Gender Stratification - Research Paper Example

It also refers to men and women’s unequal access of prestige, power and property in the basis of their sex. Sociologists explain gender stratifications in regards to theoretical perspectives such as feminist theory and social conflict theory (Kelly& Carney, 2006). In the United States, the study has shown that domestic work performed by women are valued less as opposed to the work performed by men outside their homes. In summary, the paper will give a report on gender stratification, evaluating a social concern, issue, event, or phenomenon from a sociological perspective.

The paper will also discuss on sociological concepts and theories with regards to social stratifications. There are various theories that offer excellent ways to better understand the gender issues from the sociological perspective. Study shows that the early sociological perspective related to gender roles evolved from the family sociology perspective. Gender roles are socially constructed and are created by humans so as to meet the needs of the societies. However, life chances in the stratification system may depend upon the combination of sex and age.

In the same way, the roles and responsibilities in social institutions generally differ by age and sex, for instance women’s reduced power in micro-level settings is often related to a lack of power in institutions. Therefore, all the explanations centered on why men and women hold different roles in the family in turn impacts the roles they perform outside the family. Social Conflict theory The social conflict theory asserts that social order can be maintained through value consensus as well as preserved through the exercise of power that one social class holds over another.

According to Karl Marx, conflict theory is based on the notion that the society is a stage where struggles for power and dominance are acted out (Nielsen, 2001). Using conflict theory, most sociologists argue that when women are kept in subordinate roles, men have to ensure that they control the means of production while protecting their privileges. Social stratification in a society is significant because it allows people to rank and evaluate one another. Furthermore, it is broadly organized into three parts namely; upper class, middle class and lower class which are on the basis of wealth and power (Kelly& Carney, 2006).

The division into these groups has resulted in the creation of different levels within the society. Sociologists argue that social stratification has positively and negatively affected the society in one way or another for instance; social stratification has caused social disparity and many other problems within the societies such as affecting their life chances, prestige and lifestyles. The act is evident to be an unjust system with a monopoly of power and wealth in a certain group. It also creates an emotional depression and stress for the people belonging to lower social stratum as this have unequal access to prestige, power and wealth (Grusky, 2007).

Conflict theory primarily focuses on social placement function of the family that deposits people at birth into families who possess varying degree of economic resources. Research shows that people who are fortunate enough to be deposited into wealthier families normally work in order to preserve the existing inequality and power relations in the broader society. The conflict perspective have been evident from the various research