Gender Theories and Inequalities Sections 10.2 and 10.3

Functionalism  The division of responsibilities between males and females survived because it benefited human living.  Hunter/gatherers  Men were stronger and also more expendable  Today the traditional division creates dysfunction

Conflict Theory  It is to the advantage of men to prevent women from gaining access to resources  Afghanistan

Symbolic Interactionism  Focuses on how boys and girls learn to act how they are “supposed to act”  Gender socialization- the social process of learning how to act as a boy or girl  Dolls vs action figures  Girls are cuddled more or handled more gently, boys are discouraged from clinging

Symbolic Interactionism (continued)  Family chores - Cutting grass - Shoveling snow - washing dishes - Taking out the trash - vacuuming

Symbolic blah and schools  Teachers are more likely to accept answers blurted out by boys and to correct girls who do the same thing  Gender segregation versus inclusion  Peer pressure encourages young people to conform to gender roles, feminine boys or masculine girls are often assigned a lower status, though this has been changing

Gender Inequality Section 10.3

Women as a Minority group  Biological determinism has led to racism and sexism  Sexism- a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms and values used to justify sexual inequality  Some people believe that men are naturally superior to women

Occupational and economic inequality  Greatest change in labor patterns involve middle class married women with children under the age of six  Occupational sex segregation- the concentration of women in lower-status positions  Pink collar jobs

 U.S. supreme court decision refused to grant women a legal guarantee of health insurance benefits regarding pregnancy related costs, though conditions unique to men are routinely provided  Protective legislation- limits number of hours women can work, barring women from areas which could be harmful to fetal development, how much weight they can lift Legal and Political Inequality

Legal things continued  Civil rights act of 1964 nullified such laws  Further legislation requires maternity leave for women and now for men  Politically….. See chart