Gender Studies

• Oakley (Feminist)


  Sexism harms everyone. Gender role socialisation is responsible for reproducing inequalities in work and it leads to a sexual division of labour, where masculinity is dominant and femininity is subordinate
• Beechey (Marxist)


  Women are in the reserve army of labour in the UK. The position of women in the labour market is intertwined with how capitalism operates. Also argues that women are less likely to join trade unions and more likely to accept low wages
• Hakim (Feminist)


  The position of women has changed, there are more choices available to them. Inequality stems from personal preference, as many women proritise families and childcare over work, allowing men to dominate the labour market
• Walby (Feminist)


  Bridge between radical and marxist feminist view points. States that patriarchy is apparent in 6 institutions: paid employment, household, state, cultural institutions, sexuality, violence against women
• Firestone (Feminist)


  Sexual oppression was the first form of oppression. Gender inequalities and the division of labour arose from biology. Suggested to combat this we should have 'cybernetics' e.g. babies being born in pods to allow men and women to be totally equal
• Benston


  Women support capitalism through reproducing the workforce, and allowing men to concentrate on work - this work is also unpaid which further benefits capitalism
• Ansley (Feminist)


  Women are the 'takers of shit' in the family. They absorb the anger felt by men due to capitalism e.g. domestic violence
• Willis


  Lads were allowed to bully girls in class - preparing them to be sexist later in life.
• Parsons (Functionalist)


  Women play an 'expressive' role compared to the instrumental role that men play.
• Steinem


  The glass ceiling: women can reach a certain position but find it difficult to break through to the top jobs because of sexism
• Weber (men)


  Men are able to rise higher and faster up the career ladder especially in female dominated jobs such as nursing and teaching
• Chant (Feminist)


  Time poverty: because of the multiple areas of work women are engaged in, many of which are underpaid, they struggle to get out of poverty by engaging in activities
• Mac and Ghaill


  Crisis of masculinity: brought about by the feminisation and de-industrilisation of the labour market. Young men have no clear identity or path in life because of the growing equality for women, lack of traditionally male jobs and expectations placed on men
• David Benatar


  'The Second Sexism': men dominate the least desirable, most dangerous, least pay and least security
• Warin et al


  Studied families and found that the majority of fathers, mothers and teenagers believed the father should be the breadwinner. The fathers felt under pressure to provide for their families, a pressure intensified for teenage demands for designer goods. Men who were sick, disabled or unemployed were sad they couldn't supply their families with what they wanted.
• Millet (Radical Feminist)


  Men originally gained power over women because of biological factors, suggests that modern technology has provided developments such as contraceptive pill, which mean men can no longer legitimate their power and domination
• Delphy and Leonard (Feminist)


  The family plays a major part in oppression of women. It is an economic system where men benefit and women are exploited. This can be seen in men making household decisions and women doing domestic work, whilst also paying for childcare.
• Sharpe (Feminist)


  In the 70s, she questioned girls about their futures and found their priorities were love, marriage, husband and children. In the 90s, she found that girls were much more confident, assertive, ambitious and committed to equality. They wanted careers to support themselves
• Murdock (Functionalist)


  Gender division of labour is universal, as she studied 200 societies and found that women were located at home because they were biologically unable to complete the 'strong' work
• Dermott

  Men are more likely to work full time and be self employed. They've also been shown to work longer hours
• Hartmann (Marxist)


  Patriarchy and economic factors play a key role in understanding gender inequality.
• Feeley (Feminist)


  Women produce the next generation of workers who submit to patriarchal authority
• Schlafy (New Right)


  Disagrees with feminism, women should stay in the home with the children as they won't get the accomplishment of raising a child in a job. A women's main role is in the home, gender roles are naturally different but equally important.
• Rich (Radical Feminist)


  Men enforce compulsory heterosexuality to keep women available. (Lesbianism was never recognised historically)
• Stanko (Feminist)


  Men use harassment to intimidate women who enter areas of traditionally male employment
• Weber (Weberian)


  Class: women get lower wages, therefore are lower class

  Status: Men are more dominant so have more status

  Party: not a lot of women in politics (35% in HoC)