In other words, if a woman is a victim of violence this is likely to have a negative impact on the outcome from the point of view of the offender. Conclusion Having examined all the points which were brought up in the discussion above, one might point out the following: gender inequality is a fact that should be taken into consideration while analyzing the structure of the contemporary society. It can be easily witness on different levels: in the householder in form of assigned gender roles; in an organization in the form of various restrictions and in the society in general. Gender also has influence on the risk of crime and violence, making women more vulnerable to it. Finally, gender also has impact on the decision making process in criminal justice system. References Irwin, J., & Austin, J. (2011). Its about time: Americas imprisonment binge. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Marinetto, M. (2007). Social theory, the state and modern society the state in contemporary social thought. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Neubauer, D. (2011). Americas courts and the criminal justice system (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Roseberry, L., & Roos, J. (2014). Bridging the gender gap: Seven principles for achieving gender balance. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sudha, D. (2000). Gender roles. New Delhi: A.P.H. Pub. Read More