Gender Discussion

1. The social construction of gender is the way we are influenced by our societys perception of

what a certain gender should or should not do. The way children are dressed, the toys that they

are given to play with, and the expectations for their gender, psychologically influence their

decisions and they way that they will dress and behave in the future. This has largely been due to

the fact that our culture has not differentiated between the terms sex and gender. The way a

child is reared differs depending on their sex rather than their gender.

2. Feminism is a belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities in

society and in the workplace, and that fights against stereotypes of women. The first wave of

feminism took place in in 1848 and consisted of a group of women fighting to have an equal

right to the political and legal systems. Though they were frowned upon for their efforts, they

won the fight when the nineteenth amendment was added to the constitution which gave women

the right to vote. The second wave of feminism came about in the 60s and grew in the 70s. This

time, the movement was focused on sexism and discrimination in the workplace. During this

wave, women fought against traditional gender roles, and for the right to pursue an education, a

career, and for the right to have abortions. Women were feeling that they had a glass ceiling

that prevented them from pursuing anything more than being a wife and mother. The third wave

of feminism which came about in the 90s was unlike the others in that it wasnt fighting for

rights or equality. Instead this movement focused on celebrating the differences of the human
race. During this wave, women came to an understanding that gender and gender roles should be

dismissed and that we should be free to be with whichever gender of person we chose.

3. Occupations such as firefighter, policeman airline pilots and engineers are significantly more

likely to be filled by men, whereas the role of dental hygienist, receptionist, and childcare

workers are almost exclusively taken by women. As women get older, the wage gap between

men and women grows significantly. Though between the ages of 16 and 19, women, on average,

make only 5.4% less than men of the same age, the wage gap rises to more than a 20% difference

by the time most hit the height of their career around the age of 35. There is no specific

conclusion as to why this gap occurs, but possibly because women are less desired in the

workplace so employers know that they will be willing to work for less. The only way for this

gap to be corrected is by women refusing to work at a lower pay grade than the men who have

the same roles.

4. The second shift refers to a persons work in addition to their place of employment. Once

she returns from work, a woman is expected to care for the children, and keep up the home.

Typically, women spend more hours tending to these duties than men do, which increases the

burden of labor on women. I do think that in time this second shift has become more equalized as

fewer married couples come from homes in which their mother carried traditional gender roles.

In this younger generation, it is common for children to be raised by two working parents. In my

home, for example, the second shift is split equally with my husband. Because we are both

students, and both work a part time job, we split the responsibilities of teaching our

homeschooled son, making dinner, cleaning the house, etc. This balance allows us to work
together like a well oiled machine. It is an understanding of the other persons responsibilities

that is required to equalize this extra work.