Nina Borg

Soc 1
On Gender
1. The social construction of gender refers to how men and women are socialized to be a
certain way depending on their sex. Through daily interactions (at home, in school, with
friends) men and women are taught what is acceptable behavior for their gender. This
socialization process starts at birth and continues throughout life. If a person acts outside
of what is considered normal behavior for his or her gender people might respond by
laughing, mockery, or disgust. Women are often encouraged to stay thin, gentle, and
maternal, while men are taught to be tough and strong.

2. Feminism is the belief that women should have the same rights and opportunities as
men socially, economically, and politically.
The first wave of feminism started in 1848 when a group of women met to discuss
womens rights. The women worked hard towards their goals of a more equal society and
it was thanks to their work that women were given right to vote in 1920 through the 19th
amendment of the constitution. After this the movement slowed down and didnt start
gaining momentum again until the 1960s. During that time Betty Friedman wrote a book
called The Feminine Mystique. She argued that the reason many Upper class college
graduates felt empty and dissatisfied was because they ended up as housewives and
mothers and didnt have a successful career of their own. Women did not have access to
many valued resources, like power and money, in society. Friedman helped found the
National Organization for Women (NOW) to fight for equality for women. They started
discussions regarding womens right to choose their careers and also have control over
their own reproductive rights. This led to the third wave, which started in the 1990s.
Nina Borg
Soc 1
During this time the understanding of what feminism was changed. It was no longer
about accomplishing certain goals, but instead about changing the societys view of
women in general. The feminists of this time celebrated diversity, and wanted women to
be seen as individuals with different needs, personalities, and goals.
Feminists try to work against things like sexism and unequal pay by empowering women
to dare stand up against the injustices.

3. Women are more likely than men to have jobs within education and healthcare. These
jobs usually have lower salaries than jobs that are typically considered mens jobs like
dentists, aircraft pilots, and civil engineers. The wage gaps between the genders are not
only due to women being paid less for doing the same jobs as men, but also because
fields where female workers tend to be dominant have lower salaries in general. To solve
the issue of unequal pay in the workplace we need more transparency. Salaries should be
posted publically, so that the employees have the ability to make sure their salaries are
equal.

4. Second shift refers to women coming home from work and going into the second job
of caring for the children and the home. Women spend on average double the amount of
time on housework than their husbands, even when they both work full time jobs. When
the woman works and the man stays at home women typically still spend more time on
housework. As societys views of gender changes this should start equalizing. It has
become more acceptable over time for men to stay home to care for their children and for
women to make money for the household. If there was a law requiring for men to take a
Nina Borg
Soc 1
couple of weeks of paternity leave after the birth of a child it might help speed up this
process and make it more widely acceptable for men to stay home to care for the children
and manage the home. If men can be thought of as good caretakers and women as good
wage earners things should get more equal over time.