Functionalism Gender
Using the concepts of sex and gender discuss particular example of inequality that exists in modern society.
Gender inequality in terms of the different socially accepted displays of aggression from male and female professional athletes
Roberta Sassatelli (2010) argues that in the modern Western society sport is the fastest way in which a man or a woman can earn social recognition and respect, allowing a person to climb the social ladder in a relatively short period of time compared to people in different professions. The fit body, she states, has replaced all other decorations as the most potent symbol of status and character for both sexes. Also considering the fact that some athletes earn astronomically high salaries it is not hard for …show more content…
In their book ‘’Sports in Society’’ Coakley J. And Pike E. (2009), explain that functionalism focuses on the ways in which participation in sports contributes to the operation of the community. Functionalists, therefore, view the differences in the gender roles on the field, pitch or racing track as necessary because they allow for differences in the personal development of men and women and enable them to become more active contributors in social life by developing the characteristics that society needs: men are expected to work on their strength, raw power and muscle mass in order to be good hunters, warriors or explorers, while women need to develop skills that make them better mothers. Building up on these assumptions, one can see why male aggression is more tolerated, or in some cases in praised in sports, it is considered as a by product of the male’s drive to prove himself as a useful member of the community, a member who if needed will able to provide food and protection. Women’s aggression, however, is largely frowned upon since no mother should be expected to be aggressive in any way and if she is this will be harmful for the bringing up of healthy new individuals, thus harming the …show more content…
Supporting the idea that aggression in sports translates into aggression in society.
Surprisingly, the biggest criticism of the radical feminist view is another branch of the feminist theory- post-modern feminism. Post-modern feminists like Latting (1995), argue that the biggest flaw of the feminist and radical feminist interpretations of gender inequality is their failure to see that not all women are equal and they certainly are not faced with the same hardships. Latting argues, that instead of making broad generalizations about the gender inequality, one must deconstruct the notion of gender in order to ‘’find and identify the marginalized and suppressed voices and bring them to the
Gender inequality in terms of the different socially accepted displays of aggression from male and female professional athletes
Roberta Sassatelli (2010) argues that in the modern Western society sport is the fastest way in which a man or a woman can earn social recognition and respect, allowing a person to climb the social ladder in a relatively short period of time compared to people in different professions. The fit body, she states, has replaced all other decorations as the most potent symbol of status and character for both sexes. Also considering the fact that some athletes earn astronomically high salaries it is not hard for …show more content…
In their book ‘’Sports in Society’’ Coakley J. And Pike E. (2009), explain that functionalism focuses on the ways in which participation in sports contributes to the operation of the community. Functionalists, therefore, view the differences in the gender roles on the field, pitch or racing track as necessary because they allow for differences in the personal development of men and women and enable them to become more active contributors in social life by developing the characteristics that society needs: men are expected to work on their strength, raw power and muscle mass in order to be good hunters, warriors or explorers, while women need to develop skills that make them better mothers. Building up on these assumptions, one can see why male aggression is more tolerated, or in some cases in praised in sports, it is considered as a by product of the male’s drive to prove himself as a useful member of the community, a member who if needed will able to provide food and protection. Women’s aggression, however, is largely frowned upon since no mother should be expected to be aggressive in any way and if she is this will be harmful for the bringing up of healthy new individuals, thus harming the …show more content…
Supporting the idea that aggression in sports translates into aggression in society.
Surprisingly, the biggest criticism of the radical feminist view is another branch of the feminist theory- post-modern feminism. Post-modern feminists like Latting (1995), argue that the biggest flaw of the feminist and radical feminist interpretations of gender inequality is their failure to see that not all women are equal and they certainly are not faced with the same hardships. Latting argues, that instead of making broad generalizations about the gender inequality, one must deconstruct the notion of gender in order to ‘’find and identify the marginalized and suppressed voices and bring them to the