Forms of Gender Inequality

• Patriarchy refers to male dominance over women. There aren't very many known societies that are not patriarchal, although the degree and character of inequalities between the sexes varies across cultures.
•  Many women are poorly paid and have dim career prospects. Even women who are successful in the corporate world face discrimination in the form of cultural expectations about the proper role of women in society.
• The increasing number of women in the labor force has affected family responsibilities such as child care and housework. Though men contribute more to these responsibilities now than in the past, women still shoulder the bulk of the work. For working women, these household obligations constitute a "second shift."
• The ways schools are organized and classes are taught sustain gender inequalities. Rules specifying appropriate dress for girls and boys encourage sex typing, as do texts containing established gender images. There is evidence that teachers treat girls and boys differently, and there is a long history of specialized subjects for separate sexes.
• Violence by men against women occurs in many societies-in the form of spousal abuse, rape, and sexual harassment, for example. Some scholars argue that women are often the targets of sexual violence because men are socialized to see women as sex objects and to feel a sense of sexual entitlement to women.

Gender Inequality College Majors

There have always been gender inequality in what majors college students choose and how they differ between men and women. Males and females make different choices with regards to college majors. Two main reasons have been suggested for this gender gap: differences in innate abilities, and differences in preferences.Even though women earned 58% of all undergraduate degrees awarded in 2008, they’re earning less money on average than men. Out of the top ten highest-earning majors, none are dominated by women, which means that the degrees women choose are far lower in the salary hierarchy. In most cases, these high-paying majors are completely dominated by men – in 7 out of the top 10 majors, over 75% of the degrees go to men. These majors are aviation, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, engineering, nuclear engineering, information technology, and electrical engineering. The remaining three of the top 10 majors are roughly equalized between men and women: business administration, business, and economics. 

Gender Inequality: Hollywood

The "other USC," the University of Southern California, released data from a study on gender inequality in Hollywood. The study surveyed the top 100-grossing movies of 2009 and found that percentages of speaking characters were identical to those of the top-grossing movies of 2008.

Out of 4,342 speaking characters 32.8% were female and 67.2% were male.

Associate professor Stacy L. Smith is quoted in the LA Times, "We see remarkably stable trends. This reveals an industry formula for gender that may be outside of people's conscious awareness."

Through discussions of gender inequality just with my peers, I have realized that most people do not think that gender inequality still exists, or they would rather just not talk about it. But Professor Smith makes a valid point about gender inequality on a larger scale than just hollywood: that issues of gender inequality "may be outside of people's conscious awareness."

Findings on revealing clothing display a disparity between men and women as well. Women are more likely to wear more suggestive clothing than men. Age becomes a factor in nudity as well, as "revealing clothing and partial nudity was just as prevalent among 13 to 20-year-old female characters as it was among those 21 to 29, suggesting that females are sexualized on-screen ay young ages."

Those involved at the study at USC believe that one of the reasons that contributes to these disparities is the fact that more men are directing things behind the scenes. They claim that if things were to change behind the scenes then things would change on the screen as well.

I have to agree. According to the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the only area where women surpassed men in films in 2009 is that they bought more than 50% of the movie tickets.

Women of Brazil Advance Slower Than The Economy

With the recent seating of Dilma Rousseff in the office of president of Brazil, the country has seen dramatic changes.  Rousseff (who has been mentioned in previous posts), is the first female president of the country.  She is an accomplished economist, onetime Marxist militant and handpicked successor to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.  At one time, many wondered if she would be able to fill Mr. da Silva's shoes.  She has proven in her time in office that she can stand on her own two feet.  At the helm of the world's seventh-largest economy, her position is being looked very closely because of the current economic crisis globally but also as a representative of what women are capable of.  In her 11 months in office, she has un-apologetically appointed women to high profile positions like minister of institutional relations and chief of staff, with a third of her cabinet being women. However, even with her progressive thinking and placement of women in very influential positions, women in Brazil overall are not progressing as quickly.  Women have progressed in the areas of education, health and in the professions and technical fields.  However, their economic and political power has not seen the same rate of increase; in fact, it is growing quite slowly, as they are behind in managerial and senior positions.  It was found in the Executive Opinion Survey conducted by the World Economic Forum that executives rated Brazilian women's ability to rise to positions of senior leadership in business at 4.06 on a scale of 1 to 7.  Women only hold 9 percent of parliamentary positions which is very low compared to the world average.  Hopefully with Rousseff leading the way, women in Brazil will be able to close the gap in workforce.

Sleep On It

The New York Times is usually read by those who take news seriously.  It is one of the most reliable news sources in print media today.  However, recently The New York Times has come under fire by writer for The Huffington Post, Joan Williams.  Williams' gripe with The Times is that they have taken gender inequality to lightly to the point of disrespect.  The article in question begins making light of a study done at the Emory Sleep Center in Atlanta, where 3 out of 4 patients are women.  It makes light of a particular case in which a working mother, afraid of developing an addiction, would rather suffer from insomnia than to take Xanax.  This woman suffers from anxiety and felt anxious about taking an anti-anxiety medication (oh, the irony).  However this issue is one that should be taken more seriously.  This incident is not funny and is a concern of many working mothers (to varying degrees).  It can be very difficult to deal with the sleeplessness that comes as a result of pregnancy only to be followed by sleepless nights spent awake with an newborn. Women's bodies change and adapt to the lifestyle change causing biological reactions that may be unfavorable, like sleeplessness.  However, women going through this take this seriously and perhaps The New York Times should too.

Gender Inequality in the Courts

 I read this article entitled "Gender Inequality in the Courts," and found it quite interesting. It is a guide for the all of New Mexico state and federal courts. In the reading it provided specific examples of gender bias presented in the court. These included:
"1. A tendency by some judges to treat female lawyers with greater deference and courtesy than male lawyers. Male lawyers tend to see this behavior as favoritism toward their female counterparts. Female lawyers often find this behavior condescending and paternalistic.

2. Lack of sensitivity in the types of questions asked of victims of domestic abuse or sexual violence. Questions to a battered spouse about what she did to provoke a beating, or why she returned to the home, refl ect biased assumptions. When impaneling jurors, judges should be sensitive to the types of questions about the juror’s work, so that the nature of that work is not demeaned. Work within the home is no less important than work outside the home.

3. When judges look less alert and attentive, fail to take notes, or assume a bored expression when a woman speaks, they convey in a powerful way the message that women’s presentations are less important than those of men.

4. Some judges may be hesitant to respond assertively to gender-biased misconduct that occurs in their presence. If male attorneys engage in blatant or subtle forms of gender bias toward female attorneys or witnesses, it is important that the judge intervene to stop such behavior. Behavior or statements which are demeaning to women must be excluded from the courtroom. A firm reminder from the judge at the first instance of inappropriate behavior will tend to stop it, without major disruption to the proceedings or embarrassment to the woman."

These four are great examples of gender inequality in the courts.
http://www.nmbar.org/attorneys/lawpubs/genderequality.pdf

Gender Inequality:Child Custody

   In court cases about child custody, is where many memebers of society believes gender inequality exist dramatically. Many perceive th rulings to be very unfair and not right. The decision of the court seems not to follow the guideline as placing the child with the parent that will be more appropriate, providing a susatinable environment.
  In every child custody hearing, it is always more likely that the child, or children will be placed with their mother. Many believe that a child being with their mother is always better for the child. This is not always the case. Some fathers can provide more for a child, not just financially but emotional and supportive as well. Some mothers are fighting for custody just so that they can receive a child support check each month, which is their only motive. Where as a father motive is not to receive a child support check a month, but to just have the opportunity to see their child, or children on a daily basis. It is not always the case that a mother will raise a child more efficient than a man is the gender inequality argument.

Women in Public Service

Hillary Rodham Clinton

One of the main topics that has interested me most this semester is gender stratification pertaining to occupations. Why do women and men tend to drift towards certain occupations? Is it because of personal interest, or does society's influence have an effect?

Personally, I believe society still plays a role in leading individuals to choose occupations based on gender. Two common examples are men as engineers and women as nurses, but one that causes a huge concern for me is women in public service and politics.

According to MarketWatch.Com, 17.5% of the world's elected offices are held by women, and the numbers in the United States are lower.

There are individuals attempting to shrink the gap between women and men in public service. One of the most recent is Wellesley College (Hillary Rodham Clinton's alma mater) and the U.S. State Department teaming up to bring women the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Women in Public Service Summer Institute, which is a part of the Women in Public Service Project.

According to MarketWatch.Com, "The institute will convene fifty promising women leaders from around the world, including areas undergoing political transformations and social change, such as Arab countries in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. Participants will benefit from training and networking sessions with their peers and established leaders, a forum for shared learning and dialogue on leadership, and a global exchange of ideas and resources."

The Women in Public Service Project was introduced in March 2011 in efforts to attract and keep more women in politics. With programs like this, hopefully our government will move towards a better representation of our nation as a whole.

Foreign Assistance Gives Women Opportunities to Succeed

Many Americans believe that America should offer aid to developing countries as a matter of human interest.  Aid comes from America in the form of food programs, education programs, money, etc.  The recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to 3 women, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and peace activist Leymah of Gbowee of Liberia and Yemeni democracy advocate Tawakul Karman is proof that these programs can benefit humanity.  These women have worked hard to make strides in their own countries, for the well-being of their people and by extension, the world.  They represent social progress taking place around the world.  Due in part to aid from the United States, these women have all benefited from partnerships with Harvard University, the American Jewish World Service or the State Department's International Visitor's Leadership Program. 

 There is a correlation between gender and development around the world.  It is important that we  rethink the budget cuts being made to programs that not only support its participants, but also human freedoms throughout the world. 6 out of 10  of the poorest people in the world are female, and females make up 2 thirds of the illiterate worldwide.  Last month's Nobel Peace Prize winners are representatives of what can happen if women are given opportunities to succeed.

A Push for More Women in Elected Office

I read an article this weekend titled, “New Political Group Aims to Push Women to Seek Elected Offices.” A brief summary is that there is a new organization from Ventura County, California called The Ventura County Women’s Political Council who are trying to recruit and train women for public office. In the article it gives statistics that pertain to both the issue of women serving in Ventura County but also national statistics of women in office.

The statistics that this article gave were eye opening. At the state level, women make up 28 percent of the Legislature, while at the national level 90 serve in the Senate and House of Representatives, holding 16.6 percent of 535 elected offices, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.That is just a ridiculous amount of under representation; you would think that because women make up a little more than half of the population that they would be represented accordingly in our government. But I suppose it goes back to the debate as to whether or not someone has to belong to a certain group to represent them accordingly. There are certain politicians who say they are pro women but it’s debatable if they count as representation as they aren’t a woman.

Something that struck me as odd about this council is that their core teachings are issues that women usually go to school for or have some sort of background knowledge in; reproductive health, the environment, social, educational, and economic justice. Before this semester I had not heard much about these political schools so it's interesting to read about one opening up and the stats that come with it. 

Link to original article: 

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/01/new-political-group-aims-to-push-women-to-seek/

Gender Inequality: Nudity

Photo

One of the lessons of the world my mom had to teach me when I was young was why men were allowed to walk around with their shirts off and women weren't (the question stemmed from seeing men jogging or doing yard work without their shirts on.) I couldn't have been more than five at the time, but I remember my mom's reply, "We just can't. It's against the law."

I'm not proposing that women be allowed to walk around without their shirts off, but the whole idea of what is acceptable for women to wear and how what women wear directly effects how people perceive them is such an interesting topic to me.

On VH1's show Tough Love, one of the contestants gives up her job as a go-go dancer in order to please a man she is interested in. Later in the season, she admits that her career goal is becoming a Playmate and is afraid of telling her mother.

Some would argue that women being able to dress scantily and pose nude is empowerment. The key to this argument is choice, which I am all for in all aspects because, honestly, who likes being told what to do? But this idea is still hard for me to accept for myself. If it is indeed empowerment (which I don't think anyone will ever agree), it implies that I can get what I want only through my ability to be physically appeasing.

And I'm not saying that men don't get ahead because of their attractive qualities, because studies have shown that more attractive people in general are favored more. But, if a man chooses to pose nude he isn't judged the same way a woman is, and it is not assumed that he poses nude because he has no brains to accomplish anything else.

So, I am not judging women who aspire to goals like the woman from Tough Love, nor am I saying that women should have to cover up. But, I just wish people would drop the whole empowerment spiel, and stop choosing how to judge a person based on their sex.

Women Own 1% of the World's Property

There was a lovely article I read written by Soraya Chemaly entitled, "Women Own 1% of the World's Property. Occupy That!" The UN has a particular field just for women and researching the inequalities women suffer around the world. Well this article brought to light some of these statistics and one of the most shocking, being the percent of women who own property. She also discusses the belief that some people have that the Occupy movement is feminist at it's core, but she points out:

"Men's visits... have been consistently reported -- just perform a basic internet search for Michael Moore, Russell Simmons, Kanye West, Cornel West or Chris Hedges. But what about Naomi Klein, Barbara Ehrenreich, Eve Ensler and Susan Sarandon, to name a few?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/women-own-1-of-the-worlds_b_1076715.html

Few of the statistics that the article mentions:

• There is a direct link between increased female labour participation and growth: It is estimated that if women’s paid employment rates were raised to the same level as men’s, America’s GDP would be 9 percent higher; the euro-zone’s would be 13 percent higher, and Japan’s would be boosted by 16 percent
• Women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of the food, but earn 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property
• In Sri Lanka, food took up to a quarter of migrant women workers’ wages in 2008, so women since then have reduced their meals from three to two times a day and/or reduced the quality of their diet in response to declining wages and dramatic increases in the costs of basic necessities

http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/women_poverty_economics/facts_figures.php

Gender Equality: Monarchy

Sons and daughters in the monarchy now have equal rights to the throne. 16 leaders of Commonwealth countries approved the change unanimously at a summit in Perth, Australia.

This means that if the highly publicized couple William & Kate have a daughter first, she will be able to obtain the throne even if they have a son later. BBCNews

Personally, I cannot believe it has taken this long. The idea that a younger son would inherit the throne simply because he is male is ludicrous.

According to MailOnline:

• The ancient rules of royal succession have handed men the balance of power for hundreds of years.
• If the new rules had been in force in 1509 Margaret Tudor would have taken the throne instead of Henry VIII. That could have meant the Reformation would never have taken place and Elizabeth I would never have been Queen.
• If the practice had been changed as recently as the last century, Britain could have had two Queen Victorias back to back.
• Princess Victoria, the Princess Royal would have acceded to the throne in 1901 instead of King Edward VII.
• When she died just a few months later, her son Kaiser Wilhelm II would have ascended the throne – something which could have prevented the First World War.
• The Queen of England now would have been the completely unknown Princess Marie Cecile of Prussia

It will be interesting to see how the monarchy's new equality will shape history from this point forward. The recent changes display why something should not stay enacted simply because it is tradition.

Leading Ladies of Hollywood: Not Easily Forgiven, Too Easily Forgotten

Hollywood is riddled with scandal for the general public to watch almost as closely as the movies stars and starlets make.  It seems that all too often stars are caught in situations with the law for all the world to see.  Looking back, it would also seem that males seem to bounce back from these indiscretions more easily than men.  Through the years, men tend to repair their reputations merely by issuing a formal apology in the media and serving their sentence, while women of Hollywood, struggle to re-calibrate and  move forward in their careers.

For example, in 1996 Robert Downey Jr. seemed to have spent more time trying to sabotage his career than build it.  In June of that year he was arrested after being caught with heroin, cocaine, crack and a gun in his possession.  Three weeks later he was found passed out in a stranger's bed.  Four days after that he escaped a detox center, where he'd been placed by court order.  Between 1996 and 2001, he bounced in and out of prison for drug use and possession.  Many thought he would never come back from his legal woes and fight the demons within, driving him towards madness.  However, in a comeback that is so rare, he saved his career.  He cleaned up his act and landed roles in "Tropic Thunder" (which earned him an Oscar nod) and the "Iron Man" and "Sherlock Holmes" franchises.

However, Winona Ryder, whose transgressions were far less than Downey's, has never been able to restore her image.  Once a sought-after starlet, starring in films like "Girl, Interrupted", "Heathers", "Little Women", "Mermaids" and "Beetlejuice" among other notable films, Ryder was arrested in December 2001 for grand theft after stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.  Her conviction was later reduced to a misdemeanor in 2004.  She paid her fines, attended counseling, and completed 480 hours of community service.  Despite repaying her debt to society, Ryder continues to struggle years later with her return to roles as a leading lady.  Since the arrest, she has been in supporting roles in blockbusters such as "Black Swan" and "Star Trek".  Her spotlight has gone dim after a single arrest that didn't involve drugs, sex or physical injury to herself or anyone else.  

Perhaps the difference between the two is that Downey had Mel Gibson in his corner, who paid for his insurance on the film "The Singing Detective", which aided Downey in his climb up the ladder to fame once more when insurance companies refused to cover him.  Ryder didn't have anyone to help her in such a way.

But, maybe the key is the amount of time spent in the spotlight as a result of scandal versus the amount of spotlight due to actual work.  Sean Penn, for example, spent 33 days in jail in 1987 for hitting a film extra and reckless driving and was later sentenced to 300 hours of community service in 2010 after he kicked a photographer.  These incidents seem to have had little effect on his career because he has been in the spotlight for far more films and well-played roles than for his run-ins with the law (he has two Oscars under his belt for "Mystic River" and "Milk").

However, the same cannot be said for the likes of Naomi Campbell who assaulted a housekeeper, police officer and her assistant between the years of 2000 and 2008.  It is thought that because she has spent most of her career in magazines, on billboards and on runways that the general public doesn't feel as much connection to her.

Chris Brown is evidence that males don't always need to put forth much effort to win back fans.  In 2009 when he assualted Rihanna, most people didn't believe he'd be able to rebuild his career.  Though he hasn't shed his violent image (he threw a chair at a window after an unpleasant "Good Morning America" interview earlier this year), he's maintained a successful career in music with his most recent effort, "F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies)" debuted at number 1 in March on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Chris Brown was forgiven, but the public has less tolerance for racist remarks as evidenced by Michael Richards, formerly of "Seinfeld".  After using racial slurs during a stand-up routine against two African-American audience members, he struggled to redirect his career in a positive direction. 

Lindsay Lohan could be doomed if she doesn't get her life together, but Britney Spears' triumphant return should give her hope of a return of her own, if she does the work. Spears had an unforgettable breakdown in 2007 which included her shaving her head and losing custody of her two children; no one believed she would be able to come back from.  However today, she is in a much better place, appearing to be healthier and happier than she did back then.  Her father seems to be the key to her success, having taken control of her assets in 2008 after Spears lost custody of her children and was put under involuntary psychiatric hold twice.

Lohan probably won't be receiving the same type of help from her parents anytime soon as her mom-ager Dina has allegedly been shopping a tell-all memoir and her father Michael historically uses his daughter's fame to propel himself into the spotlight.  

Fans could welcome Lohan back with open arms as they did for Spears if she would put more energy into working instead of partying and getting arrested.  But after a slew of arrests, and more mugshots than red carpet photos circulating, it's going to take a lot hard work to repair her image and return to the public's good graces.  Given the history of men and women in Hollywood who have found themselves in Lohan's place (to varying degrees, in fairness), Lohan has her work cut out for her.  Perhaps, instead of posing for Playboy to relaunch her career she should start shaking hands and kissing babies.