Description
The Gendered Society
Chapter 9
The Gendered World of Work
“THE SO-CALLED TRADITIONAL
SYSTEM OF DADS WHO HEAD OUT
TO WORK EVERY MORNING,
LEAVING MOMS TO STAY HOME
WITH THE CHILDREN AS FULLTIME HOUSEWIVES AND
MOTHERS, WAS AN INVENTION OF
THE 1950S…”
The Changing Gender Composition of the Labor
Force
Women entering the labor force in the 20th c:
20.6% in 1900 to 58% in 2005
Increase true for women of all races and ethnicities
Entering all professions
The Changing Gender Composition of the Labor
Force
Percent of married women with young children in
the labor force:
1950s = 12%
Today = 65%
Only 5% of families today follow the male-
breadwinner; female homemaker model
The Persistence of Gender Ideologies
Gender ideologies about husband/wife earnings
are in flux
25% of all Americans think it is inappropriate for wives to
earn more
However, 35% of men would quit or reduce hours if wife
earned more
The Persistence of Gender Discrimination in
the Workplace
Discrimination: Catherine MacKinnon: “discrimination
is treating alikes unalike and unalikes alike”
When we treat people who are similar in different ways
(women; racial and ethnic minorities)
When we treat people who are different in similar ways
(failing to provide facilities for physically disabled)
Must prove different treatment based on gender
Not age or other exceptional circumstances
Hooters restaurant:
Men discriminated against in hiring servers
Sex Segregation
The concentration of men and women into different
occupations
Women (2007):
28.2% of dentists
14.4% architects and engineers
32.6% of lawyers
13.7% of police officers
96.7% of secretaries
91.7% of nurses
94.6% of childcare workers
82% of teachers (excluding college/university)
*Sex segregation does not look the same in all U.S. cities or in other
countries
Sex Segregation
Wage differentials:
Male dominated jobs have higher wages
When women enter male dominated jobs, wages
often drop
Example: Veterinary medicine in the U.S.
When men enter female dominated jobs, wages
often rise
Example: Computer programmers in the U.S.
Sex Segregation
Legal remedies:
Diaz v Pan American World Airways
Men cannot be denied as flight attendants because passengers
“prefer women”
EEOC v Sears
Women pushed into low commission jobs
Court sided with Sears citing gender “differences” in preferences
The Wage Gap
1999 Annual median income
Men: $37,057
Women: $27,194
Gap = 73% (of men’s wages)
2012
Gap = 77%
Varies by:
Age (increases over the life course)
Race (smaller “gap” for racial minorities)
Education
Not much change historically
The Glass Ceiling
Keeps women from being promoted equally with men
“Sticky floor:” Keeps them stuck at the bottom
Stereotypes hold women back from certain positions
Hopkins v Price Waterhouse: Successful woman told she was too
“macho” (the classic “double bind”)
Company may lack policies and practices that promote
workplace equality
The Problem of Tokens
Has to work harder to have achievements noticed
Often treated as a representative of their entire
group
Hypervisible as members of their “category”
Invisible as individuals
The Problem of Tokens
Tokenism is different for men:
Men in female occupations
“The glass escalator”
Quickly promoted into more “gender appropriate” jobs
(managerial)
Sexual Harassment
First identified in the 1970s
Creates a hostile work environment for women
1991 – Anita Hill
Gave the nation a name for what women were
experiencing
Harris poll 2008:
31% of female workers harassed at work
7% of male workers harassed
Sexual Harassment
Harassment is a way for a man to make a woman
feel vulnerable
Women report increased stress, irritability,
humiliation
Differences based on perspective:
“His” truths
Harmless joking
“Her” truths
Harassment causes stress, shame, guilt, anxiety about promotion/firing
Remedies for Workplace Inequality
Comply with the 1963 Pay Equity Act
Can’t pay different wages to men and women
Gender Neutral Job Comparison System
Sets up clear measures of job performance
Eliminate the “mommy track”
Demands of a job discriminate against mothers
Comply with the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act
Family-friendly workplace policies
On-site day care; flexible work hours; parental leave
Toward a Balance of Work and Family
Must make structural workplace changes
Work-family reforms must not be thought of as only
“women’s” concerns
Encourage men to take family leave
Working parents negotiate equal housework
responsibilities
Parental Leave in Different Countries
(*Only 12% of American employees work for companies
that offer 12 weeks of (unpaid) maternity leaves. )
Top Ten Countries for Maternity Leave
Worst Ten Countries for Maternity Leave
Top Ten Countries for Paternity Leave
Worst Ten Countries for Paternity Leave
Paid leave and Inequities
Paid leave would reduce wage inequities between
women and men through increased job retention, job
tenure, and chances for eligibility for job promotions
and seniority wage increases.
Although lower-income working families are in more
need of paid leave policies, it is usually the larger
employers of white-collar and professional workers
that offer the most generous benefits.
United States and the Rest
One hundred and sixty-three countries around the
world offer guaranteed paid leave to women in
connection with childbirth. The U.S. does not.
Australia, although does not have paid maternity or
parental leave, it does guarantees a full year of
unpaid leave to all women in the country. In
contrast, the U.S. provides only 12 weeks of unpaid
leave to approximately half of mothers in the U.S.
and nothing for the remainder.
United States and the Rest
(Contd..)
Forty-five countries ensure that fathers either receive
paid paternity leave or have a right to paid parental
leave. The United States guarantees fathers neither
paid paternity nor paid parental leave.
At least 76 countries protect working women’s right
to breastfeed; the U.S. does not.
At least 96 countries around the world in all
geographic regions and at all economic levels
mandate paid annual leave. The U.S. does not
require employers to provide paid annual leave.
Working Time Regulations
“The f lip side of believing that women’s
‘natural’ femininity disqualifies them for
political office is the equally pervasive
stereotype that only the manliest of men
are qualified to hold such office”
Gender inequality in political leadership is a problem for
two reasons: it is evidence of obstacles in the path of
female political careers; and it distorts democratic
representation with potential consequences for women’s
rights and wellbeing.
27 Countries Better Than America At Electing
Women To Congress Or Parliament:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/thewilsoncenter/31countries-better-than-america-at-electing-womenbh9k#.ml9vGEDB1V
Shaggy Strength of A Woman – Top 13 Female Leaders
Around The World:
Effects of pre-determined family roles:
Female politicians tend to start their careers later
Spend more time caring for their families, and arrange their
lives to have shorter commuting times than their male
counterparts.
It appears that only women with supportive families run for
office, whereas men are more likely to run in spite of
discouragement from their families.
Family commitments still constitute a major source of
concern for women.
Female politicians receive fewer private donations on
average than their male counterparts, and rely relatively
more on party sponsorship and support.
Women as heads of state
The U.S. lags behind the rest of the world. Why?
Many countries have elected female leaders (Great
Britain, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Israel,
India, Pakistan, The Philippines, etc.)
U.S.: 98th worldwide in percentage of female
legislators
A choice in femininities
Hillary Clinton: masculinized
“Ball-buster”
Sarah Palin
“Brainless babe”
Captured paradox of American
working woman
Explanations for gender gap in politics:
1) Prejudice: attitudes that women are not suited
for positions of power
2) Socialization: women taught to be passive
3) Structural: work-family balance more difficult
for women
86% of women legislators have no school-aged children
Networks and money are key
Emily’s list started to support women
Women more likely than men to register
and vote Democrat
Overall, women tend to hold more
liberal attitudes
Consider race and ethnicity:
White women and men more likely to vote Republican
African-American and Hispanic more likely to vote
Democrat
Gendered issues became political
Work/family balance, women’s reproductive rights
Personal decisions become political
E.g., fertility
Health care coverage and birth control
Panel consisted only of men
Family-friendly work policies
U.S. – no paid parental leave
The courts give gender “intermediate scrutiny”
When IS gender discrimination allowed?
Discrimination based on “real differences”
Discrimination must be relevant to the task
Must have compelling state interest
Hard to prove these
LGBT people have no scrutiny
Not considered members of a protected class
“But for sex” clause could be used legally
Discrimination based on binary categories:
“Men/Women”
2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey
1 in 5 victim of housing discrimination
9 in 10 feel unsafe in school
78% report harassment in school (K-12)
22% denied equal treatment by government agency
97% report harassment at work
2009: gender identity was added to federal hate crime law
Transgender acceptance in Idaho:
http://www.inquisitr.com/1948944/parents-pull-daughterfrom-school-after-learning-a-transgender-boy-is-allowed-touse-girls-bathroom/
“The personal is political” AND “The political is
personal”
First wave of women’s movement
“Women, their rights and nothing less! Men, their rights
and nothing more!”
First Wave
Basic rights (voting, owning property, having jobs)
Second Wave
Influencing the political realm
Addressing gender inequality
Third Wave
Feel personally empowered
More multicultural
Feminism implies transformation of relations between
women and men
Large numbers of men support rights of women
Frederick Douglas
Large numbers of men still opposed to feminism
Josiah Bunting III and VMI
Feminism will destroy the family
Reverse discrimination for men
Feminist men
Feminism is also good for men
Sociology 2201: Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies
Seeing Gender and Sexuality: The Gender Journal Assignment
20 points each
Assignment Outline:
The gender journal assignment is an exercise in “seeing the unseen” as it relates to norms,
expectations, behaviors and representations associated with gender and sexuality. We will
have three gender journal assignments over the course of the semester. For each of these you
will write short entries (approximately 2 double-spaced pages, using 1 inch margins and
standard 12 point font) about your observations and experiences. The idea for the assignment
is to notice how cultural constructions related to gender and sexuality are all around us. As
you move through your daily life, try to pay attention to gender as it happens (take the role of
an ethnographer, with your life as your subject). You might notice, for example, gendered
advertising on television or in magazines, gendered assumptions about politicians or public
figures, the ways that men and women that you do not know carry themselves or interact with
each other in public, or how men and women you do know (or you yourself) “do” gender.
As you make your observations and write your journal assignments, please make an effort to
build upon the concepts and ideas you have learned in this class, using terms and facts from
our textbook and other course materials. In your writing, please be as specific as possible.
The best method for completing this assignment is to set aside a few minutes a day to write
down your thoughts and experiences that are relevant to gender and sexuality before you
forget them. Your journal assignments are due on the date listed in the syllabus and should be
submitted in the appropriate Moodle assignment box. Your journal entries can cover multiple
observations or they can be more detailed descriptions of one specific g e n d e r o r
s e x u a l i t y – r e l a t e d thing that you noticed or experienced. In the pages that follow I am
including some examples from past classes of exceptionally good gender journal
assignments. I suggest reading through these before writing your first assignment.
Grading Criteria:
Excellent (10 points)
Content
80%
Acceptable (8 points)
–Refers to concepts,
–Includes some concepts,
theories, ideas, and/or
theories, ideas or materials
other materials from class from class, but they are
only partly explained
— Insightful
–Organized and
— Somewhat organized,
Organizati logical
but some parts are
on and
confusing
Writing
–Sentences are clear and –Some writing issues,
Style
but content is fairly clear
well-written
20%
Superficial (6 points)
Incomplete (0-5 points)
–Purpose unclear
–Very little
reflection about
gender or
sexuality
–Sources
tendble or
–Confusing
used
appropriately.
–Frequent
writing
issues,
grammatical and
punctuation
mistakes
–Assignment is shorter
than two full doublespaced pages.
–Content is thin and
often superficial
–Writing is
extremely difficult
to read due to
mistakes
throughout
Examples of Excellent Journal Assignments
Example 1:
About a year ago, I attended a church service each Sunday with a few of my family
members. The service typically began with announcements of upcoming events, church needs,
and job opportunities. During the time, one of the most anticipated events was a workshop lead
by a (heterosexual) married couple aimed towards improving communication between husbands
and wives. In the preview video, the wife of the couple hosting the workshop stated, “Men are
like waffles, and women are like spaghetti.” She went on to explain that men can only focus on
one thing at once, and their thoughts are compartmentalized, drawing an analogy to the way that
syrup gets trapped or contained in each square of a waffle. On the other hand, women represent
spaghetti in the way that if you ever followed a spaghetti noodle on your plate, you would notice
that it touched every other noodle before you found the end, implying that one thing is connected
to everything else in a woman’s mind.
Each time the workshop clip played at the beginning of the service, men and women in
the audience would chuckle as if affirming, “Yeah, that describes the way my spouse thinks and
why I can’t get through to him/her sometimes!” The viewpoint and collective reaction to it
upholds typical stereotypes that all men are simple-minded and poor listeners, and that all
women are touchy, complicated, and difficult to understand. Further, it reinforces the perspective
that men and women are widely different not only in their communication styles but in their
overall nature as human beings, which directly illustrates Michael Kimmel’s concept of an
Interplanetary Theory of Gender.
Our cultural perspective of gender differences that expect men to be detached and
unemotional and women to be sensitive and emotionally expressive is further demonstrated in
my past interactions with a good friend who is male. We became friends in high school, and he
often discussed his personal struggles and relationship issues with me to a degree that,
admittedly, I didn’t expect of a male. His emotional sensitivity and the degree to which he
expressed concern for others did not fit my schema of what a man was like. Drawing from
Kimmel’s words, he did not match the hegemonic definition of masculinity; he represented a
subordinate form of masculinity in the sense that his emotionally expressive character deviated
from the indifferent character expected of all men. Other friends picked up on this too, and while
very few of us criticized him for it, the fact that he was an emotionally sensitive male stood out
as an exception in our minds. Instead of him being thought of as a human being who is more
expressive than other individuals tend to be, he was regarded as a feminine male, as if his
identification as a male defined him and our expectations of him before he could define himself
and embody human qualities without “breaking” any rules of masculinity.
My final observation of our gendered society concerns a recent episode of the popular TV
show, Shark Tank, which allows entrepreneurs an opportunity to partner with investors, or
“sharks,” after demonstrating the originality and utility of their product/service. In this particular
episode, investor and QVC queen Lori Greiner took advantage of a gap between questions to
offer input and raise her concerns related to a product. Before she completed her first sentence,
investor Kevin O’Leary began talking over her as if she had never started talking. Within those
moments, Lori Greiner discontinued offering her insights. This brief incident serves to
demonstrate that even though Lori and Kevin are both in powerful occupational positions,
Kevin’s position as a male fosters his expression of dominance by speaking over her. In this
manner, this episode along with the previously mentioned occurrences highlight the divide our
society draws between males and females and the tendency to favor hegemonic masculinity over
other expressions of gender.
Example 2:
A few days ago a female friend and I went to the bar with the intention of playing some
pool and catching up over a few drinks. We got our drinks and went to the farthest pool table in
the corner with the intent to have a little bit of privacy so we could talk. We started out along but
a little later a few males walked over to our table and asked if they could join our game, we
accepted and played males vs females. Now my friend is actually very good at pool, one of the
best players I have seen, I on the other hand have absolutely no clue what I’m doing, we both
play for the entertainment of the game and not to win. Completely ignoring my friend’s ability to
play the game just as good as them, if not better, they begin to instruct both of us on the best way
to aim. As they are instructing us they make sure to explain everything as if we are children that
have never played before.
Somehow the game of pool has been deemed a man’s game even though it doesn’t
require any specific physical attributes that males may possess. It doesn’t benefit the player if he
is physically stronger, or bigger. Yet it is considered a man’s game and it’s considered unusual if
a couple of females play alone. It’s also apparently socially acceptable for males to join our
game then completely dominate it. I couldn’t take a single turn without one of them correcting
me or trying to teach me how to play the game. This fits in with the hegemonic definition of
masculinity, that we don’t know how to do this man’s game and that it is ok and even
encouraged that they would come help us. Even after my friend gently assured them that she
didn’t need help and she could manage on her own they still continued to give her lessons. She
later told me that she doesn’t want to be mean in any way by insisting that she does not need
their help, she saw this as attacking his male ego.
Later on we were joined by two females at our pool table and we thought we would get a
break from the lessons on how to play pool. As these girls join us and we make introductions
they both offer up statements on how they’re sorry but they suck at this game, and to not expect
much. I offered the same statement and my friend continued on to say that it’s just for the
entertainment of the game, nothing more. When we got started I saw that one of these girls was
actually exceptionally good at the game and went on to beat us two out of the three games, one
of them she won for us when she scratched on the final ball otherwise we would have lost yet
again. This goes along with emphasized femininity, in the beginning she was very friendly and
sociable while almost completely lying about her skill at this ‘man’s game’. For some reason
women feel the need to announce their low skills at certain things that are considered masculine.
We belittle our own skill just to go along with the status quo of men.
At the end of the night my friend and I were complaining about the lessons given to us by
our male opponents. How they think its ok to physically touch us in order to teach us a game that
we never asked for lessons on, and how they wouldn’t take a gentle hint that we were fine
without their lessons. On the other side we talked about how we didn’t feel comfortable firmly
telling them that we did not want their help or the fact that my friend who was receiving lessons
was in fact better than they were at the game. We did not want to get labeled derogatory names
just for taking charge. We also felt like it would have been extremely rude to reject their help and
inform them that they aren’t really that good, therefore bruising their male egos. That could also
be us using emphasized femininity by choosing to remain docile and sociable.
Example 3:
This week presented me with a couple of different scenarios in which my behavior was
very “masculine” or I found myself “doing my gender.” However, it took a couple of people
actually saying something to me for me to realize, that there was still room for improvement in
my behavior when it comes to gender and social situations.
The first scenario was Friday night at a friend’s house after the bars had closed. We were
getting into a very heated political debate about class, gender, race, prejudice, the glass ceiling,
police profiling, and opportunities present at different class levels. My friends and I were getting
really worked up and trying to convince an obviously politically conservative person that women
do get paid less than their male counterparts, and that police do profile and kill minorities at a
higher rate than they do white people.
You see, I love to talk, and I’m good at it. I express my points very well, and with
decisive confidence, and passion. This sometimes leads me to try to interject, or interrupt, and
also try to “help” people express themselves, or even make their point for them. I never really
realized how bad I am about interrupting and answering for my female friends. I do it for my
male friends too, but most of my friends here in Pocatello are female, so the gendered aspect has
been more obvious recently. It took a friend of mine saying something to the effect of “Will you
shut up, and let me make my point!” to make me realize that I am a horrible interrupter when it
comes to females during conversation. I don’t want to be that way.
I think the reason that I am that way has a lot to do with my male socialization. I want to
be aggressive and “win” or “convince” the opposing side in debates, and in conversations in
general. There is a pervasive attitude I have, where it does not matter if I was spoken to or not,
that my opinion is valid and I have a duty – even an obligation – to make my point heard! I have
realized before I have this tendency, but I often forget.
Another incident along these lines occurred in Boise last week during the second day of
“Advocacy Days” I attended as a member of the Student Social Work and Sociology Association
here at I.S.U. Tuesday morning we had time allotted in the conference schedule to go and meet
our local representatives of the house in the state capitol. “We” ended up being three female
students and myself, and we all ended up talking with and getting to know our local Pocatello
representative, Mark Nye (D). In the process of our conversation with him, he looked at one of
my female friends and said, “If you had a magic wand, and could fix everything in the
government and change anything that you could, what would that be”? My friend hesitated for
just a second, but without hesitation on my part, and because I already had many ideas “locked
and loaded” on what we can do to fix this wretched system, I started in with “I would!…..”
Representative Nye stopped me abruptly. He said, “I asked her, not you! She has the magic
wand! Not you! Let her answer!” This took me aback and I realized that I had not fully learned
my lesson about letting people, and in particular my female associates, speak for themselves in
the time that they are given, and to show respect for their way of expressing their opinions and
really listen to their voices.
This really hit home for me. I really do think I finally have learned my lesson about how
to conduct myself with more respect when engaging in conversations with women. Mind you, I
have always championed women’s rights, and I consider myself a feminist. But there is always
room for improvement and important lessons to be learned throughout life. I am not afraid to
reevaluate myself and make those improvements. I don’t want to think that it took a powerful
“Man” telling me to wait my turn for me to learn this lesson fully. I was already aware from the
other night, but it did hit home a little harder for some reason. I think it was more his station as
our representative than his gender, but all the same I learned that in the course of me “doing my
gender” I need to be more aware of respecting each human’s turn to talk, whether they are timid
and struggle to express themselves or not. I need not feel the need to “help” them express their
ideas and opinions but should instead allow them to do it in their own way and in their own
words. As a man, I can wait for my turn to speak, respect someone making their points in their
own words, and realize there will be a time to make my points as well, but it mustn’t come at the
expense of others’ time on the floor. I am committed to continuing to work on this. I still get all
worked up, especially when talking politics or religion, but I am committed to showing even
more respect to women in my day-to-day dealings with them.
The Gendered Society
Chapter 9
The Gendered World of Work
“THE SO-CALLED TRADITIONAL
SYSTEM OF DADS WHO HEAD OUT
TO WORK EVERY MORNING,
LEAVING MOMS TO STAY HOME
WITH THE CHILDREN AS FULLTIME HOUSEWIVES AND
MOTHERS, WAS AN INVENTION OF
THE 1950S…”
The Changing Gender Composition of the Labor
Force
Women entering the labor force in the 20th c:
20.6% in 1900 to 58% in 2005
Increase true for women of all races and ethnicities
Entering all professions
The Changing Gender Composition of the Labor
Force
Percent of married women with young children in
the labor force:
1950s = 12%
Today = 65%
Only 5% of families today follow the male-
breadwinner; female homemaker model
The Persistence of Gender Ideologies
Gender ideologies about husband/wife earnings
are in flux
25% of all Americans think it is inappropriate for wives to
earn more
However, 35% of men would quit or reduce hours if wife
earned more
The Persistence of Gender Discrimination in
the Workplace
Discrimination: Catherine MacKinnon: “discrimination
is treating alikes unalike and unalikes alike”
When we treat people who are similar in different ways
(women; racial and ethnic minorities)
When we treat people who are different in similar ways
(failing to provide facilities for physically disabled)
Must prove different treatment based on gender
Not age or other exceptional circumstances
Hooters restaurant:
Men discriminated against in hiring servers
Sex Segregation
The concentration of men and women into different
occupations
Women (2007):
28.2% of dentists
14.4% architects and engineers
32.6% of lawyers
13.7% of police officers
96.7% of secretaries
91.7% of nurses
94.6% of childcare workers
82% of teachers (excluding college/university)
*Sex segregation does not look the same in all U.S. cities or in other
countries
Sex Segregation
Wage differentials:
Male dominated jobs have higher wages
When women enter male dominated jobs, wages
often drop
Example: Veterinary medicine in the U.S.
When men enter female dominated jobs, wages
often rise
Example: Computer programmers in the U.S.
Sex Segregation
Legal remedies:
Diaz v Pan American World Airways
Men cannot be denied as flight attendants because passengers
“prefer women”
EEOC v Sears
Women pushed into low commission jobs
Court sided with Sears citing gender “differences” in preferences
The Wage Gap
1999 Annual median income
Men: $37,057
Women: $27,194
Gap = 73% (of men’s wages)
2012
Gap = 77%
Varies by:
Age (increases over the life course)
Race (smaller “gap” for racial minorities)
Education
Not much change historically
The Glass Ceiling
Keeps women from being promoted equally with men
“Sticky floor:” Keeps them stuck at the bottom
Stereotypes hold women back from certain positions
Hopkins v Price Waterhouse: Successful woman told she was too
“macho” (the classic “double bind”)
Company may lack policies and practices that promote
workplace equality
The Problem of Tokens
Has to work harder to have achievements noticed
Often treated as a representative of their entire
group
Hypervisible as members of their “category”
Invisible as individuals
The Problem of Tokens
Tokenism is different for men:
Men in female occupations
“The glass escalator”
Quickly promoted into more “gender appropriate” jobs
(managerial)
Sexual Harassment
First identified in the 1970s
Creates a hostile work environment for women
1991 – Anita Hill
Gave the nation a name for what women were
experiencing
Harris poll 2008:
31% of female workers harassed at work
7% of male workers harassed
Sexual Harassment
Harassment is a way for a man to make a woman
feel vulnerable
Women report increased stress, irritability,
humiliation
Differences based on perspective:
“His” truths
Harmless joking
“Her” truths
Harassment causes stress, shame, guilt, anxiety about promotion/firing
Remedies for Workplace Inequality
Comply with the 1963 Pay Equity Act
Can’t pay different wages to men and women
Gender Neutral Job Comparison System
Sets up clear measures of job performance
Eliminate the “mommy track”
Demands of a job discriminate against mothers
Comply with the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act
Family-friendly workplace policies
On-site day care; flexible work hours; parental leave
Toward a Balance of Work and Family
Must make structural workplace changes
Work-family reforms must not be thought of as only
“women’s” concerns
Encourage men to take family leave
Working parents negotiate equal housework
responsibilities
Parental Leave in Different Countries
(*Only 12% of American employees work for companies
that offer 12 weeks of (unpaid) maternity leaves. )
Top Ten Countries for Maternity Leave
Worst Ten Countries for Maternity Leave
Top Ten Countries for Paternity Leave
Worst Ten Countries for Paternity Leave
Paid leave and Inequities
Paid leave would reduce wage inequities between
women and men through increased job retention, job
tenure, and chances for eligibility for job promotions
and seniority wage increases.
Although lower-income working families are in more
need of paid leave policies, it is usually the larger
employers of white-collar and professional workers
that offer the most generous benefits.
United States and the Rest
One hundred and sixty-three countries around the
world offer guaranteed paid leave to women in
connection with childbirth. The U.S. does not.
Australia, although does not have paid maternity or
parental leave, it does guarantees a full year of
unpaid leave to all women in the country. In
contrast, the U.S. provides only 12 weeks of unpaid
leave to approximately half of mothers in the U.S.
and nothing for the remainder.
United States and the Rest
(Contd..)
Forty-five countries ensure that fathers either receive
paid paternity leave or have a right to paid parental
leave. The United States guarantees fathers neither
paid paternity nor paid parental leave.
At least 76 countries protect working women’s right
to breastfeed; the U.S. does not.
At least 96 countries around the world in all
geographic regions and at all economic levels
mandate paid annual leave. The U.S. does not
require employers to provide paid annual leave.
Working Time Regulations
“The f lip side of believing that women’s
‘natural’ femininity disqualifies them for
political office is the equally pervasive
stereotype that only the manliest of men
are qualified to hold such office”
Gender inequality in political leadership is a problem for
two reasons: it is evidence of obstacles in the path of
female political careers; and it distorts democratic
representation with potential consequences for women’s
rights and wellbeing.
27 Countries Better Than America At Electing
Women To Congress Or Parliament:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/thewilsoncenter/31countries-better-than-america-at-electing-womenbh9k#.ml9vGEDB1V
Shaggy Strength of A Woman – Top 13 Female Leaders
Around The World:
Effects of pre-determined family roles:
Female politicians tend to start their careers later
Spend more time caring for their families, and arrange their
lives to have shorter commuting times than their male
counterparts.
It appears that only women with supportive families run for
office, whereas men are more likely to run in spite of
discouragement from their families.
Family commitments still constitute a major source of
concern for women.
Female politicians receive fewer private donations on
average than their male counterparts, and rely relatively
more on party sponsorship and support.
Women as heads of state
The U.S. lags behind the rest of the world. Why?
Many countries have elected female leaders (Great
Britain, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Israel,
India, Pakistan, The Philippines, etc.)
U.S.: 98th worldwide in percentage of female
legislators
A choice in femininities
Hillary Clinton: masculinized
“Ball-buster”
Sarah Palin
“Brainless babe”
Captured paradox of American
working woman
Explanations for gender gap in politics:
1) Prejudice: attitudes that women are not suited
for positions of power
2) Socialization: women taught to be passive
3) Structural: work-family balance more difficult
for women
86% of women legislators have no school-aged children
Networks and money are key
Emily’s list started to support women
Women more likely than men to register
and vote Democrat
Overall, women tend to hold more
liberal attitudes
Consider race and ethnicity:
White women and men more likely to vote Republican
African-American and Hispanic more likely to vote
Democrat
Gendered issues became political
Work/family balance, women’s reproductive rights
Personal decisions become political
E.g., fertility
Health care coverage and birth control
Panel consisted only of men
Family-friendly work policies
U.S. – no paid parental leave
The courts give gender “intermediate scrutiny”
When IS gender discrimination allowed?
Discrimination based on “real differences”
Discrimination must be relevant to the task
Must have compelling state interest
Hard to prove these
LGBT people have no scrutiny
Not considered members of a protected class
“But for sex” clause could be used legally
Discrimination based on binary categories:
“Men/Women”
2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey
1 in 5 victim of housing discrimination
9 in 10 feel unsafe in school
78% report harassment in school (K-12)
22% denied equal treatment by government agency
97% report harassment at work
2009: gender identity was added to federal hate crime law
Transgender acceptance in Idaho:
http://www.inquisitr.com/1948944/parents-pull-daughterfrom-school-after-learning-a-transgender-boy-is-allowed-touse-girls-bathroom/
“The personal is political” AND “The political is
personal”
First wave of women’s movement
“Women, their rights and nothing less! Men, their rights
and nothing more!”
First Wave
Basic rights (voting, owning property, having jobs)
Second Wave
Influencing the political realm
Addressing gender inequality
Third Wave
Feel personally empowered
More multicultural
Feminism implies transformation of relations between
women and men
Large numbers of men support rights of women
Frederick Douglas
Large numbers of men still opposed to feminism
Josiah Bunting III and VMI
Feminism will destroy the family
Reverse discrimination for men
Feminist men
Feminism is also good for men
Sociology 2201: Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies
Seeing Gender and Sexuality: The Gender Journal Assignment
20 points each
Assignment Outline:
The gender journal assignment is an exercise in “seeing the unseen” as it relates to norms,
expectations, behaviors and representations associated with gender and sexuality. We will
have three gender journal assignments over the course of the semester. For each of these you
will write short entries (approximately 2 double-spaced pages, using 1 inch margins and
standard 12 point font) about your observations and experiences. The idea for the assignment
is to notice how cultural constructions related to gender and sexuality are all around us. As
you move through your daily life, try to pay attention to gender as it happens (take the role of
an ethnographer, with your life as your subject). You might notice, for example, gendered
advertising on television or in magazines, gendered assumptions about politicians or public
figures, the ways that men and women that you do not know carry themselves or interact with
each other in public, or how men and women you do know (or you yourself) “do” gender.
As you make your observations and write your journal assignments, please make an effort to
build upon the concepts and ideas you have learned in this class, using terms and facts from
our textbook and other course materials. In your writing, please be as specific as possible.
The best method for completing this assignment is to set aside a few minutes a day to write
down your thoughts and experiences that are relevant to gender and sexuality before you
forget them. Your journal assignments are due on the date listed in the syllabus and should be
submitted in the appropriate Moodle assignment box. Your journal entries can cover multiple
observations or they can be more detailed descriptions of one specific g e n d e r o r
s e x u a l i t y – r e l a t e d thing that you noticed or experienced. In the pages that follow I am
including some examples from past classes of exceptionally good gender journal
assignments. I suggest reading through these before writing your first assignment.
Grading Criteria:
Excellent (10 points)
Content
80%
Acceptable (8 points)
–Refers to concepts,
–Includes some concepts,
theories, ideas, and/or
theories, ideas or materials
other materials from class from class, but they are
only partly explained
— Insightful
–Organized and
— Somewhat organized,
Organizati logical
but some parts are
on and
confusing
Writing
–Sentences are clear and –Some writing issues,
Style
but content is fairly clear
well-written
20%
Superficial (6 points)
Incomplete (0-5 points)
–Purpose unclear
–Very little
reflection about
gender or
sexuality
–Sources
tendble or
–Confusing
used
appropriately.
–Frequent
writing
issues,
grammatical and
punctuation
mistakes
–Assignment is shorter
than two full doublespaced pages.
–Content is thin and
often superficial
–Writing is
extremely difficult
to read due to
mistakes
throughout
Examples of Excellent Journal Assignments
Example 1:
About a year ago, I attended a church service each Sunday with a few of my family
members. The service typically began with announcements of upcoming events, church needs,
and job opportunities. During the time, one of the most anticipated events was a workshop lead
by a (heterosexual) married couple aimed towards improving communication between husbands
and wives. In the preview video, the wife of the couple hosting the workshop stated, “Men are
like waffles, and women are like spaghetti.” She went on to explain that men can only focus on
one thing at once, and their thoughts are compartmentalized, drawing an analogy to the way that
syrup gets trapped or contained in each square of a waffle. On the other hand, women represent
spaghetti in the way that if you ever followed a spaghetti noodle on your plate, you would notice
that it touched every other noodle before you found the end, implying that one thing is connected
to everything else in a woman’s mind.
Each time the workshop clip played at the beginning of the service, men and women in
the audience would chuckle as if affirming, “Yeah, that describes the way my spouse thinks and
why I can’t get through to him/her sometimes!” The viewpoint and collective reaction to it
upholds typical stereotypes that all men are simple-minded and poor listeners, and that all
women are touchy, complicated, and difficult to understand. Further, it reinforces the perspective
that men and women are widely different not only in their communication styles but in their
overall nature as human beings, which directly illustrates Michael Kimmel’s concept of an
Interplanetary Theory of Gender.
Our cultural perspective of gender differences that expect men to be detached and
unemotional and women to be sensitive and emotionally expressive is further demonstrated in
my past interactions with a good friend who is male. We became friends in high school, and he
often discussed his personal struggles and relationship issues with me to a degree that,
admittedly, I didn’t expect of a male. His emotional sensitivity and the degree to which he
expressed concern for others did not fit my schema of what a man was like. Drawing from
Kimmel’s words, he did not match the hegemonic definition of masculinity; he represented a
subordinate form of masculinity in the sense that his emotionally expressive character deviated
from the indifferent character expected of all men. Other friends picked up on this too, and while
very few of us criticized him for it, the fact that he was an emotionally sensitive male stood out
as an exception in our minds. Instead of him being thought of as a human being who is more
expressive than other individuals tend to be, he was regarded as a feminine male, as if his
identification as a male defined him and our expectations of him before he could define himself
and embody human qualities without “breaking” any rules of masculinity.
My final observation of our gendered society concerns a recent episode of the popular TV
show, Shark Tank, which allows entrepreneurs an opportunity to partner with investors, or
“sharks,” after demonstrating the originality and utility of their product/service. In this particular
episode, investor and QVC queen Lori Greiner took advantage of a gap between questions to
offer input and raise her concerns related to a product. Before she completed her first sentence,
investor Kevin O’Leary began talking over her as if she had never started talking. Within those
moments, Lori Greiner discontinued offering her insights. This brief incident serves to
demonstrate that even though Lori and Kevin are both in powerful occupational positions,
Kevin’s position as a male fosters his expression of dominance by speaking over her. In this
manner, this episode along with the previously mentioned occurrences highlight the divide our
society draws between males and females and the tendency to favor hegemonic masculinity over
other expressions of gender.
Example 2:
A few days ago a female friend and I went to the bar with the intention of playing some
pool and catching up over a few drinks. We got our drinks and went to the farthest pool table in
the corner with the intent to have a little bit of privacy so we could talk. We started out along but
a little later a few males walked over to our table and asked if they could join our game, we
accepted and played males vs females. Now my friend is actually very good at pool, one of the
best players I have seen, I on the other hand have absolutely no clue what I’m doing, we both
play for the entertainment of the game and not to win. Completely ignoring my friend’s ability to
play the game just as good as them, if not better, they begin to instruct both of us on the best way
to aim. As they are instructing us they make sure to explain everything as if we are children that
have never played before.
Somehow the game of pool has been deemed a man’s game even though it doesn’t
require any specific physical attributes that males may possess. It doesn’t benefit the player if he
is physically stronger, or bigger. Yet it is considered a man’s game and it’s considered unusual if
a couple of females play alone. It’s also apparently socially acceptable for males to join our
game then completely dominate it. I couldn’t take a single turn without one of them correcting
me or trying to teach me how to play the game. This fits in with the hegemonic definition of
masculinity, that we don’t know how to do this man’s game and that it is ok and even
encouraged that they would come help us. Even after my friend gently assured them that she
didn’t need help and she could manage on her own they still continued to give her lessons. She
later told me that she doesn’t want to be mean in any way by insisting that she does not need
their help, she saw this as attacking his male ego.
Later on we were joined by two females at our pool table and we thought we would get a
break from the lessons on how to play pool. As these girls join us and we make introductions
they both offer up statements on how they’re sorry but they suck at this game, and to not expect
much. I offered the same statement and my friend continued on to say that it’s just for the
entertainment of the game, nothing more. When we got started I saw that one of these girls was
actually exceptionally good at the game and went on to beat us two out of the three games, one
of them she won for us when she scratched on the final ball otherwise we would have lost yet
again. This goes along with emphasized femininity, in the beginning she was very friendly and
sociable while almost completely lying about her skill at this ‘man’s game’. For some reason
women feel the need to announce their low skills at certain things that are considered masculine.
We belittle our own skill just to go along with the status quo of men.
At the end of the night my friend and I were complaining about the lessons given to us by
our male opponents. How they think its ok to physically touch us in order to teach us a game that
we never asked for lessons on, and how they wouldn’t take a gentle hint that we were fine
without their lessons. On the other side we talked about how we didn’t feel comfortable firmly
telling them that we did not want their help or the fact that my friend who was receiving lessons
was in fact better than they were at the game. We did not want to get labeled derogatory names
just for taking charge. We also felt like it would have been extremely rude to reject their help and
inform them that they aren’t really that good, therefore bruising their male egos. That could also
be us using emphasized femininity by choosing to remain docile and sociable.
Example 3:
This week presented me with a couple of different scenarios in which my behavior was
very “masculine” or I found myself “doing my gender.” However, it took a couple of people
actually saying something to me for me to realize, that there was still room for improvement in
my behavior when it comes to gender and social situations.
The first scenario was Friday night at a friend’s house after the bars had closed. We were
getting into a very heated political debate about class, gender, race, prejudice, the glass ceiling,
police profiling, and opportunities present at different class levels. My friends and I were getting
really worked up and trying to convince an obviously politically conservative person that women
do get paid less than their male counterparts, and that police do profile and kill minorities at a
higher rate than they do white people.
You see, I love to talk, and I’m good at it. I express my points very well, and with
decisive confidence, and passion. This sometimes leads me to try to interject, or interrupt, and
also try to “help” people express themselves, or even make their point for them. I never really
realized how bad I am about interrupting and answering for my female friends. I do it for my
male friends too, but most of my friends here in Pocatello are female, so the gendered aspect has
been more obvious recently. It took a friend of mine saying something to the effect of “Will you
shut up, and let me make my point!” to make me realize that I am a horrible interrupter when it
comes to females during conversation. I don’t want to be that way.
I think the reason that I am that way has a lot to do with my male socialization. I want to
be aggressive and “win” or “convince” the opposing side in debates, and in conversations in
general. There is a pervasive attitude I have, where it does not matter if I was spoken to or not,
that my opinion is valid and I have a duty – even an obligation – to make my point heard! I have
realized before I have this tendency, but I often forget.
Another incident along these lines occurred in Boise last week during the second day of
“Advocacy Days” I attended as a member of the Student Social Work and Sociology Association
here at I.S.U. Tuesday morning we had time allotted in the conference schedule to go and meet
our local representatives of the house in the state capitol. “We” ended up being three female
students and myself, and we all ended up talking with and getting to know our local Pocatello
representative, Mark Nye (D). In the process of our conversation with him, he looked at one of
my female friends and said, “If you had a magic wand, and could fix everything in the
government and change anything that you could, what would that be”? My friend hesitated for
just a second, but without hesitation on my part, and because I already had many ideas “locked
and loaded” on what we can do to fix this wretched system, I started in with “I would!…..”
Representative Nye stopped me abruptly. He said, “I asked her, not you! She has the magic
wand! Not you! Let her answer!” This took me aback and I realized that I had not fully learned
my lesson about letting people, and in particular my female associates, speak for themselves in
the time that they are given, and to show respect for their way of expressing their opinions and
really listen to their voices.
This really hit home for me. I really do think I finally have learned my lesson about how
to conduct myself with more respect when engaging in conversations with women. Mind you, I
have always championed women’s rights, and I consider myself a feminist. But there is always
room for improvement and important lessons to be learned throughout life. I am not afraid to
reevaluate myself and make those improvements. I don’t want to think that it took a powerful
“Man” telling me to wait my turn for me to learn this lesson fully. I was already aware from the
other night, but it did hit home a little harder for some reason. I think it was more his station as
our representative than his gender, but all the same I learned that in the course of me “doing my
gender” I need to be more aware of respecting each human’s turn to talk, whether they are timid
and struggle to express themselves or not. I need not feel the need to “help” them express their
ideas and opinions but should instead allow them to do it in their own way and in their own
words. As a man, I can wait for my turn to speak, respect someone making their points in their
own words, and realize there will be a time to make my points as well, but it mustn’t come at the
expense of others’ time on the floor. I am committed to continuing to work on this. I still get all
worked up, especially when talking politics or religion, but I am committed to showing even
more respect to women in my day-to-day dealings with them.
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