Current Statistics on Gender Inequality - Essay Example

Topic: Analysis Paper: Gender Inequality Current statistics on gender inequality There are huge disparities in regards to the number of managers and leaders of the female gender regardless of the fact that members of this gender constitute roughly fifty percent of the workforce. This can be considered as a true form of gender inequality when the gender difference in terms of power and status is considered (Daft & Lane, 2005). If the gender inequality in the US is ignored, or when an assumption is made that the glass ceiling broken yet it is not, will lead to a dangerous outcome. The 2010 Global Gender Gap Report produced by the World Economic Forum placed the US’ gender equality at nineteenth position. Therefore, failing to acknowledge the issue of gender equality is the best way of ensuring that the issue will never be dealt with and a solution will not be found. A study that was conducted in 2010 by the Harvard Business Review found that companies had the ability and were supposed to go further in the treatment of both genders equally. The study demonstrated that even though companies state that they treat the men and women in the same way, in reality, they do not. Numerous studies reveal that the choices women make to have children and remain at home for a longer period as the main reason they do not advance on the chains of command. This greatly assists in elucidating the disparity but various companies as well as the government should increase their efforts towards the implementation of policies that will result in integration of women back into the workforce in senior positions after child bearing. A Human Rights Watch study that covered 190 nations along with the policies that govern parental leave demonstrated that in most countries, women are not offered legal guarantees of paid maternity leaves. It is important to note that women in the US can lose their jobs for becoming pregnant and sometimes are demoted when they come back to work after a maternity leave. In contrast, more than eighty percent of women and men take parental leave, placing the nation high on gender equality lists. Significance of addressing the problems associated gender inequality from a sociological perspective Differences in gender are evident in almost all the social occurrences and from the moment one is born, expectations in regards to gender affect the treatment boys and girls face (Ratha, Pfeffer & Behera, 1997). In actual fact, expectations may start even before a person is born as parents and relatives chose to buy clothes and toys in colors stereotyped according to gender. Additionally, from birth, research demonstrates that girls are treated more gently as compared to boys, and the girls are further expected to be vulnerable while the boys get rougher treatment and are entitled to more independence. According to sociologists, there is a clear distinction between the words gender and sex as sex denotes the biological identities of people as either male or female while gender emphasizes on socially acquired expectations and conduct linked to either male or female gender. Through gender socialization, members of the society become aware of the expectations linked to their sex. This aspect has an impact on all the attributes of daily living and the society including an individual’s self-concept as well as social and political perceptions, and relationships with other people. Peers, family and training along with popular culture and schooling among others are some of the aspects that influence gender socialization. This becomes more emphasized when behaviors associated with gender are approved or disapproved from these influences. One of the outcomes of gender socialization is the development of identities, which defines a person in terms of their orientation. Through gender identity, people develop perceptions of themselves and others, and it influences people’s conduct. For instance, differences in gender are evident in the propensity for people to abuse drugs or alcohol, aggressive driving and depression. Additionally, gender equality has a profound effect on people’s feelings concerning their appearance, particularly female members of the society. This makes it important to address the issues associated with gender inequality from a sociological point of view. Theories that provide appropriate analysis of gender inequality The functional viewpoint considers the society as a complicated system of parts working together towards the promotion of solidarity and stability. This perception considers society from a micro-level bearing that is a wide focus on social structures influencing the society in general while considering social structures and functions (Bellomo, Ajmone Marsan & Tosin, 2013). Therefore, functionalism considers the general society in regards of the functions of its constituting aspects including standards, customs, behaviors and institutions. A popular comparison, which was made popular by Herbert Spencer, considers these aspects of the society as organs working towards the appropriate functioning of the body. In regards to gender inequality, the functionalist view was strongly enunciated in the forties and fifties and was mostly developed by the nuclear family model that was created by Talcott Parson. This theory proposes that gender inequality is in existence as an effective way of creating division of labor, or is a social system whereby popular sections are evidently responsible for particular, corresponding acts of labor. Consequently, the division of labor aims at maximizing resources as well as efficiency. The structural functionalist perspective concerning gender inequality relates division of labor to perceive fixed gender roles as complementary. In this view, women are supposed to take care of the house while the men are tasked with providing for their families. Therefore, similar to other social institutions, gender greatly contributes to making the society become more stable. As far as sociological research is concerned, functional requisites are basic needs required by a person in order to live above the poverty line. They may also be used to define the factors, which enable a society to retain its social order. In the view of structural fundamentalists, gender maintains social order through making sure that stability of the functional prerequisites is provided. Nonetheless, this perspective has come under criticism for reifying, instead of reflecting the different roles in gender. Even though in the view of functionalists gender roles are considered beneficial as they contribute to stable social connections, numerous people argue that the roles assigned to different genders are discriminatory and thus should not be upheld. The feminist movement that rose concurrently with the decline of functionalism considers functionalism as neglecting the suppression of women as far as the structure of the family. On the other hand, the conflict perspective defines the society through a struggle for dominance in the different social groups competing for limited resources. In regards to gender, the conflict perspective develops the argument that gender is best understood as an attempt by men to maintain power and privileges to the disadvantage of women (Tischler, 2007). In this regard, male society members are perceived as the dominant members and the womenfolf are seen as the subordinate group. Although specific gender roles may have been applied in the hunter-gatherer society, theorists in support of the conflict theory argue that the main reason for this roles persisting is that the dominant groups naturally seeks to maintain its power and position. Based on the social theory, social problems develop when the dominant groups exploit and subjugate subservient groups. For that reason, their approach is normative as it proposes adjustments to the power structure in order to support a balance of power for males and females. In majority of the cultures, men have traditionally controlled most of the resources and until recently, western culture did not allow women to vote or possess property making them completely reliant on men. Similar to other groups that are powerful and advantaged in terms of wealth, men fought to ensure they maintained their control over resources. A German sociologist known as Friedrich Engels studied family structure as well as the roles assigned to different genders based on a Marxist view. Engels proposed that the owner-worker relationship associated with the labor force is evident in the household with the women taking the role of the workers and this can be attributed to the women’s reliance on men for attaining wages. Modern theorists in support of the conflict perspective suggest that the women earn wages, they become more powerful in the family structure leading to the creation of democratic arrangements but they still carry most of the domestic burden. Illustrations The feminist social theory has been influential and has also been influenced by the agendas and struggles associated with the First and second waves. In the First Wave, theorists such as Susan B and Mary Wollstonecraft were persuasive for their emphasis on the manner in which women lacked legal rights and how this contributed to social demotion as well as suffering. Theorists associated with the Second Wave including Andrea Dworkin and Betty Friedan were renowned for their emphasis on the reproduction, sexuality and ramifications of living in a patriarchal society for women. Further, theorists associated with the third wave such as Gayatri Spivak and Judith Butler predominantly critiqued the view of a universal experience of womankind while drawing attention to sexual, economic and racial exclusion. Additionally, the feminist theorists associated with each wave have continued to condemn male biases that are contained in social theories, assisting in the construction of social theories that include the experiences of female members of the society. In the end, if feminism is concerned with the improvement of the conditions of women in the society, social theories should be used in the development of ideas, perceptions and philosophies as well as other intellectual programmes that can assist on meeting the agenda. References Bellomo, N., Ajmone Marsan, G., & Tosin, A. (2013). Complex systems and society. New York, NY: Springer. Daft, R., & Lane, P. (2005). The leadership experience. Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western. Ratha, S., Pfeffer, G., & Behera, D. (1997). Contemporary society. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co. Tischler, H. (2007). Introduction to sociology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Read More