what are two key factors that shape gender inequality over the life course?

by Dr. Nicholaus Ernser Sr. 3 min read

Two key factors, increases in single parenting and the increasing intensity of unpaid care work, continue to shape gender inequality across the life course and well into old age. Gender differences in health, and in access to various types of health benefits, vary significantly across the life course.

Full Answer

How to explain gender inequality at all levels?

This gender difference exists for at least two reasons, one cultural and one structural. The cultural reason centers on the depiction of women and the socialization of men. As our discussion of the mass media and gender socialization indicated, women are still depicted in our culture as sexual objects that exist for men’s pleasure.

How does inequality affect women’s lives?

Jan 16, 2017 · The following factors account for issues of gender inequalities in the Ghanaian society. Education inequality Gender differences in enrolment for formal education have narrowed slightly since Independence but continue to persist particularly at higher levels. Dropout rates for boys and literacy rates are still much lower for women than men.

Do biological differences cause gender inequality?

Lack of governmental support, gender inequality and economic uncertainty are some of the factors that are preventing some couples from having an additional child. As Letizia Mencarini points out, gender equality and gender equity appear to go hand-in-hand with higher fertility.

Is ideology a cause or an effect of gender inequality?

Jun 24, 2016 · While there are many factors that explain sex differentials in mortality and morbidity, a key determinant is gender inequality. Gender inequalities manifest in different ways, such as unequal access to resources, power, education …

What are two causes of gender inequality?

Here are 10 causes of gender inequality:
  • #1. Uneven access to education. ...
  • #2. Lack of employment equality. ...
  • #3. Job segregation. ...
  • #4. Lack of legal protections. ...
  • #5. Lack of bodily autonomy. ...
  • #6. Poor medical care. ...
  • #7. Lack of religious freedom. ...
  • #8. Lack of political representation.

What are the two forms of gender inequality?

The following article highlights the seven important forms of gender inequality.
  • Women Works Longer than Men: ...
  • Inequality in Employment and Earnings: ...
  • Ownership Inequality: ...
  • Survival Inequality: ...
  • Gender Bias in the Distribution of Education and Health: ...
  • Gender Inequality in Freedom Expression:

What are the main points of gender inequality?

5 Top Issues Fueling Gender Inequality in the Workplace
  • Unequal pay. On average, American women are more educated than men. ...
  • Sexual harassment. An obstacle that many women face in the workforce is sexual harassment. ...
  • Racism. ...
  • Women are promoted less often than men. ...
  • Fear of asking to be paid what you're worth.
Feb 25, 2019

What are the 3 main areas of gender inequality in the world?

This index, called the Gender Inequality Index, measures inequalities in three dimensions: reproductive health (based on maternal mortality ratio and adolescent birth rates); empowerment (based on proportion of parliamentary seats occupied by females and proportion of adult females aged 25 years and older with at least ...

What are the two elements in gender equality?

A key issue towards insuring gender equality in the workplace is the respecting of maternity rights and reproductive rights of women.

What is meant by gender inequality?

Gender inequality refers to any type of discrimination and inequity that individuals face due to their gender identity.

What are the examples of gender equality?

Gender equality in the workforce means being paid the same salary for equal work, regardless of gender. It also means that if a woman takes time off from work to take maternity leave, for example, she will not be punished when she returns to work.Feb 7, 2022

How did gender inequality start?

Gender inequality has its roots in differences between men and women in society. These result from social constructions of relations, which in turn stem from sexual divisions of labor rooted in biological differences between the genders, such as the ability to breastfeed.

Why do women of color face difficulties?

Earlier we mentioned multicultural feminism, which stresses that women of color face difficulties for three reasons: their gender, their race, and, often, their social class, which is frequently near the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. They thus face a triple burden that manifests itself in many ways.

Do women work in the labor force?

Although women have increased their labor force participation, the workplace remains segregated by gender. Almost half of all women work in a few low-paying clerical and service (e.g., waitressing) jobs, while men work in a much greater variety of jobs, including high-paying ones.

Is Norway a democratic country?

Like other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Sweden) that also rank at the top of the UN’s gender empowerment measure, Norway is a social democratic welfare state characterized by extensive government programs and other efforts to promote full economic and gender equality.

Is sexual harassment a form of violence against women?

Although men can be, and are, sexually harassed, women are more often the targets of sexual harassment, which is often considered a form of violence against women (discussed in Chapter 11 “Gender and Gender Inequality”, Section 11.4 “Violence Against Women: Rape and Pornography” ).

What is workplace harassment?

Another workplace problem (including schools) is sexual harassment, which, as defined by federal guidelines and legal rulings and statutes, consists of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or physical conduct of a sexual nature used as a condition of employment or promotion or that interferes with an individual’s job performance and creates an intimidating or hostile environment.

What is ideology in the gen­der?

Ide­ol­ogy is near the cen­ter of al­most all ef­forts to ex­plain gen­der in­equal­i­ties. Peo­ple's con­cep­tions of mas­culin­ity and fem­i­nin­ity, ideas con­cern­ing the fair­ness of dif­fer­en­tial treat­ment or ex­pec­ta­tions of women and men, in­ter­nal­ized schema that evoke dif­fer­ent judg­ments of women's and men's ac­tions, rules about proper male and fe­male be­hav­ior ap­plied to chil­dren – all these and more con­cern the in­flu­ence of ide­ol­ogy on gen­der iden­ti­ties, dif­fer­en­tial treat­ment of women and men, and the or­ga­ni­za­tion and per­sis­tence of gen­der in­equal­ity. Con­versely, each ide­o­log­i­cal be­lief that sym­bol­izes, le­git­i­mates, in­vokes, guides, in­duces, or helps sus­tain gen­der in­equal­ity is it­self a prod­uct of gen­der in­equal­ity. To un­tan­gle these com­plex causal in­ter­de­pen­den­cies, we must al­ways at­tend care­fully to two kinds of dis­tinc­tions. First, we must con­sis­tently rec­og­nize dif­fer­ences in lev­els of so­cial or­ga­ni­za­tion, in­clud­ing, among oth­ers, so­ci­etal struc­tures and cul­ture, or­ga­ni­za­tions, so­cial net­works, so­cial processes, and in­di­vid­ual ac­tors. While it is tempt­ing to treat ide­o­log­i­cal be­liefs as dif­fuse en­ti­ties un­con­nected to iden­ti­fi­able peo­ple, or­ga­ni­za­tions, or struc­tures, the an­a­lyt­i­cal re­sults are poor. Sec­ond, we must con­sis­tently dis­tin­guish be­tween con­tem­po­ra­ne­ous causes (e.g., the ways that in­ter­nal­ized schema can in­flu­ence in­ter­ac­tions) and asyn­chro­nous or his­tor­i­cal causes (e.g., the ways that changes in do­mes­tic pro­duc­tion in­duce dif­fer­ent ideas about women's place). Causal ar­gu­ments about ide­ol­ogy con­sider it as both an ef­fect of gen­der in­equal­ity and a cause of gen­der in­equal­ity, al­though it is ide­ol­ogy's po­ten­tial role as a con­tribut­ing cause that stands out as more the­o­ret­i­cally im­por­tant.

How is sexuality evoked?

Sex­u­al­ity has been evoked in mul­ti­ple ways in the study of gen­der in­equal­ity. Some have con­sid­ered it as a pos­si­ble mo­ti­vat­ing cause for in­equal­ity, oth­ers have ex­plored how gen­der in­equal­ity can mold the ex­pe­ri­ence and prac­tice of sex­u­al­ity, and oth­ers have tried to the­o­ret­i­cally in­cor­po­rate sex­u­al­ity as a pe­cu­liar ten­sion be­tween women and men that me­di­ates both the causes and ef­fects of gen­der in­equal­ity. Es­sen­tially, every­one rec­og­nizes sex­u­al­ity is crit­i­cally im­por­tant to gen­der in­equal­ity, but we lack agree­ment or clar­ity on how it mat­ters.

What is gender inequality?

Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles. Gender systems are often dichotomous and hierarchical; gender binary systems may reflect the inequalities that manifest in numerous dimensions of daily life.

How does biology determine gender identity?

Sigmund Freud suggested that biology determines gender identity through identification with either the mother or father. While some might agree with Freud, others argue that the development of the gendered self is not completely determined by biology, but rather the interactions that one has with the primary caregiver (s).

Is gender binary or dichotomous?

Gender systems are often dichotomous and hierarchical; gender binary systems may reflect the inequalities that manifest in numerous dimensions of daily life. Gender inequality stems from distinctions, whether empirically grounded or socially constructed.

How do gender roles develop?

According to the non-Freudian view, gender roles develop through internalization and identification during childhood. From birth, parents interact differently with children depending on their sex, and through this interaction parents can instill different values or traits in their children on the basis of what is normative for their sex. ...

Why are cultural stereotypes engrained in men and women?

Cultural stereotypes are engrained in both men and women and these stereotypes are a possible explanation for gender inequality and the resulting gendered wage disparity . Women have traditionally been viewed as being caring and nurturing and are designated to occupations which require such skills. While these skills are culturally valued, they were typically associated with domesticity, so occupations requiring these same skills are not economically valued. Men have traditionally been viewed as the breadwinner or the worker, so jobs held by men have been historically economically valued and occupations predominated by men continue to be economically valued and earn higher wages.

Who coined the term "hereditary inequality"?

Bonnie Spanier coined the term hereditary inequality. Her opinion is that some scientific publications depict human fertilization such that sperms seem to actively compete for the “passive” egg, even though in reality it is complicated (e.g. the egg has specific active membrane proteins that select sperm etc.)

What are cultural stereotypes?

Gender stereotypes. Cultural stereotypes are engrained in both men and women and these stereotypes are a possible explanation for gender inequality and the resulting gendered wage disparity. Women have traditionally been viewed as being caring and nurturing and are designated to occupations which require such skills.

What are the attempts to explain gen­der inequal­ity at all lev­els?

At­tempts to ex­plain gen­der in­equal­ity at all lev­els are haunted by es­sen­tial­ism . Even as they ex­pressly re­ject the pos­si­bil­ity of con­se­quen­tial in­her­ent dif­fer­ences be­tween women and men, the­o­ret­i­cal analy­ses of gen­der in­equal­ity ha­bit­u­ally build on gen­der dif­fer­ences. For some, es­sen­tial­ism al­ways means a dif­fer­ence based in bi­ol­ogy or ge­net­ics; for oth­ers it in­cludes cul­tural dif­fer­ences that are em­bod­ied in women and men.

What is gender ideology?

All these and more facets of gen­der ide­ol­ogy in­duce us to feel dif­fer­ently about women and men and to treat them dif­fer­ently. Gen­der ide­ol­ogy is cru­cial to the or­ga­ni­za­tion and per­sis­tence of gen­der in­equal­ity. Con­versely, every be­lief that sym­bol­izes, le­git­i­mates, in­vokes, guides, in­duces, or helps sus­tain gen­der in­equal­ity is it­self in part a prod­uct of gen­der in­equal­ity. How­ever, while the form of gen­der in­equal­ity may shape gen­der ide­ol­ogy over time, we are gen­er­ally more in­ter­ested in gen­der ide­ol­ogy's role in shap­ing and pre­serv­ing gen­der in­equal­ity.

What is sexual strategies theory?

Sexual Strategies Theory offers an account of these adaptive problems and presents a view of human sexual psychology as a rich repertoire of mechanisms that have evolved as adaptive solutions.

What is evo­lu­tionary psy-chology?

Evo­lu­tion­ary psy­chol­ogy is an in­ter­dis­ci­pli­nary field fo­cused on evo­lu­tion­ary ex­pla­na­tions of human be­hav­ior that has ex­pe­ri­enced ex­plo­sive growth over the past three decades. Its rul­ing as­sump­tion is that mod­ern hu­mans are born with be­hav­ioral pre­dis­po­si­tions that evolved among our human an­ces­tors hun­dreds of thou­sands of years ago. The fun­da­men­tal start­ing point of this field and what the par­tic­i­pants con­sider their most es­tab­lished claims con­cern be­hav­ioral dis­po­si­tions that pur­port­edly dis­tin­guish women from men and ex­plain a crit­i­cal range of gen­der be­hav­ior.

What is the role of critique in scholarly work?

Criticizing the analyses in scholarly publications is an essential part of a scholar's work. The role of scholarly critique in a paper ranges from a one sentence comment on some aspect of a publication to being the central theme pervading every paragraph. The capacity to write effective critiques is not a natural trait but a learned skill. As with most scholarly skills, learning the skills from others is more efficient and effective than trying to invent them anew.

How many people have GD?

Prevalence studies conclude that fewer than 1 in 10,000 adult natal males and 1 in 30,000 adult natal females experience GD, but such estimates vary widely. GD in adults is associated with an elevated prevalence of comorbid psychopathology, especially mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and suicidality.

What are the stages of life?

The four stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Socialization continues throughout all these stages. What happens during childhood may have lifelong consequences. Traumatic experiences and other negative events during childhood may impair psychological well-being in adolescence and beyond ...

What is the most important stage of life?

Childhood. Despite increasing recognition of the entire life course, childhood (including infancy) certainly remains the most important stage of most people’s lives for socialization and for the cognitive, emotional, and physiological development that is so crucial during the early years of anyone’s life.

What are the stages of socialization?

However, socialization continues throughout the several stages of the life course, most commonly categorized as childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age . Within each of these categories, scholars further recognize subcategories, such as early adolescence and late adolescence, early adulthood and middle adulthood, and so forth.

Is a teenager considered a child?

Teenagers are no longer mere children, but they are not yet full adults. They want their independence, but parents and teachers keep telling them what to do. Peer pressure during adolescence can be enormous, and tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use become a serious problem for many teens.

Is peer pressure a problem in adolescence?

Peer pressure during adolescence can be enormous, and tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use become a serious problem for many teens. These are all social aspects of adolescence, but adolescence also is a time of great biological change—namely, puberty.

Is adolescence a biological change?

These are all social aspects of adolescence, but adolescence also is a time of great biological change— namely, puberty. Puberty obviously has noticeable physiological consequences and, for many adolescents, at least one very important behavioral consequence—sexual activity.

Why do teens hang out with older teens?

First, early puberty leads to stress, and stress leads to antisocial behavior (which can also result in violence against the teen committing the behavior). Second, teens experiencing early puberty ( early maturers) are more likely to hang out with older teens, who tend to be more delinquent because they are older.

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I. In­Tro­Duc­Tion. What Do We Mean by Gen­Der In­Equal­Ity?

  • To an­a­lyze the causes of gen­der in­equal­ity, we need to know what we mean by gen­der in­equal­ity. How can we con­ceive of and talk about gen­der in­equal­ity in ways that are gen­eral enough to apply across the range of rel­e­vant phe­nom­ena, con­sis­tent enough to min­i­mize con­cep­tual am­bi­gu­i­ties, and pre­cise enough to be an­a­lyt­i­cally ef­fec­tive? Gen­der in­equal­ity has been ex­tra­or­di­nar­ily di­ver…
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II. Causal­Ity - What Are Causes, Mech­A­Nisms, and The like?

  • We ca­su­ally refer to causes and ef­fects in nor­mal in­ter­ac­tions all the time. We all con­duct our lives – choos­ing ac­tions, mak­ing de­ci­sions, try­ing to in­flu­ence oth­ers – based on the­o­ries about why and how things hap­pen in the world. From the early stages of child­hood we at­tribute causes, build­ing a vi­sion of the so­cial (and phys­i­cal) world that makes it un­der­stand­able. Every ac­tion, ev…
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v. What De­Ter­Mines Men's and Women's Roles and po­si­tions Within Fam­I­Lies?

  • Fam­ily and kin­ship are po­ten­tially rel­e­vant to gen­der in­equal­ity in var­ied ways and a lot of work had pur­sued such is­sues. Prob­a­bly the two most im­por­tant gen­eral is­sues in­volve the ways that women and men are un­equal within fam­i­lies and the ways that fam­ily or­ga­ni­za­tion both con­tributes to and is in­flu­enced by gen­der...
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VII. What Is The Role of Sex­U­Al­Ity?

  • Sex­u­al­ity has been evoked in mul­ti­ple ways in the study of gen­der in­equal­ity. Some have con­sid­ered it as a pos­si­ble mo­ti­vat­ing cause for in­equal­ity, oth­ers have ex­plored how gen­der in­equal­ity can mold the ex­pe­ri­ence and prac­tice of sex­u­al­ity, and oth­ers have tried to the­o­ret­i­cally in­cor­po­rate sex­u­al­ity as a pe­cu­liar ten­sion be­tween women and men that me­di­ates both the cau…
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XI. How Can We Make Sense of Fem­I­Nism's Fate and Role in Con­Tem­Po­Rary U.S.?

  • Today, fem­i­nism is both ex­tolled and con­demned, often by peo­ple whose ori­en­ta­tions to­ward fem­i­nism seem to defy their in­ter­ests. Both the pop­u­lar press and schol­ar­ship have de­voted a lot of ef­fort seek­ing to make sense of peo­ple's be­liefs about fem­i­nism and equal­ity, but these ef­forts have done lit­tle to re­duce the dis­agree­ments. 1. An­a­lyt­i­cal Task 1.1. The goal of this task is to ex­…
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Xiib. How Do The Media in­flu­ence Or re­flect Gen­Der In­Equal­Ity?

  • Com­men­ta­tors often point to­ward media in­flu­ence when they try to ex­plain con­tem­po­rary gen­der in­equal­ity. The­o­ries of media alert us that we must al­ways con­sider rec­i­p­ro­cal causal processes. While any in­di­vid­ual may ap­pear only to be the ob­ject of media in­flu­ence, the con­tent and im­pact of media de­pend greatly on the ex­ist­ing cul­ture and so­cial struc­ture. The re­la­tion­ship of the med…
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XIII. What Does The fu­ture Hold?

  • Where do we go from here? Pre­dict­ing the fu­ture is the ul­ti­mate chal­lenge for causal analy­ses. To have any po­ten­tial to see into the fu­ture, we need a sound and thor­ough causal the­ory, one that can en­com­pass the range of pos­si­ble in­flu­ences si­mul­ta­ne­ously. We also need to cope with the un­pre­dictable po­ten­tial ef­fects of processes and events that are out­side the bound­aries of our t…
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Gender Roles in Parenting and Marriage

Gender Inequality in Relationships

Attempts in Equalizing Household Work

Gender Inequalities in Relation to Technology

Structural Marginalization

Gender Stereotypes

Biological Fertilization Stereotypes

Sexism and Discrimination

  • Gender inequality can further be understood through the mechanisms of sexism. Discrimination takes place in this manner as men and women are subject to prejudicial treatment on the basis of gender alone. Sexism occurs when men and women are framed within two dimensions of social cognition. Discrimination also plays out with networking and in prefer...
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