Gender

Question 1

Laden: Natural Basis for Gender Inequality

Answer 1

Women are the weaker sex; reproductive functions and ability to bear children make them better suited for life inside the home.
Biological and emotional differences; males and females are biologically and emotionally different because women are biologically programmed to want children and are more suited to care for them- source of inequality
A03- Social Darwinism and Eugenics

Question 2

Barron and Norris: Dual Labour Market

Answer 2

There is labour market segmentation; two forms of labour market- primary and secondary
Primary- middle class jobs dominated by white males, conditions are good, pay is high, depend on qualifications e.g- law, banking, medicine
Secondary- lack of power jobs; retail, cleaning, zero hours work.
Dominated by women and ethnic minorities.

Question 3

Bordieu: Symbolic Power and Gender Inequality

Answer 3

assumption of male superiority in society which leads to women in lower positions than men.
Sexism in society is an example of symbolic power
These ideas and values of patriarchy are imposed on women, without any consciousness of this happening.
Patriarchy occurs through the ideas and habits of daily life, which controls the behaviour of females.
Symbolic power= cause of inequality
Ao3- Althusser; false consciousness maintained by ideological state apparatus, people, but suggest capitalism rather than patriarchy.

Question 4

Engels: Patriarchy and Capitalism

Answer 4

Capitalism ensures women subservient to men.
Patriarchy has it’s origins in private property and is stemmed from institutional racism
Key cause of gender inequality.

Question 5

Marx: Women as a ‘reserve army of labour’

Answer 5

Women form part of the reserve army of labour- reduces workers demand for higher wages by having a supply of low cost of labour.
Capitalists recruit extra workers from the reserve army to keep wages low and competition for jobs high.

Question 6

Hakim: Rational Choice Theory

Answer 6

Feminist theories have misled us.
Women are not victims of patriarchy in the public or private sphere but instead they have made rational choices and chose not to give priority to employment.
There are gender differences in attitudes towards work= women place less priority.