Page 204 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Unit 9: Status of Women

9.1 Gender Discrimination Notes

Gender description refers to disparity between individuals due to gender. Gender is constructed
both socially through social interactions as well as biologically through chromosomes, brain structure,
and hormonal differences. Gender systems are often dichotomous and hierarchical; binary gender
systems may reflect the inequalities that manifest in numerous dimensions of daily life. Gender
inequality stems from distinctions, whether empirically grounded or socially constructed.
Natural Gender Differences
There are natural differences between the sexes based on biological and anatomic factors, most notably
differing reproductive roles. Biological differences include chromosomes, brain structure, and
hormonal differences. There is a natural difference also in the relative physical strengths (on average)
of the sexes.
Income Disparities Linked to Job Stratification
Wage discrimination is the discrepancy of wages between two groups due to a bias towards or against
a specific trait with all other characteristics of both groups being equivalent. In the case of gender
inequality, wage discrimination exists between the male and female gender. Historically, gender
inequality has favored men over similarly qualified women.
Income disparity between genders stems from processes that determine the quality of jobs and earnings
associated with jobs. Earnings associated with jobs will cause income inequality to take form in the
placement of individuals into particular jobs through individual qualifications or stereotypical norms.
Placement of men or women into particular job categories can be supported through the human
capital theories of qualifications of individuals or abilities associated with biological differences in
men and women. Conversely, the placement of men or women into separate job categories is argued
to be caused by social status groups who desire to keep their position through the placement of those
in lower statuses to lower paying positions.
Human capital theories refer to the education, knowledge, training, experience, or skill of a person
which makes them potentially valuable to an employer. This has historically been understood as a
cause of the gendered wage gap but is no longer a predominant cause as women and men in certain
occupations tend to have similar education levels or other credentials. Even when such characteristics
of jobs and workers are controlled for, the presence of women within a certain occupation leads to
lower wages. This earnings discrimination is considered to be a part of pollution theory. This theory
suggests that jobs which are predominated by women offer lower wages than do jobs simply because
of the presence of women within the occupation. As women enter an occupation, this reduces the
amount of prestige associated with the job and men subsequently leave these occupations. The entering
of women into specific occupations suggests that less competent workers have begun to be hired or
that the occupation is becoming deskilled. Men are reluctant to enter female-dominated occupations
because of this and similarly resist the entrance of women into male-dominated occupations.
The gendered income disparity can also be attributed in part to occupational segregation. where
groups of people are distributed across occupations according to ascribed characteristics; in this case,
gender. Occupational gender segregation can be understood to contain two components or dimensions;
horizontal segregation and vertical segregation. With horizontal segregation, occupational sex
segregation occurs as men and women are thought to possess different physical, emotional, and
mental capabilities. These different capabilities make the genders vary in the types of jobs they are
suited for. This can be specifically viewed with the gendered division between manual and non-
manual labor. With vertical segregation, occupational sex segregation occurs as occupations are
stratified according to the power, authority, income, and prestige associated with the occupation and
women are excluded from holding such jobs.
As women entered the workforce in larger numbers since the 1960s, occupations have become
segregated based on the amount femininity or masculinity presupposed to be associated with each
occupation. Census data suggests that while some occupations have become more gender integrated
(mail carriers, bartenders, bus drivers, and real estate agents), occupations including teachers, nurses,

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