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Vy Doan

Professor Lookholder

Sociology 001

16 April 2017

Gender Inequality

Sociologist classified the difference in gender based on biology and cultural features. To

identify whether the baby is boy or girl, individual often looks for the color of their outfit.

Women and men are expected to play certain roles and behaved in certain ways. Usually, blue

outfit is for boy, and pink outfit is for girl. These behaviors are learned and shaped the gender

norms. All the feedback that we observed and experience in every day life are also affect our

own thoughts. From time to time, it becomes a conflict paradigm when society treated people

differently depending on their gender.

The conflict theory happens when society raise men and women in different ways.

Sociological perspectives on males are masculine, thus, family might teach males to be more

independent. Men are also expected to be more masculine in physical and tough in emotional.

For female, familys sociological perspective on female is more dependable, and gentle since

female is feminine. At the time when they grow up, men would likely to perform in law

enforcement, firefighters, and engineering. In the other hand, women tend to seek toward

nursing, cashiers, and teaching. People might states that men are more rational and women

are more nurturing. This is really artifact social constructions subject to change (Soc 2016,

page 276). All the feedback that we observed in every day life will shape our own thoughts, and

behaviors. Society will likely to have a negative attitude if women smoke a cigarette in public
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and if men wear skirt to work. There will be some corrective comments. Likewise, children are

being treated differently depend on their sex, which created a conflict paradigm in society.

During the mid 1800s, the conflict theory implies that men were primarily the dominant

person, and received all the opportunities in society. At that time, colleges and universities in

United States banned women from receiving a higher education. But education plays a very

significant role in life, without education women has no voice in society. Thus, the conflict

between men and women created a huge gap. Unfortunately, the first wave that created by the

feminist stood up for their right against gender inequality.

In New York City, women fought for their right to vote in national election, later on,

achieve women's suffrage. At the second wave, women continued to stand up and protested for

equal political positions and economic opportunities like male. During that time, sociological

perspective on women roles were to be a good housewife and a mother. Society was limiting

womens access to valued economic, social, and cultural resources. Therefore, it was not fair

when all the men could receive education and women did not. Because of these waves, female

are now have the option to choose whether they want to accomplish a higher education or choose

to remain single.

Moreover, the third wave was mainly about giving women self-respect and personal

empowerment. It expressed the women sexual exploitation and created a different image of a

feminist. Feminist addressed to sexism by showing that female is no different than male. "We are

human, and we all created equal", and society paradigm should not occurred.

Last week, there was an article about Google blamed for discriminating female

employees. Based on the journalist Same Levin, The governments analysis at this point

indicates that discrimination against women in Google is quite extreme, even in this industry
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(Levin Par. 5). The investigators found that it is very obvious that the discrimination against

women happened every position at Google headquarters. Most male-dominated tech industry and

they always got pay much higher amounts than women. Imagine how much does the pay gap

affect women in the real lives, especially single mother who still have to take care for their

children and do the housework. The results of these issues, women remain poor. By treating

everyone equally, society will have a chance to reduce poverty. Hence, gender inequality does

not make sense on any level. This problem needs to be understood so we could stop conflict

theory.

Nowadays, over 20 prominent nations continue to discriminate against females by

preventing them from learning (Argintar par.2). Therefore, as girls become women, they then

have limited skills and ability to earn money or realize their potential. There is a lot of single

mothers are working in the same position as the other men but receive a lower income. Such gap

can be correct by providing more training and opportunities for women. By taking a gender

transformative approach, we can stay out of poverty and hunger (Youtube: The World Fish

Center). We can share the equal access to resources and services to men and women. Besides,

women also addressed institutional discrimination by overcome the social pressure. Conflict

theory on gender continue throughout the world, there are one third of all girls are married

before they turn 18, and 65 million girls are out of school (Youtube: Marial2911). The main

reason would be when the girls turns twelfth, they already in poverty. The future is out of her

control. She then faced the reality of being married as the age of fourteenth. Society should

encourage women to receive education. So they can use their education to earn their own living.

This will results in the decreasing of poverty. Many women and children stay in poverty is

mostly the conflict paradigm in society.

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Overall, the sociological perspective on gender is defined as the theory that helped social

and cultural to recognize the ones gender. The conflict paradigm happens when society raise men

and women in different ways. The theory implies that men were primarily the dominant person,

and received all the opportunities in society. There is a lot of single mothers are working in the

same position as the other men but receive a lower income. By treating everyone equally, society

will have a chance to reduce poverty. One of a way to raise womens voice, communities need to

support women as well. We can influence social norms by developing policies and organization

in order to increase womens access to resources.

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Work Cited

Argintar, Laura. "You Won't Believe How Many Countries Still Won't Allow Women The Right

To Education." Elite Daily. N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

Levin, Sam. "Google accused of 'extreme' gender pay discrimination by US labor department."

The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

Marial2911. "Gender Inequality." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

The World Fish Center. "Gender Equality: Now." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 16

Apr. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4viXOGvvu0Y>

Witt, Jon. SOC 2016. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2016. Print.