Paper Sample on Gender Inequality: A History of Disadvantages and Recent Changes

Introduction

Gender inequality is a social marker of economic and social stratification as a consequence of exclusion. Gender stereotypes reinforce gendered identities while constraining women's and men's behavior in a way that results in inequality. Women have faced historical disadvantages, and that has increased the gender disparities, putting them at a disadvantage. Recently there has been many changes regarding gender equality. Such changes include the changes under the Constitution Act, 1982 which introduced the protection of women. Regardless of the progress, informal barriers are still present, leading to the discrimination of women putting them at a great disadvantage compared to men (Superman & Curtis 2011). The Canadian education system has not been immune to discrimination towards women; the school system has arguably been vessels for inequality (Knudson-Martin & Mahoney 2009). For change to occur there is need to recognize that inequality is serious issue that needs urgent attention.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Thesis statement: This article will review theoretical perspectives on gender inequality and how post-secondary educational attainment can be a major determinant of socio-economic status.

The first section of the paper will discuss the background of educational inequalities in Canada, in particular gender inequality in universities. Secondly, this piece will discuss how the relationship between gender inequality in the education sector and the socio-economic effects. Finally, the essay will discuss post-education biases and make a conclusion on the effects of gender biases in education and possible solutions.

Background

Education is a significant way of how socialization occurs, according to structural functionalists. Also, society is obsessed with assigning social statuses to people according to the perceived level of "success." Using such a perceived level of success to assign individuals into groups is called ascribed status. The desire to gain an upward status is what reinforces the emphasis put on social status. This desire has made people, including Canadians, believe that getting a certain level of educational achievement will lead to climbing the social ladder, increasing their capital, and ultimately achieving a higher ascribed status. Difference in cultures, region and religion preferences sometimes explain the gender inequality.

Besides, the education system sorts individuals into categories that sends messages to prospective employers regarding individuals' abilities in an approach known as signaling theory. Many scholars suggest that sorting individuals to categories may lead to economic inequality based on where an individual receives post-secondary education (Tepperman & Curtis 2011). For example, men have dominated the fields considered as technical like engineering and medicine. women on the other hand have a tendency to study teaching and nursing. Although many jobs need similar educational achievements, the financial reward for education, and nursing incomparable (Tepperman & Curtis 2011). According to Colonnell, 'gendering of knowledge,' symbolizes the educational structure. This refers to teachers defining certain subjects or areas as 'masculine' and others as 'feminine' (Connell 1996).

Also, as a consequence of the sorting of people into different categories, there emerges a division of primary and secondary labor wage markets. The primary labor market is the technical with high wage and requires high skills. The secondary labor market on the other hand consists of unskilled jobs with low-paying jobs which are not stable (Tepperman & Curtis 2011). The placement into each category depends on abilities, social traits and backgrounds; which are clearly achieved through formal post-secondary education. It is essential to recognize that even in modern society, women make up a large portion of the secondary labor market and, therefore, consistently earn less, they have less job security, and face more inequality in hiring practices (Fausto-Sterling 1992).

In Canada alone, compared to the men women earn averagely less than $10,000 for vocations mostly considered as women’s (Williams, 2010). Accordingly, women who have a post-secondary certificate or diploma make 71.2% of what men with the same education level (Williams, 2010). In vocations labeled as feminine, the disparity between both genders is small. In technical vocations, mostly those that are male dominated, the wage disparity increases by above 50% (Williams, 2010).

Post-Secondary Education Bias

Conflict theory suggests that the educational system facilitates inequality based on gender and race (Tepperman & Curtis 2011). Conflict theory applies to the inequality in the education system as we see with the marginalization of women in the education system. An excellent example is before confederation, where girls were required to stay at home and fulfill familial duties while boys went to school. When such girls wanted to join post-secondary education, they were guided to a path of social sciences such as nursing and teaching. Comparatively, highly skilled, and men mostly dominate well-paying jobs. Such discrimination in post-secondary education has led to the socioeconomic differences between women and men. Stratton et al. (2005) suggest that there is still a form of informal discrimination within medical schools (Stratton et al. 2005). This study found that women tend to think about discrimination and sexism before deciding which medical specialization to enroll (Stratton et al. 2005).

Further researches show that once women gain popularity in specific job markets, the job sector prestige decreases (Banks 1988). Accordingly, women who fight gender stereotypes, and succeed in male-dominated vocation, receive less pay for equal job opportunities. This research reinforces the fact that there have been courses culturally defined as male and others as female (Banks 1988). Consequently, the stereotype influences women's decision-making, increasing the disparities with men and exposing them to lesser economic gain benefits compared to men (Stratton et. al 2005).

Despite the change in social perceptions, historical stereotypes continue to be reinforced, where women do not achieve the same economic and social status compared to men. Socioeconomic conditions continue to be primarily influenced by education. In a report released by Statistics Canada, the authors suggest that education level offers an explanation as to the decline in economic inequality between men and women (Coulombe & Frenette 2007). These findings indicate that a person’s education level is a key predictor on socioeconomic class. Even though the 1982 Constitution attempts to address the issue of inequality faced due to gender biases; gender remains permissive in culture, making it difficult for women to achieve true socioeconomic equality.

Evidently, gender inequality is an impediment to economic growth, as it lowers the average quality of human capital. In addition to the negative effects of gender inequality other effects of gender inequalities include; stratification of their capabilities and their well-being is compromised. Generally, continued gender inequalities come at a societal cost. If women have access to education, it means the economy will improve. Education is an area that ought to provide learning opportunities and support women, but it fails to offer solutions to the problems faced by women in the education system. The pillar of our society is the equality of every individual regardless of race or gender. As a consequence of the lack of solutions, women face discrimination and inequality in the educational system. Despite the historical inequalities, gender researchers need to be cognizant that not all gender disparities favor men. In recent years, trends in educational gains show a changing trend, where more women have higher educational attainment levels than men. In dealing with gender equality, policymakers need to promote greater equality by not lowering the standard of the already dominant (males) group. Gender equality is about giving equal opportunities for both genders. It is not about transferring the rights from one group to another. Therefore, giving equal access to everyone is beneficial to the society in all aspects.

Conclusion

The process of achieving social and economic equality is long and slow but very possible. Gender bias and implicit sexism still exists in the education system, despite a decline in overt gender bias (Stratton et. al 2005). Social and economic inequality remains a significant issue for women until historical biases are eliminated such as social injustice and stereotypes. People need to be educated about the implicit stereotypes that exist to be aware and avoid continuing with such discrimination. Discriminative tendencies are picked from a young age; education on such biases should start at the elementary level. At the government level, policy changes can reduce educational gender bias, which has dire social consequences across the board. At a personal level, pausing and examining own beliefs and practice is the beginning of changing our own unconscious beliefs. To gain traction in pursuing gender inequality over the years, people must engage straightforwardly in issues of sociology, history, and justice. There is sheer power in the act of reflection; this is where change starts, and the most potential lies.

References

Banks, T. L. (1988). Gender bias in the classroom. Journal of Legal Education, 38(2), 137-146.

Cool, J. (2010). Wage Gap Between Women and Men. Ottawa: Library of Parliament. Retrieved from http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-30-e.pdf

Connell, R. W. (1996). Teaching the boys: New research on masculinity, and gender studies for schools. Teachers College Record, 98(2), 206- 235.

Coulombe, S., Frenette, M. (2007). Has Higher Education among Young Women Substantially Reduced the Gender Gap?. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11f0019m/11f0019m2007301-eng.pdf

Fausto-Sterling, A. (1992). Myths of Gender: Biological Theories About Women and Men. New York, NY: BasicBooks.

Fausto-Sterling, A. (2009). Dueling dualisms. In A. L. Ferber, K. Holcomb, & T. Wentling, Sex, Gender & Sexuality (pp. 6-21). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.

Knudson-Martin, C., & Mahoney, A.R. (2009). Couples, Gender, and Power: Creating Change in Intimate Relationships. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

MacNeill, T. (2011, November 23). Schools and education [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from University of Ontario Institute of Technology WebCT site: http://www.uoit.ca/connect

Stratton, T.D., McLaughlin, M.A., Witte, F.M., Fosson, S.E., & Nora, L.M. (2005). Does students’ exposure to gender discrimination and sexual harassment in medical school affect specialty choice and residency program selection?. Academic Medicine, 80(4), 400-408.

Tepperman & Curtis. (2011). Social Problems: A Canadian Perspective, 3rd Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press.