Sociological Concepts and Theories to Contemporary Health Issues in - Essay Example

Sexual division of labor Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: Sexual division of labor There is a notion in many societies of hunting and gathering that men hunt while women gather. The states in which a society men and women perform or are allocated different jobs is what is known as sexual division of labor or in other terms gender division of labor (Peoples, and Bailey, 2011). We can summarize the principles of the sexual division of labor in a society, through the use of a large number of logical balancing implicational constrictions of various types. For example, mature women in many societies are given the role of preparing the ground for planting. However, if women are able to prepare the ground for planting, then they can also plant. On the other hand, men are given the role of planting. Similarly, if men can plant, then they can also do the task of clearing and preparing the ground for planting. According to the cross cultural analysis and the statistics collected by White, Burton and Brudner, they show that jobs chosen by women are those that favor their role of child rearing. Many disciplines and scholars have borrowed a lot from this study, and the statistical results of this finding are replicated in their work (Anderson & Taylor, 2009). According to the feminist theories, which analyses the status and the role of men and women in the society, women have being given a voice by highlighting the various ways in which they contribute to the society. For instance, gender difference is one of the feminist theories that analyze the experiences and the situation of men and women in the society, and how they differ from each other (Crossman, 2012). The position given to men and women in the society explain the cliché of the sexual division of labor in the household and their work places. The theory also analyses how women have been marginalized by the society, and often regarded as “others”. This contributes largely to the role they play or given in the society. For example, household chores, child bearing and rearing is seen as feminist, and, therefore, given to women by the society. Women, on the other hand, have been seen to support this notion and agree on the roles they are given by the society, mostly based on their biological structure and composition. This can be used to show why we have more women in nursing and medical professionals than men. Nursing requires tender love and care for the sick, as well as moral support. For instance, patients suffering from dementia and those mostly in the hospice need extra care and love. This is mostly seen with women. Women according to the theories of feminists and those developed by Karl max have a tender heart and express, their emotional and their feeling more than men. They show sympathy and empathy to their loved ones and those they are acquainted to, and can easily assist anyone in problems whether they know them or not (Ritzer & Goodman, 2004). Sexual division of labor is perceived as a natural and indisputable, but in actual fact, they are practices and belief that are socially made. Therefore, determining who does what and how the task is valued in terms of gender is wholly done in the society and by the society. The roles given to female are viewed as less significant compared to the roles of men in the society. Women are expressly or by implication given the role of bearing children, rearing them, as well as taking care of the whole family. The role given to women in the society favors them, since they are the only one who are biologically capable of doing them, for example, pregnancy, child bearing, and breast feeding. Men, on the other hand, are associated with jobs that are particularly paid, and that are economically productive. Women nowadays have shown overall participation in the labor market but at a lower range of occupation than men thus earning less than their male counterparts in job market (Jaggar, 1983). Employees must strike a balance between their increasingly need for income against their wish to work in a healthy condition. As the world due to the advancement in technology integrate globally, and as a result, increased competition, it becomes hard to strike this balance. Today, both genders need a stable job, with security and that is well paying, in order to support themselves, and their family now and in the future. However, due to increase in competition globally, many organizations works toward maximizing their profits, which makes decent jobs difficult to get. Well paid, regular and permanent jobs are rare to get, since many employers shun from offering such jobs. Labor organizations that fight for the rights of employees in the industry are always paralyzed by the increase in global competition, in industrialized countries, while in developing countries; they attract foreign investment though weakening these organizations. In both developing and developed countries, women in the recent past have engaged themselves in the labor market thus, increasing the proportion of economically active women. For about half a century now, women, according to estimates released by World Bank, have shown an enormous participation in the global labor force. However, women take specific role in the labor force, and many workers in this field change their occupation to avoid isolation by gender or by sex. This has been evidenced in areas such as Norway, Finland, and some parts of the United States. In less developed countries, women and men in the labor market do different tasks, especially in fields such as, manufacturing, mining, agriculture among other activities. Majority of women in the job market get employment in the informal sectors, and perform tasks such as retailing, domestic tasks, sex work, just to mention but a few. However, when they work from home, their jobs are disregarded and not considered as a task. In developed countries, women and men in the industry perform a different task; however, some of the white collar jobs are distributed between men and women. In other places, women perform hard tasks like carrying stones, building and mining, while men do the administrative jobs, while in other places, it is directly opposite. In addition, in most industries women occupy a lower position than their male counterpart at work, even when they have the same level of education. This is why women as seen going back to schools to look for advanced degrees more than men, in order to gain a competitive advantage in the job market. Many industrialized countries have shifted from standard forms of employment and adopted non-standard forms, where workers are given short term contracts. This favors women in a greater way, since they always find it hard to work full time as they have other obligations at home. Therefore, in these countries many women hold part time jobs and subcontracting jobs. This allows women to perform other chores at home such as looking for the children. Women are always disadvantaged by the increase in global competition that forces companies to formulate and implement strategies and adopt policies that will give them a competitive advantage. Women are limited in terms of training, promotions, career advancement, and national social security funds like pension, hospital insurance, and joining labor unions (Maria Patricia Fernandez & Kelly, 1981). In the past, the company and the structure of the workplace is sex biased. Machines, properties, social places at work, and tools were designed to favor men. Work related health and safety measures have also been in favor of male. On the other hand, while most women engage in unpaid work usually done at home, health and problems arising from such activities are not compensated, unlike the paid jobs (Sanday, 1981). In many countries especially less developed countries; women have been denied access to paid jobs or fully denied paid jobs. Others who have been lucky have been allowed to work, but on certain conditions that exclude them from certain types of tasks or certain work schedules, for example, night shifts. In addition, those that get a chance of employment are paid peanuts as compared to their male counter parts doing the same job. This has forced women to result to jobs that are traditionally viewed as men jobs such as technical jobs, engineering, architecture, building and construction among many other masculine jobs. Women who engage in such jobs are always discriminated, and find it hard to compete with their male counterparts in the same job (World Bank, 2001). This puts them at risk of getting ill, for instance, due to constant mental disturbances, they may result to mental illness. However, despite suffering from mental health, they are still forced to take risks in the job in order to prove to their employers that they are not incapacitated and that they are still fit for the job. Women who are engaged in these jobs are at risk of injuries and accidents since most of the machines and equipments used in these kinds of jobs are male friendly (Wilkinson & Kitzinger, 1994). For example, the size, and the strength of such equipments are mostly designed for male. However, on the other hand, women who are not engaged in these masculine jobs are not on the safer side yet. They face discrimination on the basis of sex in their work places. Under these two scenarios, women are unable to contend for total care and protection for their health problems at work. A good example is the study done in Canada and France in regards to women working in food processing. Women working in these industries are exposed to cold and irregular schedules that pose a serious health hazard. For example, it interferes with their menstrual cycles, which result in the absence for work. Such issues can be addressed through the health and safety arrangements in the workplace. However, women always shy away or are reluctant to address this issue (Wilson, 1995). The diversity among employees at the workplace cannot be taken for granted. Male and female differ in many aspects, such as biological composition and their gender difference. The biological variations among men and women should not be used as the basis of dividing labor in the workplace, or provision of health services. Employers contribute largely in making the work accessible and favorable for both men and women, and avoiding discrimination. List of references Anderson, M.L., & Taylor, H.F. (2009). Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Crossman. A. (2012). Socialogy; Feminist Theory. Retrieved from http://sociology.about.com/od/Sociological-Theory/a/Feminist-Theory.htm. Jaggar, A.M. (1983). Feminist Politics and Human Nature. New York: Rowman & Allanheld. Maria Patricia Fernandez Kelly (1981). Development and Sexual Division of Labor: an Introduction. Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 7(2): 268. From http://www.jstor.org/stable/3173877 . Peoples, J., & Bailey, G. (2011). Humanity: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Stamford: Cengage Learning Ritzer, G., & Goodman, D.J. (2004). Sociological Theory. (6th Edn.). Columbus, OH: McGraw Hill. Sanday, P.R. (1981). Female Power and Male Dominance: On the Origins of Sexual Inequality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. World Bank. (2001). Engendering Development. New York, Oxford University Press. Wilson, F.M. (1995). Organizational Behavior and Gender. London: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Wilkinson, S., & Kitzinger, C. (1994). Women and Health: Feminist Perspectives. London: Taylor & Francis Read More