The Role of Woman in Western Society - Research Paper Example

 The Role of Woman in Western Society employment of mothers outside of the home in Western society is a relatively new phenomenon with important ramifications in the social, economic and political realms. Accordingly, the employment women outside of the traditional private sphere has highlighted the socially constructed nature of gender role in modern Western society and has forced us to reevaluate traditional gender role expectations in America today. Seeking to address the topical issue of the employment of mothers outside of the home and the ensuing social changes which this trend has brought about, this brief essay will explore theories related to aging and gender, specifically generativity and the social construction theory. Following this we will discuss how this issue has been viewed from a historical perspective and discuss the impact of the employment of women in the public sphere on relationships within the family unit. Following his, we will explore the change and challenges associated with this trend at both a personal and a societal level (se MacKinnon 1-18). Gender is an underlying characteristic all societies and the social construction of gender roles, behaviors and expectations is an importance aspect of modern American society. In a lucid essay entitled “Gender Role, Behavior and Attitudes”, Aaron Devor explores the socially constructed nature of gender in modern society and persuasively argues for a reevaluation of traditional gender role expectations in modern society. Unlike sex, gender is artificially imposed and although based upon biological differences between men and women, gender is socially constructed. As a social construct, gender roles, behaviors, attitudes and expectations are created by society and enforced by social norms. The idea that a woman belongs in the home to cook, clean and raise the children is a socially constructed concept that many people believe without questioning. The funny thing about gender is that we are led to believe that it is innate and something that we are born with. As Aaron Davor so eloquently points out, gender is created, acquired and constructed by the greater society at large. Sex has a biological basis and is predetermined at birth. Gender, on the other hand, is a social construction and gender roles and expectations are unique to each and every society. As social actors, individuals play an important role in the construction and creation of gender roles, attitudes and expectations and are not simply passive recipients of societal expectations about how men and women are to behave. From the perspective of generativity, initial concerns about the implications that the employment of mothers outside of the home would have on the mother-child relationship have largely been proven to be unfounded. Children whose mothers work outside of the home have been proven to develop normally and without any problems. Again, questions of gender must always be understood to be socially constructed (Davor 33). From a historical perspective, American society has been patriarchal since its establishment and the employment of women in the public sphere is a relatively new phenomenon. Patriarchy is defined as a type of social structure in which men are perceived as being superior to women and it is impossible to understand the construction of gender roles and expectations in modern Western society without first understanding the omnipresent patriarchal nature of our society. Patriarchy is subconscious and not universal. In fact matriarchy, a society which is structured with women at the helm, has been found in places as diverse as Latin America, India and parts of Africa (see Amadiume 1997). Despite the global diversity, modern Western culture is characterized by its patriarchal nature and this has important implications in a variety of social realms. While female participation in the labor force has grown tremendously over the past half-century, women still lag behind men when it comes to getting paid for the hard work that they do. According to the American Department of Labor and Statistics, women on average earned $.80 on the US dollar relative to their male counterparts. From a sociological perspective, what can help account for the disparities women face in the labor force? Discrimination is one challenge women face in the paid labor force and this concept can be defined as the prejudicial treatment of others based upon perceived or real characteristics. Discrimination in this context could be the refusal to hire a woman because there is the belief that she will spend more time away from the office to care for sick children. Social exclusion is a concept which refers to both the alienation and disenfranchisement of individuals or groups within society. Historically speaking, women have been socially excluded from the public sphere and the paid labor market in particular. Stereotyping refers to the application of preconceived notions such as prejudicial thoughts or beliefs about individuals or groups of people. A relevant stereotype that an employer may have about women at work is that female employees are not reliable workers because they will eventually become pregnant and take maternity leave. Disparities women face in the paid labor market can be the result of discrimination, stereotyping, or social exclusion. While the challenges women face in the labor market are both latent and overt, they continue to have many ramifications on the lives of women in America (US Department of Labor 2010; Curry 77-81). The paid employment of women has had a variety of impacts on relationships and on the roles of women from a personal as well as societal level. There is gender hierarchy is embedded within our society which promotes an argument for the naturalness of gender roles, behaviors and expectations. Our society is organized under a patriarchal gender schema in which men and women, as dichotomous members of the gender hierarchy, are situated on opposite ends of the schema. While we are taught from a very young age to believe that gender differences are normal and natural, a power imbalance underlies the gender hierarchy so prevalent in our society and informs our beliefs about gender. Women’s employment has been positive for the mother-child dyad in that the paid employment of mother gives them more power and control in a society which prides success and the accumulation of wealth. For women who choose to work outside of the home and also raise a child, there are naturally personal concerns but women have proven that they multi-task and do both at the same time. Society has changed in an incredibly rapid amount of time and the employment of women outside of the home is not unusual anymore. This trend has thus had a variety of ramifications in the personal, social and economic spheres (Davor 101-123). Works Cited Amadiume, I. Re-inventing Africa: Matriarchy, Religion, and Culture. London: Zed-Books, 1993. Curry, G.E. The Affirmative Action Debate. New York: Basic Books, 1996. Davor, Aaron. "Toward a Taxonomy of Gendered Sexuality." Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 3(1993), 23-55. MacKinnon, C.A. Sexual harassment of working women: A case of sex discrimination. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979 Statistics and Data. (2009) Department of Labor and Statistics. Last Accessed April 4, 2010 http://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/main.htm Read More