Mr & Mrs - Gender inequality today!
Gender inequality can stem from a range of
places. The male and female genitals and the difference between them being just
a biological one! Language is another way in which gender inequality can be found
today. One of the biggest taboo words in the English language is the C-word,
this word is a description for the vagina and also an emasculating term for a
male. It can also be found in other languages to as they have masculine and
feminine nouns.
Feminists have developed lots of different theories about gender
inequality. Radical feminists such as Valerie Bryson (1999) as cited in
Haramlambos and Holborn (2008) see’s women as an oppressed group and that men
are the oppressors. Some Radical feminists see the family as the biggest
oppressor to women in a modern society. Shulamith Firestone (1972) is another
radical feminist, she believes that oppression in women has originated from
their biology because they have given birth. Firestone having this belief however
is unusual as radical feminists usually believe that it is the male biology
that is the problem. (Haramlambos & Holborn, 2008, P100-101,104-105)
Gender inequality is instilled in children from birth. With the
notion that Little Girls like pink and Little Boys want Blue. It is also
instilled by the family as men are usually seen as the husband and main
breadwinner within and the family and women as the mothers and homemakers.
Children that grow up in this type of environment tend to accept this as the
norm and will follow this structure and replicate it within their own family
model as they grow older. Some children will deviate from this model and will
rebel against the norm and want to play with toys and dress in clothes that are
meant to be for the opposite sex. Primary socialisation occurs at home and
where gender stereotypes and inequalities can first happen. As we grow and
start to attend school and form a social circle we then become secondary socialised.
It is within this group we develop our own personalities but if we do not
conform to the norms we risk becoming ostracised and outcast from the group
therefore instilling even more the gender inequalities that could already have
appeared.
https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/gender-stratification-and-inequality-11/gender-and-socialization-86/childhood-socialization-500-2094/
