Gender Inequality: Causes and Impacts

Gender Inequality: Causes and Impacts Research Paper:  Gender Inequality For many centuries, men have been the dominant gender and women have been the minority. Men were the breadwinners† and women just stayed home and took care of the housework and children. Women barely had any rights. Their husbands could abuse them and get away with it easily. Fortunately, over a period of time, things have slowly changed. However, this is still a very serious and widespread problem. Women are still at the bottom of the chain. What was the cause of this inequality and what will be the consequences if this problem continues to linger? Gender inequality, in my definition, is the unequal and biased treatment between the two sexes. I strongly believe that the unequal treatment of women is something that should have stayed in primitive times. We are in the present now and we are far more advanced than we ever were and yet we are old school in our thinking of how men and women should be treated. I can strongly identify with gender inequality because many of my closest friends have faced it or still face it. Materialist theories define gender inequality as a result of how men and women are tied to the economic structure of society. They believe that womens role as a mother and wife are devalued by society and deny access to highly respected public opportunities. Gender inequality is definitely something that we often take for granted; it is accepted and seems so normal in society. These differences often seem invisible to us even though it happens in our everyday life in everything from employment and education to polit ics and the media without us being aware of it. Before we look at the gender inequalities in paid employment, it is vital to look at unpaid labor and the discriminations that women face. History has shown us that the roles and responsibilities for men and women were already chosen for them. In the United Kingdom, there was a trend of male dominance in employment until World War II where women gained male-orientated jobs for the first time whilst the men fought in the front line. Before this, the males were often the breadwinners and therefore provided for their family. On the other hand, the females were more inclined to be involved in unpaid labor often labeled as housewives who performed chores around the family home and looked after the children. You could apply Leslie Feinberg’s theory to this as back then it was just accepted and seen as the way of life for men and women. It was found in a study in 2006 that on average ‘women spent 180 minutes per day on housework; that’s 78% more time than men who spent only 101 minutes per day.’ This reveals that even in current society women are still accepted to partake in unpaid labor through housework rather than be in employment and this reflects the past in the United Kingdom. A very good example of this are the employment rates in the UK as it was around 79% for men and 70 % for women which has remained unchanged since 1999. (Office of National Statistics, 2008). It has to be said that in recent times, the division between males and females is less evident but inclination towards male dominance in employment is still shown. It was reported that the gender pay gap in the UK is one of the highest in Europe: women who work full-time earned 17% less per hour than men and women working part-time earned 39% less per hour than men working full-time. (Office of National Statistics, 2008) In the United States, the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. However, women’s place in society and in employment has improved greatly since the Equal Pay Act of 1970. Over the years, there has been an increase of women in the workplace with women working in a larger number of senior positions. This reveals that even though there have been improvements in some areas, men often still have the upper hand in employment. Today, this gender inequality is accepted in society which reveals a strong unfairness against women in employment. Men and women still follow very different career paths. Men are much more likely than women to be employed in skilled trades whereas women are more likely than not to be forced into working lower paid labor jobs such as cleaning. ‘Women tend not to put their whole bodies into engagement in a physical task with the same ease and naturalness as men’ (Young, Iris. M, 207). There is the national organization for tradeswomen called ‘Women and Manual Trades (WAMT) who support training women to wo rk in plumbing, building and electricians for example. As well as this, they address the problem of low female representation in such work. Although there are organisations such as the WAMT who support women working in skilled trades the likeliness of women to partake in such a job is still very low and shows little improvement. This, yet again, reveals the strong dominance of men in employment worldwide. The notion of being a female is considered to have more challenges than male within the mass media. There is an unbalanced and stereotyped representation of women in the media and a lot of the time they are dominated by men in their roles. Gender inequalities traditionally were greatly enforced in media output with women being used in advertisements to sell anything from cars to tobacco. As well as this, women were often portrayed as ‘sex objects’ in the media, especially in the 1980’s when men’s magazines were first distributed. This still happens in rec ent times as women are displayed in the magazines mostly for male entertainment which is a major gender inequality as it uses the objectification of women. As well as this, women often feel insecure and are forced to impress men by copying what they see in the magazines. This happens in most of the media from the magazines and newspapers to advertisements in television they are such powerful forces which influence society to a great extent. Furthermore, women in more contemporary media are still sexualized and the men still look at women in the same way as before. It was discovered in the late 1990’s that ‘44% of music videos contain sexual imagery. Women are far more likely than men to be presented in provocative or revealing clothing and sexually objectified.’ This links to female stereotypes and sexualization which are abused in this present day in media especially with the rapid growth of the internet in recent years often through sexual images of women linke d to the sex industry such as pornography being easily accessible on the internet which often depicts women as mere entertainment for men. The nature of pornography is a prime example of the sexualized representation of women in society. Gender inequality is not an issue that can be resolved within a day or two, and reaching our final goal of equality is not going to be an easy step, all we can do is break it down into many factors and give it time to pay off. First part of our resolution is educational wise, which is basically teaching our young ones counter gender stereotypes from kinder-garden, and holding on to these beliefs all the way till college. This can be done by showing both sexes that there aren’t any male or female biased sports, there isn’t a major that a girl shouldn’t get into because it’s a â€Å"man major†, those stereotypes should be totally eradicated from all new generations. Another part of our resolution is promoting equality in the labor fields; maybe have a long lasting initiative to promote equality in all labor fields. Some people might say that women cannot perform many jobs that men do like construction working, well during WW2, women were the only ones doing these â€Å"men jobs† while all the men were gone to fight in the war. Another possible way to resolve our issue is through celebrities and TV. Nowadays, everyone’s role model is a Hollywood star, a singer, a model, so basically a celebrity. Why don’t we make these celebrities indirectly implant the idea of equality in our human brains, why don’t they show us that males and females are capable of doing the same jobs and quests and that segregation is not needed. Again, I repeat that this won’t be an easy process and it might take a very long time but at the end of the day, gender inequality is a very big issue and it has to be resolved sooner or later. Humanity requires both men and women, and we are equally important and need one another. So why are women viewed as less than equal? These old attitudes are drilled into us from the very beginning. We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible. We have a lot of work to do, but we can get there if we work together. Unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. With determination, commitment and strong belief, we can achieve our goal.

Gang membership, Drug Selling, and Violence in Neighborhood Context Ess

Smiley is a man who was released back into the society on a parole. He was sent back to live in his neighborhood. Shinichi Suzuki, a famous Japanese violinist who invented Suzuki Method, got the right idea of Smiley’s situation when he said â€Å"Man is a child of his environment†. It means that Smiley is a product of his environment. His neighborhood is a no picnic. The neighborhood is a basically a graveyard of American dreams. Like everyone else in America, Smiley values individualism, achievement, money, and family unity highly. However he is in a hostile society where his rough background is rejected and regarded as a stigma. He does not have education or an escape from his neighborhood where people are under a great strain. The reason for the strain is because American culture sets the bar for gold standards of an ideal lifestyle that in the reality that social structures in some groups cannot follow (Shelden, Brown, Miller, & Fitzler, 2008). According to strain theory, Smiley’s neighbors all want same things but they cannot get them legally so they decide to find illegal loopholes. They go in this state that Robert Merton would call anomie (Shelden, Brown, Miller & Fritzler, 2008). According to him, the state is when â€Å"social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in the society to engage in nonconforming rather than conforming conduct† ( p.78). A gang in Smiley’s neighborhood pressures Smiley into practicing norms that are considered unacceptable legally . Smiley’s gang approves stealing, violence, abuse of drugs, and organized crimes. Smiley had to adapt by conforming to the gang’s values, follow ritualism like wearing certain colors and speaking gang jargon, and view the world as us ( gang) against them.... ..., T. (2009). Gang membership, drug selling, and violence in neighborhood context. Justice Quarterly, 26(4), 645-669. Opsal, T. (2009). Women on parole: Understanding the impact of surveillance. Women & Criminal Justice, 19(4), 306-328. Shelden, R.G., Brown, W.B., Miller, K.S., & Fritzler, R.B. (2008). Crime and criminal justice in american society. Long Grove, Illinosis: Waveland Press, INC. Stickels, J. (2007). The game of probation. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 22(1), 33-43. Wilkinson, D.L. (2007). Local Social Ties and Willingness to Intervene: Textured Views Among Violent Urban Youth of Neighborhood Social Control Dynamics and Situations. Justice Quarterly : JQ, 24(2), 185-220. (Document ID: 1295281001). http://ezproxy.rit.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.rit.edu/pqdweb?did=1295281001&Fmt=7&clientId=3589&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Positive Behaviour Support Essay

Policies and Procedures of the Work Setting There are many different policies and procedures that schools have to abide by some of these are; Behaviour policy- The behaviour policy goes over topics like how to treat others, how you should act in the premises, how you should talk to others and how you should do something when you have been told to do it etc. The policy also goes over rules and consequence’s if the rules are not followed. It goes over how they use positive behaviour support when a child has done well. It explains responsibilities, the curriculum, the values and how rules are reinforced to the children. Bullying policy- In all schools they now have a 0% tolerance on bullying, the policy goes over many things about the anti-bullying policy. It ensures that everyone should be able to work in a safe, caring and productive environment with no fear of being bullied or feeling like they can’t tell anyone if they are. It helps members of the school attend and sort the incident when it occurs. It explains that all bullying should be reported if spotted, if told about it or if you are the victim, it also explains that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and consequences will be giving out where and when appropriate. Attendance policy- The attendance policy follows the pupil registration act 2006. All teachers are responsible for taking all registers in the morning and in the afternoon after lunch. Students should turn up for school everyday unless they are ill or have appointments but the school should be informed if this happens. If a child doesn’t turn up for school or fails to turn up at all authorities are usually brought into see what the situation is and fix it. The deputy head and the secretary are responsible for collecting up all the registers and looking them over to see for any cause for concern following it up with the head of school. Child Protection policy- The CPP is put in place to safe guard the students. It explains that students are encouraged to talk and be listened to, that they have someone to approach with any problems, gives advice about how to stay safe and people they can talk to if they do not. All staff are provided with a copy of the CPP at the beginning of the academic. All teachers have a duty of care to the children involved so they can be safe and protected from harm while in school. All children have a right to be protected from something that can cause harm. All staff and volunteers should be able to make  informed and confident decisions and responses to specific child protection issues. All these policies support positive behaviour in many different ways. The behaviour policy supports positive behaviour by it explaining to teachers how to deal with a child when they are acting antisocially in the setting. It also explains to them how to use positive behaviour support when a child or chil dren has done well. The bullying policy supports positive behaviour in children by setting rules and boundaries ensuring that children can work in a safe and caring environment. It helps teachers explain to children what is accepted as bullying and why they shouldn’t hurt other children etc. in a fun way so children understand that they shouldn’t intentionally hurt someone. The attendance policy helps teachers see who is a cause for concern and who isn’t. If a child is absent they are not learning anything and not being helped to do things they would do in school. So it helps the teacher try and get children back into school to keep them positive about it. Child protection policy helps positive behaviour as all children are encouraged to speak and be listened to when there is or isn’t a problem so they know they will be heard which keeps them positive when there’s something wrong as they know they can tell someone when something is wrong. If they have someone in a scho ol they can trust they are more likely to tell them about what is going on which helps them know they have a voice and will be listened to. The Importance of Consistent Rules and Boundaries It is very important that we apply rules and boundaries to children when working in a setting. Rules and boundaries are set so all children can be treated the same not one rule for one and one rule for another, all children know where they stand with teachers and so all children can understand what is considered appropriate behaviour. Rules and boundaries need to be consistent and regularly reinforced by an adult. If messages are not clear to them or if they are conflicting and contradictive they are going to get confused and maybe frustrated and will then find it hard to behave. If children are met with the same response every time they do something wrong they will be less likely to repeat at a later day. All rules and boundaries should be suitable for their age and stage of development and all language used should be clear and make sense not to confuse the children. You must make all your expectations clear so they know how to act and behave. The  Benefits of Encouraging and Rewarding Good Behaviour There are many benefits of encouraging and rewarding good behaviour to the child you are working with, other children in the setting and carers; The Child- Encouraging and rewarding good behaviour for a child has many benefits, they learn that when they have done or are doing well at something they will get something good out of it and if they are doing the wrong they will learn that they will get ignored or depending on the severity of it they will get consequences. It helps them succeed in their work etc. a lot better and makes them happier to do work. It sets a positive out look on stuff they wouldn’t usually like doing and gives them more enthusiasm to go further on with their work. It also makes them more able and gives them a better outlook on school life. Other Children- If other children see you giving a child encouraging and rewarding good behaviour they are also more likely to follow on with it. If they realise their behaviour isn’t be rewarded by someone else’s is they are going to try and do the same to get positive support. It will make them more motivated to do their work and behave as they are then getting something out of it. It will help them be more into their work and their progress will get better. Carer- Carers meaning teachers and others working in the setting would also benefit from children being positively supported as they would be able to work better with the child as they might not be as stubborn and it might make them more a willing to do something they wouldn’t usually do. Their behaviour would be better which would make them better to teach as they would listen and become more into the lesson. The work the children produce would be better as they are listening more and there are less class disruptions so there’s no starting and stopping. The teacher would have a lot more time to help other children that need it and be able to fit more into a day.

Mexacan Immigration before the 1960s - 1675 Words

Mexican Immigration before the 1960s Introduction Mexican immigration has impacted many important components here in the United States of America (U.S.) and in its major institutions of society. In the following paper I will be focusing on the nature of social policies (or the lack thereof) that Americans had developed with respect to Mexican immigration by 1960. Specifically this paper will be detailing six different areas: the Mexican American War, Anti-Mexican American violence, Texas, the Great Depression, the Bracero program, and documented versus undocumented status. Each of these areas will be explaining the mistreatment that Mexicans encountered because of the nature of policy enactments by†¦show more content†¦The lack of social policy in protecting Mexicans was the result of such violence towards Mexican human beings. Texas (1900-1930) During this time and under the economy institution in Texas, many Mexicans were used for agriculture. The truth is that the U.S. was dependent on migrant labor for agriculture, because without these laborers the U.S. agriculture would falter (Stoddard, 2007). This basically explained that the U.S. was dependent on these Mexican laborers. Without these certain workers, agriculture in the U.S. would have not been as effective because the Whites would have not done the tedious work. During work hours, many Mexicans encountered hardships mainly because of discrimination. For instance, Americans would say derogatory things to them, such as â€Å"work harder wet-backs and do what you do best.† Mexicans were name-called and put down constantly which affected them. During this time, most Mexicans did not have a say in anything mainly because the U.S. lacked a social policy to protect them. In addition, most immigrants feared getting fired or worse deportation. Non-i mmigrant Mexicans were the main â€Å"out-group† that found it difficult to obtain assistance because of this Mexican ideology; that Mexicans are â€Å"inferior† beings. Many Americans began categorizing all Mexican decent individuals as immigrants. For instance, Mexican Americans began receiving the same unfair and unjust treatment