...How Gender Inequality Is Explained Sociology How has gender inequality been explained? (Answer with reference to a range of theories and approaches) Critically assess the attempt of one of the feminist group to overcome gender inequality. Social stratification “A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy’ (Macionis and Plummer: 2005: 190). Social stratification is common in different aspects throughout society and throughout history some of the most substantial categories affected are class, race, disabilities, sexuality and globally. However this essay shall be investigating the stratification by gender, referred to as gender inequality. There are many reasons for the disparity of gender “...circumscribed by its underlying social, legal, political, economic, and cultural characteristics” (Rives and Yousefi 1997:1). Gender stratification categories people in regard to their ‘sex’, this can be defined as anatomical differences and physiological differences between male and female for example the difference in chromosomes, sex organs and hormones. The word ‘gender’ has been socially constructed through the means of a stereotype and ideology of the social role, identity, position and behaviour of male and feminine through different institutions and aspects like the media, religion, culturally and historically. Up until the era of Suffragettes in the late 19th Century women were always deemed lower than men and inequality was highly significant...
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...Richard Nicholson SOC 100 Mon. & Wed. 8:45-10:00 Introduction to Sociology Exam #1 Section #1 Public Issue: A public issue occurs when the system itself causes a problem or hardship that someone may face. Individuals tend to view public issues as personal problems which causes them to believe the reason they are not able to do something as an individual failure instead of a structural problem. An example of a public issue that I have experienced is that I had to take a year off from attending school. I took a year off from school so I could have money to support myself. At first, I believed this was entirely a personal issue because I could not afford it. However, looking at it from a sociological viewpoint, I can now see it as a public issue because the tuition rates and cost of living continues to go up yearly. Inequality: Inequality is a built in feature within our social system. This inequality dictates the access and distribution of the commons, or the resources all people need. Inequality is mainly based on the location in which someone was born and/or what family they were born into to. An example of inequality occurred when I attempted to take a loan out on a car. While I was, able to afford the payments on a loan, I did not have credit for a long enough period of time or the down payment the bank was looking for that a person in a higher social class would have through familial ties. Iron Cage of Rationality: An iron cage of rationality is the...
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...Gender Inequality in Workplace In Partial Fulfillment of the Subject Gender and Development The Philippine Women’s University Submitted by: GINEZ, ZEL A. Table of Contents Title Page 1.1 Table of Contents 1.2 Introduction 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Related Literature and Studies 1.5 Conclusion 1.6 Recommendation 1.7 References 1.8 Introduction The researcher thought about something on how to have a new knowledge about on what’s happening in a work place if it has a gender inequality. Then the researcher conducted a research and found a lot of unfair treatment happens when a workplace has a gender inequality. This is to determine the significance of having a gender inequality in the work place. It can be also a way to open the minds of the others about having a gender inequality in the work place. Some of the other people really don’t have any idea about gender inequality towards the work place. Sometimes the other people just have a knowledge only when they see or hear it on the news. This research might help the other students or individuals to be more knowledgeable about this topic. It might help the other people who is facing the same problem on their workplaces. Though you’re just a student maybe someday it can make a very big difference towards it. Questions 1. Does the other student know about gender inequality towards in a work place? 2. Does the other people really...
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...Science/Education DIVISION x REQUIRED COURSE NEW COURSE X ELECTIVE COURSE x REVISION LAKE LAND COLLEGE Course Information Form COURSE NUMBER SOC280 TITLE Introduction to Sociology SEM CR HRS 3 LT HRS 3 LAB HRS SOE HRS ECH COURSE PCS # (Assigned by Administration) PREREQUISITES: None Catalog Description (40 Word Limit): Study of human interaction focusing on social influences shaping personality, structure and dynamics of human society. Topics include: sociological perspective, culture, society, social interaction; social change in global perspective; socialization; families; social class; and social stratification; race and ethnicity; and deviance. | | |CONTENT LECTURE LAB OUTLINE | |HOURS HOURS | Study of Sociology (What is Sociology, Methods) 5 Individual and Society (Culture, Socialization, Social Interaction, Groups, Networks, Organization, Conformity and Deviance) 10 Stratification (Class, Global, Gender, Racial and Ethnic, Aging) 15 Social Institutions (Government, Work...
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...Inequalities, both domestic and global, illuminate the inevitability and functionality of stratification. Discuss. The title of this essay covers a very wide topic of stratification, and in this essay I will look at the many different forms of stratification that exist both at home here in Ireland and also on a worldwide scale, but to begin with I’m going to describe and define what stratification really means. In short stratification is basically how society ranks in hierarchy, which in detail means the vertical or hierarchical division of society according to rank, class or caste. Caste is defined as “a form of social stratification based on inherited status or ascription.” and this definition goes on to say that “ones social destiny is determined at birth with no chance or opportunity to change this class you have been born into.1”. It remains to be argued whether this statement is true or false, ! ! personally I think it is possible to change class or to move up or down a social class. Yes ones social destiny is determined at birth but it is possible to move up and down the social class ladder, all it takes is determination. Although if one is to begin at the bottom of the ladder, born into a family with harsh surroundings, it will be much harder to move up the ranks, as your success largely depends on your cultural background. If there is no one around you to support you with your studies or with any educational things you may be interested in, then doing any of...
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...Global and Economic Inequality If I were a sociologist studying the Developing World I would choose to study Global and economic inequality. Global inequality has been little analyzed by sociologists despite their claim to be the scientific experts most in charge of the study of human inequalities and social stratification. Most undergraduate courses on social inequalities study race, class and gender without ever acknowledging that the greatest inequalities are between those individuals and households that live in developed versus less developed societies. Global inequality is a matter of sociological importance and sociologists should be more interested in it. As mentioned power, inequality and conflict have been central themes of sociology, including global inequality in wealth and human rights. Power, inequality and conflict are often, but not entirely, bound up with economic power, inequalities in wealth and income and how they affect life chances and shape other spheres of society such as culture and politics. Conflict is often over economic interests or the pursuit of resources or economic gain. Because global inequality taps into core sociological concerns, it would allow other developing countries a blue print. In fact the sociology of development is a sub-field of the discipline that has long been interested in global inequality. Increasing inequality was one of the most important consequences of nineteenth century globalization, and this fact is pregnant with importance...
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...Sociology has had some influence on social policy, and varies from government to government but the extent of which has been thoroughly debated. Social policies are put in place in order to address the needs of the population in terms of welfare, housing, health, education, law and order and employment. The influence sociology can have on social policy includes; electoral popularity, ideological policy and preferences of government, interest groups, globalization and its impact, critical sociology, costs and funding sources. However, there is a definite correlation between the sociological researches being compromised by too close a relationship with the funding bodies. Modern sociologists hold the view that sociological research has an impact on social policy by providing practical solutions to social problems such as unemployment, educational failure and so on. They share the view that this kind of research is able to address key issues within society, gain empirical evidence and find the root cause of such problems. On the one hand Positivists and Functionalists will state the view that social policies are ‘piecemeal social engineering’ and accept that sociological view do influence social policy making. Durkheim will hold the view that the meritocratic education system benefits society and promotes social cohesion and solidarity. He saw sociology as a way of restoring order in a society conquered by industrialization and strengthening integration and social stability. Linking...
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...affected by historical forces and to see how historical events may be shaped by personal choices. Week 1 - Topic 1: Sociology and Social Groups Objectives Discuss the social construction of reality. Distinguish between sociological perspectives. Develop a sociological imagination. Identify components of social groups and organizations. Materials Readings for Week One EBOOK COLLECTION: Ch. 1 of Sociology: A Brief Introduction. EBOOK COLLECTION: Ch. 3 of Sociology: A Brief Introduction. EBOOK COLLECTION: Ch. 5 of Sociology: A Brief Introduction. EBOOK COLLECTION: Ch. 12 of Sociology: A Brief Introduction. ARTICLE: Week One Electronic Reserve Readings Assessment Individual Assignment: Social Group Worksheet Martix Resource: Social Group Worksheet Matrix Complete the Social Group Worksheet using your sociological imagination to identify and describe the relationship between yourself and the other members of any social group of your choice. Submit the Social Group Worksheet Matrix. Social Group Matrix Refer to your course syllabus for additional instructions on individual and learning team assignments. Week 2 - Topic 1: Science of Sociology Objectives Apply the steps of the scientific method. Compare major research designs. Explain ethical issues in sociological research. Materials Readings for Week Two EBOOK COLLECTION: Ch. 2 of Sociology: A Brief Introduction. ARTICLE: Week Two Electronic Reserve Readings Assessment...
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...Theorizing inter-organizational inequality – Conceptual suggestions to overcome a blind spot Organizations form and are embedded in differently structured institutional fields (DiMaggio/Powell 1991, Scott 2008) which embody certain structures of relational positions (Powell et al 2005), i.e. structures of inequality sui generis. Organizational hierarchies, positions in organizational networks, or organizational status do have an impact on, say, the capacities of organizations to engage in institutional work successfully, their internal promotion system, or more generally their ability to affect their own chances as well as chances in the lives of individuals for good or worse. If it is true that individual outcomes depend on organizational structures and those structures are strongly influenced by the social context they are embedded in, that implies not only to treat certain individual outcomes as dependent on organizational factors but ultimately as a function of the relational and relative position organizations find themselves in. Social inequality must therefore be understood and analytically fashioned as a multilevel-phenomenon. Despite that, inter-organizational inequality has been neglected in the study of social inequality and stratification. Studies that reproduce this blind spot firstly may overlook to mechanisms and their underlying institutions that may seriously interfere with the predominant models of ascriptive, variable-centered analysis, secondly they lose...
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...According to Annandale and Hunt (2000), since the early 1970s, the inequalities in gender have been a very important focus to sociological research. Generally, researchers have shown that the difference in gender usually influences people’s experience of health and illness. According to Armstrong (1980), women live about average of five years longer than men but women also suffer more illnesses compared to men throughout their lifetime. The reasons for these differences have been narrowed down to two possible explanations. First of all, difference in the biological constitutions of the different sexes which means that the two different genders experiences different type of illnesses and secondly, sometimes there are gender related actions and approaches to the concept of health and illness that differs amongst gender (Annandale, 2003). In this essay, key terms such as gender, health and illness will be discussed using essay. Also, this essay will be examined in three dimensions. Firstly, the gender differences that influence people’s health and experience of illnesses will be discussed. Secondly, using evidences, gender health inequalities will also be outlined. Thirdly, the importance and relevance of a nurse being aware of these gender inequalities and differences will also be examined. The sociological definition of gender is the cultural ideas and the distinct social expectation from male and female. This is different from sex which focuses on differences based on the biological...
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...Born and raised as a Canadian Half-Breed or Métis women, author Maria Campbell shares the “joys, the sorrows, the love and the tragedies of her childhood” in a Canadian society facing the cruel realities of poverty and suffering. Additionally, Cambpell’s autobiography is a story of struggling while overcoming social oppression and violence. The Half-Breed memoir can be related to Sociology: A Canadian Perspective and some course content because many of her experiences can be viewed in sociological ways. Engaging in both texts, four main sociological concepts are discussed in relation to my understanding of the course: Meritocracy, social stratification, intersectionality, and systematic discrimination. These key concepts are significant because they heavily contribute to the Sociology course and defined the hardships Maria Campbell faced as a Half-breed women. Meritocracy can be seen as being a social system in which an individual's achievement is primarily rewarded to people with the most abilities. The Sociology textbook defines this term as a form of social stratification that relies on differences in effort and ability rather than ascribed statuses such as gender, age or race. (Tepperman, Albanese and Curtis 2008). In chapter two of Half-breed, meritocracy is present through Campbell’s words regarding the Métis people and the government system. Land act policies created by the government play a major role in Maria’s human rights and dignity, as corruption is a central theme...
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...How can sociology help us think about civility and being civil? In sociology, the topic of race proves to create an issue with civility. In chapter 10 the significance of race as well as different forms of racism are expressed. As we see these inequalities, it can open our eyes on how to fix these issues to become civil. In chapter 10 we see how race can ultimately effect how you are treated and seen in society. In a country like America, we are seen as diverse, although whites are the dominate group. Due to this grouping of society, we can easily see the inequalities in society. You are either in the minority group or dominate group. Since there are differences that separate society this opens the door for discrimination, stereotypes, prejudice,...
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...In my opinion, the reason sociology is viewed as a bit warily by leaders in most societies is because there is yet to be an achievement of understanding mental distress. For example, in the case of woman's mental health, sociologists have not studied the effects of its worries. 4. The conflict theory in my opinion best explains the inequality in the United States. The reason of my choice is in viewing society as composed of groups that engage in fierce competition for scarce resources is the underlying foundation in the conflict theory. I see this lot in the United States every day. Conflict theory emphasizes the role of intimidation and power in producing social order. This perspective is resulting from the works of Karl Marx, who saw society as disjointed into groups that compete for social and economic resources. Social order is maintained by domination, with power in the hands of those with the greatest political, economic, and social resources. When agreement exists, it is attributable to people being united around common interests, often in opposition to other groups. Marx theorized that the work of producing consensus was done in the superstructure of society which is composed of social institutions, political structures, and culture and what it produced consensus for was the base, the economic relations of production. According to conflict theory, inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate share of society’s resources actively defend their advantages...
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...1. Functionalist questions a. What are the functions of Wal-Mart for society? Wal-Mart is an American multinational retail corporation and one of the leading discount department retail stores (Wikipedia). It is the highest- grossing company in the United States (Fortune 2008a), and is by far one of the most successful companies worldwide. Wal-Mart offers a place to buy the majority of our goods under one roof like electronics, furniture, clothing, pharmacy, sports, food, books etc. Wal-Mart sells good at lower price than the others and this is even shown by its slogan “save money, live better”. It drives out smaller and sometimes even the expensive stores out of business due to its lower prices. Wal-Mart provides jobs for thousands of people in the society including the low-skilled people. It represents a trend of one stop shopping where we can get almost everything that we want. b. Are they the same or different from the functions of Wal-Mart in our individual lives? How do the two types of functions connect? One of Wal-Mart belief and function is the respect for the individual. They have given importance of respect for every individual and every member of the community. For individuals; Wal-Mart offers convenience, good pricing and multiple products under one roof. It reduced the overall cost to consumers as they don’t have to go from one place to another to buy different goods. c. Does Wal-Mart have both manifest and latent functions? Manifest functions are conscious...
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...How does sociology help us to understand 'class' as an important social phenomenon? Sociology emerged in the nineteenth century as an attempt to understand the transition from traditional to modern society. Many argue that class is no longer important as a social phenomenon as an individual’s identity are based more on status and cultural factors such as lifestyle, values, intelligence, education. Others argue that class is still a central influence on people’s lives, that it affects their life chances. They argue that class inequality exists and that such inequalities are widening rather than narrowing. The major perspectives historically have been Marx and Weber who have provided their views and support for the idea that society is class-conscious. Other theorists, such as Clark and Lipset challenge Marx and Weber theory and believe that class is not an important social phenomenon. The common stratum model of class divides society into a simple hierarchy of working class, middle class and upper class. Class is an important social phenomenon that exists in society and through sociology we are presented with a variety of concepts and theories that contribute and support our understanding of the classes. A class system “refers to a social group, defined in terms of its economic position in a hierarchy of inequality and with material interests that differentiate it from other classes.” (Van Kriken; Habibis; Smith; Hutchins; Martin; Maton, 2014, P.205). The most common...
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