Gender Stratification in the U.S. Today Essay

Gender refers to the socially constructed categories of feminine and masculine. It is one of the major factors in social difference and inequality in today’s society. Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles. Using a paragraph based approach I intend to individually analyse various aspects of gender differences referencing to the theory of socialisation and also making links to the works of Marx, Durkham and Goffman. My essay will cover different aspects of gender inequalities still present in today’s contemporary society.

Cultural and economic capital among others are a large part of determining the opportunities that and individual will have. Therefore social inequality in terms of gender inequality etc. is an issue which needs to be addressed. Social inequality is not only bad for the individual but also for society as a whole. In that sense men are also victims of gender inequality in a relative way. (Bourdieu,

It goes without saying that throughout society there exists varying degrees of gender stratification. Although many have attempted to understand why this difference between the distribution of property, power and prestige exists amongst genders, the answer is still somewhat ambiguous. Although the United States isn’t a perfect example of equality amongst genders, compared to a majority of nations across the globe, its conditions for both genders are relatively similar. One country notorious for its massive discrepancy in terms of access to property, power and prestige between genders is Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia and a number of Middle Eastern countries, there exists a great deal of gender stratification. According to the 2008 Human Rights

Gender inequality has engulfed the United States and placed copious varying roles onto the male and female sexes. According to Leila Aboulela, Minaret, “All through life there were distinctions - toilets for men, toilets for women; clothes for men, clothes for women - then, at the end, the graves are identical.” Discrimination places women into different roles and takes away numerous privileges. However in America today after more than a century of struggles by dedicated activists who fought to alter these ideals and gain further rights, the perception of women in society and their contributions to society have been greatly transformed.

The “Glass Ceiling” is known as an invisible barrier that stops someone from gaining more success. In this case it deals with women in the workplace, not being able to move up in a company. Even though no one knows who started the phrase, “A widely read Wall Street Journal story in 1986 popularized the term”(Napikoski). The “Glass Ceiling” has played a big role in women not being able to be

These views are what causes things like the glass ceiling and glass escalator. The glass ceiling is where a woman’s promotional movement stops, where a man in the same position would continue in the upward movement. The glass escalator is where men seem to move higher and faster in a dominantly woman based career field. I think the way we view gender has become part of our society and makes it hard to break away from this standard of living.

According to the text book, the glass ceiling is a circumstance resembling an invisible barrier that keeps most women and minorities from attaining the top jobs in organizations regardless of their qualifications or achievements. For many years, men (white) have been "perceived as balanced individuals who are capable of making the right decisions and leading an organization toward success". However, women have been "perceived as emotional" beings and "less capable" of making sound decisions in the workforce. Society knows that women are nurturing by nature and prefer to raise their children at home. To compete in a professional environment with the opposite sex is like a lose-lose effect. For example, a single women with children who have more experience and education compete with a single white male for an executive position will be excluded because she is a female that have children, and may need time off from work in the future because of her children's needs (appointments, school conferences, sick child, and etc…). Unfortunately, women as well as minorties have

In this paper, I am going to address gender stratification in relation to Marriage, Sexuality, and Reproductive health issues. I am going to use Monique and the Mango Rains written by Kri Holloway as ethnographic data, which she collected in Mali. My interpretations of gender stratification in Mali are women did not have the rights to choose their husband; women did not have ways to control the sex life and do not have ways to do birth control; women had to face extremely hard reproductive health issues.

Gender plays a huge role in workplace 'success' and can be a big challenge especially if the employee is a woman in a male dominated workplace or career. No matter how 'hard-nosed,' 'ruthless,' 'workaholic' a woman may be, or how much personal success she achieves, there will always tend to be some type of obstacle to keep her from getting completely to the top of the corporate ladder. She must also still fight stereotypes that undermines her confidence or limits her potential. Since the early 20th century, women and minorities have sought equal opportunities in education and in the labor force with little success. These obstacles or barriers are all known as the glass ceiling.

Many would think someone’s gender should not define what job roles are available for them. But that is not the case in today’s society. Many women are looked down upon when it comes to certain career paths. They are told every day that men will always have an advantage over them based on the field they choose to be in. The glass ceiling theory is about how there are invisible barriers that hold back women from achieving what can be seen. (Wikipedia, 2015). For example, in 2015 only 88 women were elected to represent in the Canadian general election out of 338 (Library of parliament, 2015). Although some might

Gender inequality is a social problem that is widespread in society. It is referred to as the unfair treatment of individuals based on one 's gender. Historically, laws have opposed women to go to school, access certain jobs, and purchase property. Gender inequality has been experience through culture – honor-killing, sex-selective abortion, and society – occupation, gender roles, and education. The social expectations of men and women differ between cultures that are constructed socially and culturally. These expectations are displayed in roles, and behavior believed both by men and women and their interdependent relationships. Gender inequality can be further understood through the structure of sexism. Discrimination takes place in gender inequality for the reason that men and women are treated on the basis of gender alone (Amjad, R., Ashfaq, M., Kousar, R., Saghir, A., 2010).

Social status and structures have definitely shaped the construction and experience of gender inequality. Men and women are constantly analyzed, compared, and grouped together in society. The result of this yields discrepancies in how sexes are viewed by society. Throughout my examination and explanation of gender inequality, I concluded both men and women are victims to gender inequality.

Gender stratification is the cuts across all aspects of social life and social classes. It refers to the inequality distribution of wealth, power and privilege between men and women at the basis of their sex. The world has been divided and organized by gender, which are the behavioural differences between men and women that are culturally learnt (Appelbaum & Chambliss, 1997:218). The society is in fact historically shaped by males and the issue regarding the fact has been publicly reverberating through society for decades and now is still a debatably hot topic. Men and women have different roles and these sex roles, defined to be the set of behaviour’s and characteristics that are standard for each gender in a society (Singleton, 1987) are

The glass ceiling starts to form itself very early on. From the moment a woman enters the work force after college, she is faced with much discrimination and unjust belief that she will not be able to do as well of a job than a man. A man and a woman, who both have the same education and training for a job, will have a considerable gap in their yearly income. In a first year job, a man will make approximately $14,619 compared to a woman who will make only $12,201. That is a pay gap of 17%(Gender Pay 1). There is no reason why there should be any gap in their incomes during the first year of their jobs. They have both had the same formal education and both have the same qualifications necessary for the job, yet

According to Helsin, Possamai and Possamai-Inesedy (2011 p. 625) gender stratification occurs when a specific gender has unequal access to power, property and prestige. As gender is classed as a master status it forms a significant structural characteristic within society (Helsin, Possamai & Possamai-Inesedy 2011, p. 310). Therefore, it is society, through social construction that determines what gender norms are considered appropriate and can be passed through generations of people via agents of socialisation such as family, mass media or in the form of symbolic interaction (Macionis & Plummer 1997, pp. 139-141).