Gender Inequality One of the Thesis

Total Length: 2806 words ( 9 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 6

Page 1 of 9



Body

One important aspect that has to be handled while studying gender inequalities is the intermingling of the words sex and gender. The two words, sex and gender are usually intermingled in numerous formats of studies especially in many health studies. The main distinction between the realities of the two words within the social concept of gender is that sex mainly revolves around the physical and biological aspects of the individual while gender deals with the intangible concepts of mental toughness and character traits. Hence the intermingling of these words in studies of gender inequalities can give inconsistent results. Hence it is important to study the gender inequalities and differences by treating sex and gender as two separate and different entities so that their overall impact and influence on the instigation of inequalities can be measured more accurately (Broom 2001).

Another important aspect that needs to be tackled when studying gender inequalities is the relational quality of the concept of gender. This is an important aspect as when one understands how gender relates to other aspects, then it can also be understood how gender represents other aspects. Some of the relations that genders forms are with the social systems of a community, how these systems are structured or defined as well as the practical application and consequences of these social systems under different structures and circumstances (Petersen 2003). Gender can also be directly related to the personal traits of an individual, as aforementioned, as well as be a direct contributor of the focal point of a as one or more traditional attributes that exist in a society.

One of the things that have to be looked closely in relation to studying gender inequalities is its nature to be both constructive and restricting in different circumstances. When studying gender studies various aspects can spring up that can give negative and positive results. These aspects have to be studied and analyzed in order to understand the dynamics and dimensions of how gender inequalities exist today as well as how they could exist in the future. Furthermore, gender inequalities can directly and indirectly reflect an a completed triumph or an continuing act because of its relational nature as well as have figurative and substantial or tangible impacts on the results of the accomplishment (Auerbach 1999)

The flexibility of the impact of gender inequalities can be in many areas of life: for instance, the impact of gender inequalities can be felt in educational institutions and business organizations as well as the overall approach of social and political organizations towards a topic of discussion in a society. The above statement is also proof of the importance of studying gender inequalities and conducting efficient analyses as gender and all of the elements of a society aforementioned are interdependent. Gender is both the producer and the results of a social structure and vice versa. Irrespective of whether future studies of gender inequalities focus on political impact, social influence or income differences, it cannot be denied that gender is directly proportional to society and society is directly proportional to gender which is why studying gender and all its related topics like inequalities or preferences are important in determining efficient social structures (Connell 2002; Mellstrom 2003; Williams 2001).

The importance of studying gender inequalities lies in the fact that the individuals within a society are all directly or indirectly influenced by the social organizations and cultures that are formed as a result of gender references and are constantly reinforcing the concept of gender in different intensities, ratios and circumstances. Simply put gender in one of the key components that involves both the theory and practice of activities within a community. Gender is both micro and macro in its nature and impact, and thus, it is important to remove all misunderstandings, confusions and misconceptions of the concept so as to understand the entire spectrum of its impact with a lot more clarity (Connell 2003).
Furthermore, apart form the ideological hurdles and complexities that need to be overcome when dealing with gender inequalities is the method or structure of conducting the studies and analyses on gender inequalities. This even though is not as big a problem to solve as removing all confusion about the definitions of gender, the methodology can have a strong impact on the analyses and the results achieved. This is one of the main reasons why there have been more and more studies conducted in the past decade or two on gender inequalities so that not only the definition can be clearly stated but also the methodology that suits gender studies the best can be identified as well.

Hence, in conclusion, it is significant to study gender inequalities and conduct gender analyses because a clear definition of the concept of gender is needed. Additionally since gender is directly and indirectly linked to the formation and impact of any social structure on a society, its influence and its relativity to all peripheral elements needs to be clearly identified so that the overall level of impact of gender or gender inequalities does not remain confusing, undermined or misunderstood.

References

Acker, J. (1973) 'Women and social stratification: a case of intellectual sexism', American Journal of Sociology, 78(4), 174-183.

Andersen, M.L. (2005) 'Thinking about women: a quarter century's view', Gender & Society, 19(4), 437-455.

Annandale, E., & Hunt, K. (2000) 'Gender inequalities in health: research at the crossroads'. In E. Annandale & K. Hunt (Eds.) Gender Inequalities in Health, Buckingham, Open University Press.

Arber, S. (1989) 'Gender and class inequalities in health: understanding the differentials'. In J. Fox (Ed.) Health Inequalities in European Countries, Aldershot, Gower Publishing Company,.

Auerbach, J. (1999) 'Gender as proxy', Gender & Society, 13(6), 581-583.

Broom, DH (2001) 'Public health, private body', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(1), 5-8.

Connell, R.W. (2002) Gender, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Connell, R.W. (2003) 'Developing a theory of gender as practice', Gender & Society, 17(3), 370-372.

Crompton, R., & Mann, M. [Eds]. (1986) Gender and Stratification, Oxford, Polity Press.

Csete, J. (2005) 'A comfortable home: globalization and changing gender roles in the fight against HIV / AIDS'. In I. Kickbusch, K. Hartwig & J. List (Eds.) Globalization, Women, and Health in the 21st Century, London, Palgrave McMillan.

A de Lauretis, T. (1991) 'Queer theory: lesbian and gay sexualities', differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies, 3(2), iii-xviii.

Delphy, C. (1981) 'Women in stratification studies', in H. Roberts (Ed.) Doing Feminist Research, London, Routledge & Keegan Paul.

Edwards, M. (1984) 'The distribution of income within households'. In DH Broom (Ed.) Unfinished Business: Social Justice for Women in Australia, North Sydney, George Allen & Unwin.

Gatens, M. (1983) 'A critique of the sex/gender distinction'. In J. Allen & P. Patton (Eds.) Beyond Marxism? Interventions After Marx, Leichhardt, Intervention Publication.

Irwin, a., Valentine, N., Brown, C., Loewenson, R., Solar, O., Brown, H., et al. (2006) 'The Commission on Social Determinants of Health: tackling the social roots of health inequities', PLoS Medicine, 3(6), 749-751.

Kearney M.S. (2007) the Future of Children. 16: 2: 37

Macintyre, S., & Hunt, K. (1997) 'Socio-economic position, gender and health: how do they interact?', Journal of Health Psychology, 2(3), 315-334.

Matthews, S., Manor, O., & Power, C. (1999) 'Social inequalities in health: are there gender differences?', Social Science & Medicine, 48(1), 49-60.

Mellstrom, U. (2003) 'Men, gender and the state'. In S. Ervo & T. Johansson (Eds.) Among Men: Moulding Masculinities (Vol. 1), Aldershot, Ashgate.

Petersen, a. (2003) 'Research on men and masculinities: some implications of recent theory for future work', Men and Masculinities, 6(1), 54-69.

Ridgeway, C., & Smith-Lovin, L. (1999) 'The gender system and interaction', Annual Review of Sociology, 25,.....

Need Help Writing Your Essay?