Sociology Chapter 9

Conflict theorist approach to gender inequality

Because of the traditional division of labor in families, males had have more access to resources and privileges and have sought to maintain their dominance

Men's Rights Movement

an offshoot of male libertinism whose members believe that feminism promotes discrimination against men.

feminism

belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes

second shift

the unpaid housework and child care often expected of women after they complete their day's paid labor

patriarchy

"Rule of the father," a male-dominated society

Symbolic interactionist approach to gender inequality

Gender is learned through the process of socialization; gender inequalities are reproduced through interactions with family, peers, schools, and the media

Structural functionalism approach to gender inequality

Sex determines which roles men and women are best suited to

first wave

earliest period of feminist activism in United States, including period from mid-19th century until American women won the right to vote in 1920

feminization of poverty

economic trend showing that women are more likely than men to live in poverty, caused in part by the gendered gap in wages, the higher proportion of single mothers compared to single fathers, and the increasing costs of child care

third wave

most recent period of feminist activity, focusing on issues of diversity and the variety of identities women can possess.

second wave

period of feminist activity during the 1960's and 1970's often associated with the issues of women's equal access to employment and education