functionalist perspective of gender inequality

Examples of functionalist perspective of gender inequality in the following topics:

• The Functionalist Perspective

  • The functionalist perspective of gender roles suggests that gender roles exist to maximize social efficiency.
  • The functionalist perspective of gender inequality was most robustly articulated in the 1940s and 1950s, and largely developed by Talcott Parsons' model of the nuclear family.
  • A structural functionalist view of gender inequality applies the division of labor to view predefined gender roles as complementary: women take care of the home while men provide for the family.
  • While gender roles, according to the functionalist perspective, are beneficial in that they contribute to stable social relations, many argue that gender roles are discriminatory and should not be upheld.
  • While the structural-functionalist perspective argues that gender inequalities exist as a form of the division of labor, the photograph above clearly illustrates that women need not be restricted to certain activities.

• The Functionalist Perspective

  • According to the functionalist perspective, race and ethnicity are two of the various parts of a cohesive society.
  • In the 1960s, functionalism was criticized for being unable to account for social change, or for structural contradictions and conflict (and thus was often called "consensus theory"), and for ignoring systematic inequalities including race, gender, and class, which cause tension and conflict.
  • Given this emphasis on equilibrium and harmony, the functionalist perspective easily allows for specific macro-analyses of more contentious power imbalances, such as race-related issues.
  • During the turbulent 1960s, functionalism was often called "consensus theory," criticized for being unable to account for social change or structural contradictions and conflict, including inequalities related to race, gender, class, and other social factors that are a source of oppression and conflict.
  • Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a functionalist approach to race

• Questions for Discussion

  • 2) How do you think your gender, race, and socioeconomic position have affected your path through life so far?
  • 3) How does a functionalist understand inequality?
  • How does a conflict theorist understand inequality?
  • 4) If our actions and behaviors mostly reproduce the condition in which we live, how can we change inequality?
  • 5) What can be done to lessen the negative effects of inequality on people's lives?

• Evaluating Global Theories of Inequality

  • Social theorists think differently about global inequality based on their sociological perspective.
  • Some theorists who embrace a functionalist approach assert that global inequality is not a problem at all, but rather benefits society as it produces an incentive structure to motivate highly capable individuals to pursue positions of power.
  • Functionalists are likely to embrace market-oriented approaches to inequality, on the basis that a free market will result in prices that benefit the smooth-functioning and growth of economies.
  • Whatever sociological theory one adopts to explain the existence of inequality, not all theorists consider inequality to be a problem that needs correction.
  • Differentiate between the positions on social inequality taken by functionalists, Marxists, modern liberalism, and social justice advocates

• Theories of Gender Differences

  • In this perspective, which was developed in the 1940s and 1950s, genders are viewed as complementary - women take care of the home while men provide for the family.
  • In fact, this approach - in combination with Evolutionary Psychological and Sociobiological perspectives on sex / gender has thus far only found empirical validation when gender inequalities are assumed to be natural and/or appropriate conditions, and only received legitimacy within anti-feminist social movements, religious organizations, and scientific communities promoting the "male/female" or "XX/XY" mythology.
  • In contrast to the status quo supporting structural functionalist approach, social conflict theory argues that gender is best understood in terms of power relationships.
  • Extending Conflict perspectives, Symbolic Interaction theories examine the varied meanings and constructions of gender over time and space.
  • Central to this perspective is the recognition that systems of inequality, such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and age, ultimately rely upon and reproduce one another at all levels of society.

• The Functionalist Perspective

  • The functionalist perspective attempts to explain social institutions as collective means to meet individual and social needs.
  • The functionalist perspective attempts to explain social institutions as collective means to meet individual and social needs.
  • In the 1950s, Robert Merton elaborated the functionalist perspective by proposing a distinction between manifest and latent functions.
  • For example, crime seems difficult to explain from the functionalist perspective; it seems to play little role in maintaining social stability.
  • In the functionalist perspective, society and its institutions are the primary units of analysis.

• The Conflict Perspective

  • The conflict perspective views the family as a vehicle to maintain patriarchy (gender inequality) and social inequality in society.
  • The Conflict perspective refers to the inequalities that exist in all societies globally.
  • Conflict theory is particularly interested in the various aspects of master status in social position—the primary identifying characteristic of an individual seen in terms of race or ethnicity, sex or gender, age, religion, ability or disability, and socio-economic status.
  • When we are analyzing any element of society from this perspective, we need to look at the structures of wealth, power and status, and the ways in which those structures maintain social, economic, political and coercive power of one group at the expense of others.
  • According to conflict theorists, the family works toward the continuance of social inequality within a society by maintaining and reinforcing the status quo.

• The Functionalist Perspective: Motivating Qualified People

  • From a functionalist point of view, inequality plays a role in holding society together and encouraging efficiency.
  • According to structural-functionalists, stratification and inequality are inevitable and beneficial to society.
  • The layers of society, conceptualized as a pyramid, are the inevitable sorting of unequal people.
  • Moore in a paper published in 1945, is a central claim within the structural functionalist paradigm, and purports that the unequal distribution of rewards serves a purpose in society.
  • Functionalists hold that the high pay and status granted to lawyers acts as incentive to motivate qualified people to accept these drawbacks.

• The Interactionist Perspective

  • The interactionist perspective on social inequality focuses on the way that micro-interactions maintain structural inequality.
  • In studies of gender dynamics, interactionists may focus on the day-to-day exchanges between husbands and wives to study how male superiority is enacted.
  • The interactionist perspective on inequality focuses on how micro-interactions reflect and create unequal power dynamics.
  • When considering larger systems of inequality, interactionists look at the inequality between social roles.
  • Design a scenario which illustrates the interactionist perspective on inequality in action

• The Feminist Perspective

  • Feminist theory analyzes gender stratification through the intersection of gender, race, and class.
  • It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality, and examines women's social roles, experiences, and interests.
  • While generally providing a critique of social relations, much of feminist theory also focuses on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's interests .
  • Feminist theory uses the conflict approach to examine the reinforcement of gender roles and inequalities.
  • The feminist perspective of gender stratification more recently takes into account intersectionality, a feminist sociological theory first highlighted by feminist-sociologist Kimberlé Crenshaw.