Lecture 15-17 M2 Flashcards
(52 cards)
What has research on Western societies found for social mobility? (4)
- children gain/lose success because of family background
- most vertical mobility is between occupations that are very similar
- downward mobility is less common but still widespread
- level of social mobility is low compared to ideal
What is the key to upward mobility?
Education
How do we know education is the key to upward mobility?
- Many jobs require high school completion at minimum
- more jobs require higher education
Compared to Canadians with less education, what do University Graduates have?
- hold a higher proportion of upper white collar jobs
- less likely to be unemployed
- less likely to remain unemployed if lose job
- more likely to earn higher salaries
Why are lower socioeconomic people under represented in university?
- income is a barrier
- parental education is a strong influence
- government policies on funding higher education
What would be a structural functional approach to stratification by class?
- social inequality is an important role in society
- example is David-Moore hypothesis
What is the David-Moore hypothesis?
- because stratification is in every society, it is a necessary part of society
- unequal distribution of resources has beneficial consequences
- jobs vary by importance to society and are rewarded based on that
- people are motivated by the rewards
What are critiques of the David-Moore hypothesis?
-are the huge inequalities found really necessary?
Assumes:
-society is a meritocracy
-there is extensive social mobility
What is the social conflict approach to stratification by class?
- stratification benefits some people at the expense of others
- example is Marx view of capitalism
- class based society in which minority exploits majority
Who introduced the term gender to sociology?
Ann Oakley in 1970s highlighted difference between sex and gender
What does gender refer to?
Nonbiological, culturally and socially produced distinctions between men and women
What does the study of gender draw attention to?
-socially constructed differences between men and women
What are the three types of gender social construction?
- Gender socialization
- Gender roles
- Gender stereotypes
What is gender socialization?
Socialization that contains messages about what it is to be a man and women in society
What are gender roles?
- expected attitudes, behaviours and activities for men and women
- learned through socialization
Are people’s interactions with babies structured based on their gender?
Yes, they are structured by social constructions of masculinity and femininity
How do family members perpetuate gender
- see children in gender related ways
- encourage gender appropriate behaviour
When does gender role socialization begin?
At birth
What children’s thing have been studied that perpetuate gender
Literature and toys
Why have literature and toys been studied extensively for children
- valuable insights into the process of socialization and inequality
- messages about what is attainable or out of reach for girls and boys
What is the strategic illustration used for studying gender in toys and what did it tell us
Girls played with barbies and mrs potato head and we’re given career sheets. With the girls that played with Barbie dolls they said they could do less
What is the dominant stereotype that fairy tales have
“some day my prince will come” and Cinderella complex
What is the Cinderella complex and what is it’s unintended consequence
- that the women will marry a man and live happily ever after
- leads girls to devalue the pursuit of educational and other social opportunities
What is a gender stereotype
Oversimplified ideas about the attitudes, behaviours and aspirations of men and women
