CHAPTER 10
Inequalities of
Gender and
Age
308
, U
Sections
Your
S
I Sociological
N Imagination 1. Sex and Gender Identity
G 2. Theoretical Perspectives
on Gender
T rue or false? Women in the United
States lead the world in efforts to 3. Gender Inequality
achieve job equality with men.
Did you answer “true” to this statement? 4. Ageism
If so, you may be interested in the follow-
ing facts. Among industrialized nations, 5. Inequality in
America is surprisingly near the bottom of America’s Elderly
the list in ranking male/female income
equality. Only Luxembourg and Japan have Population
wider gaps than the United States between
what men and women earn for doing the Learning Objectives
same work. Swedish women in manufactur-
ing jobs, for example, earn about 90 per-
cent of the wages paid men, while females After reading this chapter, you will be able to
in the United States earn only 72 percent of
❖ distinguish the concepts of sex, gender,
the wages paid men for the same work
and gender identity.
(U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000a).
Throughout history, men have dominated ❖ summarize the perspectives on gender
the social, political, and economic spheres taken by functionalists, conflict theorists,
outside the home. Traditionally, women and symbolic interactionists.
have assumed responsibility for child care ❖ describe the status of women in the
and household tasks. These domestic tasks United States.
are generally undervalued in industrial soci- ❖ compare and contrast the ways in which
eties, where a person’s contributions to so-
functionalism, conflict theory, and sym-
ciety are pegged to monetary rewards.
bolic interactionism approach ageism.
Women—thought to be dependent, passive,
and deferring—have usually been consid- ❖ discuss the inequality experienced by
ered subordinate to independent, aggres- America’s elderly.
sive, and strong men. This division of labor
based on sex has almost always led to gen-
der inequality.
This chapter examines how various cul- Chapter Overview
tures view gender roles and also how Visit the Sociology and You Web site at
America looks at its aged population. soc.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 10—
Chapter Overviews to preview chapter
information.
,309
, 310 Unit 3 Social
Section
Sex and Gender Identity
1 K e y
sex
Te r m s
• biological determinism
gender identity
Section Preview
Defining Male and Female
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
A ll societies expect peo-
ple to behave in certain
And everything nice
That’s what little girls are made of.
ways based on their sex. Through socialization, mem- bers of a society acquire an awareness of themselves as masculine or
What
Behavioral differences be- tween men and are little
women are boys madeconditioned.
culturally of?
Snips and snails
And puppy dog tails
That’s what little boys are made of.
As the above well-known nursery rhyme indicates, when it comes to
males and females, most Americans believe that anatomy is destiny. If
men and women behave differently, it is assumed to be because of their
sex— the biological distinction between male and female. Males are assumed
to be naturally more aggressive than women and to be built for providing
and pro- tecting. Thought of as being naturally more passive, females are
believed to be designed for domestic work. If this popular conception
were true, men
sex
classification of people as male or female based on biological characteristics
Many Americans believe that
infant boys are just naturally more active than infant girls. Would you agree or not?
Inequalities of
Gender and
Age
308
, U
Sections
Your
S
I Sociological
N Imagination 1. Sex and Gender Identity
G 2. Theoretical Perspectives
on Gender
T rue or false? Women in the United
States lead the world in efforts to 3. Gender Inequality
achieve job equality with men.
Did you answer “true” to this statement? 4. Ageism
If so, you may be interested in the follow-
ing facts. Among industrialized nations, 5. Inequality in
America is surprisingly near the bottom of America’s Elderly
the list in ranking male/female income
equality. Only Luxembourg and Japan have Population
wider gaps than the United States between
what men and women earn for doing the Learning Objectives
same work. Swedish women in manufactur-
ing jobs, for example, earn about 90 per-
cent of the wages paid men, while females After reading this chapter, you will be able to
in the United States earn only 72 percent of
❖ distinguish the concepts of sex, gender,
the wages paid men for the same work
and gender identity.
(U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000a).
Throughout history, men have dominated ❖ summarize the perspectives on gender
the social, political, and economic spheres taken by functionalists, conflict theorists,
outside the home. Traditionally, women and symbolic interactionists.
have assumed responsibility for child care ❖ describe the status of women in the
and household tasks. These domestic tasks United States.
are generally undervalued in industrial soci- ❖ compare and contrast the ways in which
eties, where a person’s contributions to so-
functionalism, conflict theory, and sym-
ciety are pegged to monetary rewards.
bolic interactionism approach ageism.
Women—thought to be dependent, passive,
and deferring—have usually been consid- ❖ discuss the inequality experienced by
ered subordinate to independent, aggres- America’s elderly.
sive, and strong men. This division of labor
based on sex has almost always led to gen-
der inequality.
This chapter examines how various cul- Chapter Overview
tures view gender roles and also how Visit the Sociology and You Web site at
America looks at its aged population. soc.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 10—
Chapter Overviews to preview chapter
information.
,309
, 310 Unit 3 Social
Section
Sex and Gender Identity
1 K e y
sex
Te r m s
• biological determinism
gender identity
Section Preview
Defining Male and Female
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
A ll societies expect peo-
ple to behave in certain
And everything nice
That’s what little girls are made of.
ways based on their sex. Through socialization, mem- bers of a society acquire an awareness of themselves as masculine or
What
Behavioral differences be- tween men and are little
women are boys madeconditioned.
culturally of?
Snips and snails
And puppy dog tails
That’s what little boys are made of.
As the above well-known nursery rhyme indicates, when it comes to
males and females, most Americans believe that anatomy is destiny. If
men and women behave differently, it is assumed to be because of their
sex— the biological distinction between male and female. Males are assumed
to be naturally more aggressive than women and to be built for providing
and pro- tecting. Thought of as being naturally more passive, females are
believed to be designed for domestic work. If this popular conception
were true, men
sex
classification of people as male or female based on biological characteristics
Many Americans believe that
infant boys are just naturally more active than infant girls. Would you agree or not?
