Women Inequalities
Kelvin Sims
Prof Barton
Soc 121
11-28-12
Gender Inequality
The U.S. Constitution underlies the two important principles of freedom and equality among all the citizens of our nation. There is no question that it took decades of fighting, court hearings, and social movements for this country to achieve the level of freedom and equality in which we have today. However, there is still major gender inequality that is occurring in our very own nation. It sounds crazy that gender inequality occurs in America this day in age, it often gets overlooked and ignored even though we have women activist groups and clear statistics to prove, that the inequality of women is still a major issue in this country. The question at hand is why and how come gender inequality is still evident in America today. There are many theories out there that try to explain the reason why inequality is still happening. The two most arguable theories on this subject are functionalist theories and feminist theories. The one this essay will focus on is the functionalist theory and how it relates to the inequality of women. By definition the, “functionalist approach sees society as a system of interlinked parts that, when in balance, operate smoothly to produce social solidarity” (PowerPoint 10). This approach relates more to this day in age when you deal with women in America, the workforce, and the government. Inequality of women is portrayed in all three of those aspects and it should be the goal of not only women but men too to help balance the equality of women in this nation. Although men are making stronger efforts, it still remains the women who hold most of the child care responsibilities. A mind boggling statistic that in 1960 women performed 32 hours of housework a week compared to only 4 hours a week by men. Now in the last 40 years the gap has dropped and in the 2000’s women outworked the men 19 to 10 (PowerPoint 10), which is much better from the past but still hints at
Prof Barton
Soc 121
11-28-12
Gender Inequality
The U.S. Constitution underlies the two important principles of freedom and equality among all the citizens of our nation. There is no question that it took decades of fighting, court hearings, and social movements for this country to achieve the level of freedom and equality in which we have today. However, there is still major gender inequality that is occurring in our very own nation. It sounds crazy that gender inequality occurs in America this day in age, it often gets overlooked and ignored even though we have women activist groups and clear statistics to prove, that the inequality of women is still a major issue in this country. The question at hand is why and how come gender inequality is still evident in America today. There are many theories out there that try to explain the reason why inequality is still happening. The two most arguable theories on this subject are functionalist theories and feminist theories. The one this essay will focus on is the functionalist theory and how it relates to the inequality of women. By definition the, “functionalist approach sees society as a system of interlinked parts that, when in balance, operate smoothly to produce social solidarity” (PowerPoint 10). This approach relates more to this day in age when you deal with women in America, the workforce, and the government. Inequality of women is portrayed in all three of those aspects and it should be the goal of not only women but men too to help balance the equality of women in this nation. Although men are making stronger efforts, it still remains the women who hold most of the child care responsibilities. A mind boggling statistic that in 1960 women performed 32 hours of housework a week compared to only 4 hours a week by men. Now in the last 40 years the gap has dropped and in the 2000’s women outworked the men 19 to 10 (PowerPoint 10), which is much better from the past but still hints at
Bibliography: 1. Cooper, M. H. (1999, April 30). Women and human rights. CQ Researcher, 9, 353-376. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/ 2. Ferro, Laura. "Gender Inequality in the U.S. Today | Trust Women." Gender Inequality in the U.S. Today | Trust Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.trustwomenpac.org/2012/03/gender-inequality-in-the-u-s-today/>. 3. Rushfan. "10 Extreme Examples Of Gender Inequality." Listverse.com. N.p., 20 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://listverse.com/2008/11/20/10-extreme-examples-of-gender-inequality/>. 4. "19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women 's Right to Vote." America 's Historical Documents. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=13> -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. Women’s location in, and experience of, social situations are not only different but unequal to men’s. [ 2 ]. Trust Women is an organization that tries to promote women to have more control over their reproductive lives. They try and create a burden free haven so women can have healthy pregnancies and deliver safely. The facts and statistics come from a blog written by Laura Ferro, a legislative intern for the Trust Women group. [ 3 ]. Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote.