Chapter 10: Inequalities of Gender and Age Stefan Olson John Reisinger Chris Docherty Ryan Mullarky Auston Van Wormer Austin Stebbins

Sex and Gender Identity Sex: Classification of people as male or female based on biological characteristics Biological Determinism: Principle that behavioral differences are the result of inherited physical characteristics Gender Identity: A sense of being male or female based on learned cultural values Behavioral differences between men and women are culturally conditioned Males and females treated differently throughout lives which promotes behavior based on gender Slight differences between male and female brains Women tend to use more of the brain when performing tasks This suggests that some behavioral differences between genders could be biological, but it has not been proven

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender Gender Socialization: A social process of learning how to act as a boy or girl Functionalist say responsibilities for men and women are different due to differences between the two genders According to conflict theory, by preventing women from reaching their potential, men keep their dominance Gender socialization started at young age ex: Young girls given more feminine chores, such as washing dishes Treated differently in schools Studies show that boys in middle school are 8 times more likely to yell out answers than girls Peers contribute greatly to gender socialization “masculine” girls and “feminine” boys given low status among peers

Gender Inequality Sexism: A set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify sexual inequality Occupational Sex Segregation: The concentration of women in lower-status positions Sexism seen clearly in economics, law, and politics Sexist Ideology- men are naturally superior to women Women are holding higher power jobs that used to be reserved for men More women working, but in lower-status positions On average, women paid less than men (80 cents per dollar in 2004) Women don’t have as much legal rights as men Ex. In some states women are refused the right to keep their own surnames after marriage More women are appearing in politics, but still a fill a very small portion of political positions

Ageism Age Stratification: The unequal distribution of scarce resources based on age Ageism: A set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age-based prejudice and discrimination As men grew old they used to be highly respected and filled the most prestigious positions, but now they are seen as “out of date” in the workplace Less effect on women because in a culture where men encouraged to identify strongly with work More high-priced elderly people are being forced into retirement to make room for the less-expensive younger generations Stereotypes of older people are learned by children through socialization

Inequality in America’s Elderly Population Interest Group: A group organized to influence political decision making Elderly viewed as minority Poverty rate for elderly Americans at 9.8 percent Doesn’t take into account “hidden poor”, such as those living in institutions, which would raise poverty rate substantially Elderly women are one of the poorest segments of American society Race also has a great effect on poverty Elderly has highest voting turnout Do not speak in unified voice

Quiz 1. True or False: Men use more of the brain when performing tasks. 2. Boys are how much more likely to shout out answers in class? A. 5 times B. 7 times C. 8 times D. 10 times 3. In 2004, women were paid, on average, ___ cents for every dollar men earned. A. 64 B. 80 C. 75 D. 70 4. True or False: More and more elderly people are filling higher ranking jobs. 5. What is the poverty rate for elderly Americans? A. 8 percent B. 9.2 percent C. 9.5 percent D. 9.8 percent 6. Short Answer: Why is it a six question quiz if there are only 5 content slides? If the rest of you are like me, you are just going to write a question from each slide.

Quiz Answers 1. False 2. C 3. B 4. False 5. D 6. Answers vary

End Stefan: PowerPoint/content slide John: keyterms/content slide Chris: quiz/content slide Auston: pictures/content slide Ryan: activity/title and concluding slides Austin: videos/content slide Web addresses of images in the pictures.