Download Social Stratification

Gender Stratification
FIT – Introduction to Sociology – Professor Graham
How does gender inequality differ
throughout the world?
P. 279 is Global Map 10-1…this map gives an estimate of the
social standing of women in different nations
High – USA, Canada, Japan, Norway,
Australia
Above Average – UK, France, Korea
Average – Mexico, South Africa, India,
China, Philippines, Indonesia
Below Average – Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria
Low - Mali, Niger, Chad
Gender Stratification in a Low Income
Country - Nigeria
Remember from Ch. 9, we discussed the characteristics of
low income countries. What are some of these
characteristics?
Gender Stratification in a Low Income
Country - Nigeria
Two of these characteristics are: They are traditional ; They are
agricultural
Countries with these characteristics tend to be poor, and the
women tend to be the poorest because they are denied
education and opportunities to work
The best way to combat poverty for women AND combat
poverty for the country is by letting women be self-sufficient.
Here is a video about women entrepreneurs in Nigeria:
http://www.undp.org/women/
How are people from different countries
socialized to understand gender?
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Remember the four “agents” of socialization? (Chapter 3)
Remember the connection between status and role?
(Chapter 4)
In each country, the roles given to the status of gender are
slightly different. In each country, people are socialized by
the four agents of socialization to understand how males
and females are supposed to behave.
The Family
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In many low income countries, the parents hope their
child will be a boy and not a girl. Why?
After birth, parents choose “pink” colors for girls and
“blue” for boys
Girl infants are handled more tenderly than boys
The female world revolves around cooperation and
emotion, the male world revolves around independence
and action
Peer Group
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Boys favor games with an objective, winners and losers
Girls favor games that do not always have a clear
winner…and they emphasize interpersonal skills and
communication
These games (remember Mead) teach us how to live as
adults. Girls learn to be cooperative, and men learn to be
competitive
School
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Males tend to go into science and math
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Engineering
Physics
Biology
Females tend to go into fine arts, social sciences
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English/Literature
Psychology
Sociology
Mass Media
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Men are seen as dominant and superior in ads (me are
taller, shown as managers and businessment)
Men’s facial expressions in ads show competence and
dominance
Women are seen as childlike, submissive, and sexual
Mass Media Examples
“Men are for action…women are romantic interests…”
What is the beauty myth? (p. 282)
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Cultural patterns create a beauty myth that is damaging to
women
Society teaches women measure their worth by their physical
appearance
Society teaches women to prize relationships with men, who
they attract with their beauty
The myth affects men…men are told repeatedly that they
should want to possess beautiful women
Beauty is in every culture…but the question is how much
value do we place in beauty? Also, whether or not beauty is
how we look, or how we act?
The Beauty Myth…Examples
The idea here is that it is so
uncommon for an “Ugly” woman
to be on TV, that they can make
a show about it
These women are successful professionals..but the show
revolves around them dating men
The Beauty Myth?...What is the pattern
here?
How does gender effect income and
wealth? (p. 288)

In 2006, the median earnings for women were $34,989
and men working full time were $44,958.
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The main reason why women earn less is because the
jobs women do, “women’s work”, are not valued in
society (Remember the Davis-Moore Thesis, Ch. 8)
How do sociologists understand sexual
harassment? (p. 291)
2 reasons for sexual harassment
- Our culture encourages men to be sexually assertive
- Most people who are in positions of power are men
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Most (but not all) victims of sexual harassment are
women
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Harassment does not need to be physical…and can be
subtle. A man complimenting a woman on her
appearance repeatedly may be considered harassment.
How?
Viewing of Bangkok Girl
Understanding the Documentary
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This is a documentary about the sex industry in Bangkok. We
should view this documentary as the intersection between
global stratification and gender stratification.
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Thailand is a middle income country, but poor by high income
country standards. Tourists from America, Europe, and Japan
spend their high value currency here.
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The women in Thailand do not have the same legal protection
or opportunities that women in other countries have. The sex
industry is a way to gain resources.