SOCI 3991
Assignment 3
T00614593
Question 2: Discuss the way in which rigid gender expectations from society may become oppressive for both men and women. Provide documented examples to illustrate your points
Sex is the biological characteristics of being male or female. Gender refers to social created characteristics of being male or female. Andrew (2012) asserts that gender identity is the source of discrimination against men and women in society because…?. The distinction between sex and sexuality is important because it influences the society to build an equal and fair system (Butler, 2012). Gender is perceived as an alignment of social order, and it is always enforced through numerous social institutions. Advertising, through the mass media, is a powerful social and economic institution through which concepts of femininity and masculinity are often promoted at a symbolic level in a country (Correa, 2009).Rigid gender expectations make society to be unequal because it reinforces conformity rather than diversity.
Rigid gender construction makes up people’s conception of masculinity and femininity. In North American culture, a man is expected to be a? real virile individual and competent. He is physically active and sexually masculine, logical, aggressive, decisive, unemotional, and protective. On the other hand, a feminine person or a woman is anticipated to be physically “soft,” emotional, indecisive, intuitive, and in need of protection. These associations shape how women and men interact with each other. Because of that, some feminists have claimed that masculine and feminine characteristics are not valued equally, as society disregards women’s role of providing warmth and nurturing. Therefore, men are rewarded more compared to women (Butler, 2012).
Sex differences are always cited as the as the basis and justification for unfair treatment of women and men. The ideology of gender determines the extent of discrimination, disparity, and disadvantage that are perpetrated against men and women in society. The rigid construction of gender differences always lead to dissimilarities in the way resources are distributed, duties are allocated, and rights are given and enjoyed between men and women (Andrew, 2012).
The construction of gender enforces conformity rather than encourage diversity. Because of that, gender can limit people, especially women from succeeding in society. Inequalities thus develop to represent conflicts of interest, so that difficulties to the way social regulations are constructed pose problems to the entire organization of the community. How women articulate these challenges will vary based on the capacity or ability of a woman to risk cultural modifications to the way her life has been traditionally lived. Due to such rigid gender expectation, women often develop coping strategies that include acceptance, adaptation, and resistance. While there is a consistently increased danger for women as they move towards coping approaches on the opposition, there is no likelihood that they are only exposed to risk if they decide to question. Unquestioning acknowledgment of the status quo does not necessarily mean low risk. An example is the case of dowry, where even the commoditization of women is recognized, they are always burned to death (Andrew, 2012).
Gender patterns influence the kinds of experiences both women and men will face in their life. Canadian statistics show that women are anticipated to live to 82 years, while a man is expected to live to 80 years. Besides, women who work full time continue to earn 71% of what full-time men employees earn, and the wage gap widens when women get children. Women occupy most part-time jobs compared to men, and they continue to assume a more significant share of domestic work and childcare. Moreover, in Canada, women are in charge of four out of every five single-parent households, and 38% of those families headed by single women have income that ranges below the poverty line (Butler, 2012). That shows that the reinforcement of gender differences based on social and economic gains influences how resources and responsibilities are distributed for men and women in Canada (Andrew, 2012).
Conflict theorists would suggest that having clear female and male spheres and eliminating women from the paid occupation sphere effectively reduce the competition for productive jobs and financial benefits (ref.?). Due to the influence of rigid gender construction in society, this was good for men who reinforced such ideologies to maintain their position. However, as economic requirements attracted women into the labor force in large numbers, the competition for suitable occupations increased. Much of the criticism against feminism in North America emerge from the fact that men today face much greater competition from women compared to the past generation (Butler, 2012).
In order to enforce rigid gender construction and maintain status quo of taking advantage of women, men have created social control systems to prevent women from taking their jobs. For example, in the past, some leaders enacted laws that prohibited women from owning property. In that case, conflict theory suggests that the law becomes a social institution that is used by men to enforce discrimination and inequality against women (Butler, 2012).
Conclusion…?
Question 4: Discuss the different societal and historical changes that have transformed family life in Canada towards its diversification both in family forms and household arrangements. How would you say that family life has changed in Canada towards the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries? Base your answer on documented evidence
Since 1950s, families in Canada have changed significantly, provoking popular discourse about what kinds of families should be acknowledged and supported social especially in public policy and law (ref.?). Families remain essential to Canadian society and most individuals, but there is substantial controversy about the importance of new family practices and forms as well as about which are more needed. Disagreements about “the family” in Canada often touch deep emotional obligations that shape political and social positions people take and their commitments to compromise or defend their positions. They raise discourse about the kind of community Canadians value and aspire to (Luxton, 2011). Numerous factors, such as proactive, socialization, residential, economic, and emotional dimension helps explain and understand the changing pattern of Canadian families.
To begin with, several changes have occurred in Canadian families that are associated with procreation. Ondercin-Bourne (2012) argues that since the 1950s, one of the most dramatic transformations in Canadian families is the decline in birth rate. The scholar asserts that the birth rate increased in the middle of the twentieth century and then reduced significantly by 53% by the beginning of the twenty-first century. Further, the latter shows that recently, the rate decreased by another 1.5% in 2002 from the former year, which was the eleventh decline in the past twelve years. Ondercin-Bourne (2012) explains that the downwards trend in the birth rate in Canada continues.
Ondercin-Bourne (2012) argues that women do not have children at early stages of their life, which is a contributing factor to the lower birth rate. Since the late 1960s, the birth rate for women in their thirties has progressively increased, while for those in their twenties have declined. According to him, the 2006 Census in Canada confirms that this upwards transformation in the average age of women giving birth has continued with those in the 20-24 range. Besides, the latter claims that a further reduction from 64.1 in 1997 to 51.1 births per 1000 have occurred, while those female in the 35-39 range experienced a significant increase from 32.5 to 44.9 births per 1000.
Furthermore, families in Canada are becoming smaller because women are more concerned with building their career compared to getting married and having children (ref.). Also, the role of women in Canadian society has significantly transformed; females are no longer limited to domestic positions because they are well educated and hence participate in the nation building by working as doctors, accountants, lawyers, etc.
Social dimension has also contributed to the change in Canadian families. Compared to the twentieth century, the parenting roles have significantly changed in Canadian society in the twenty first century. Because women are educated, there are many employment opportunities for them. Thus, stereotypical attitudes towards raising children in the family have transformed. Because of that, both parents have a role to play in the nurturing or their children and in the financial contribution of their family, a culture that challenges the traditional role differentiation. However, this transition is not smooth because the society still believes that men must play their traditional role as “breadwinner” and women in the responsibility of “nurturer” (Ondercin-Bourne, 2012).
The Canadian family has transformed dramatically since the middle of the twentieth century, in particular, because of the entry of many women into the workforce. Thus, labor participation has influenced how parents spend their time and work arrangements. Changing economic conditions have affected the changing nature of gender roles. Like any developed industrial societies, Canada has witnessed profound changes to its social and financial institutions. In the beginning of the twenty first century, Canadians are practicing the norms and values of promote a virtue of hard work. That encourages both men and women to disregard the traditional approach to role differentiation and work to build and maintain the financial stability of their family (McQuillan & Ravanera, 2006).
Residential dimension factor has also contributed to the changing pattern of Canadian families. The traditional norm of creating a robust nuclear family has been affected by lack of diversity that characterizes the nuclear family. There has been a steady divorce rate in Canada that has contributed to the increased number of one-household parent and families in which both parents raise children. Besides, the traditional system of marriage has lost significance, as single women prefer having children first before getting married (Ondercin-Bourne, 2012).
On the other hand, women’s economic empowerment in Canada has contributed to histrionic modification in family life. In particular, it has facilitated the significant increase in the number of two-income families in the country. According to Ondercin-Bourne (2012), the recent census shows that compared to 1961where only 20% of all two-parent families were dual-income that number has dramatically increased to 62% in the 21st century. The changes in the economy and availability of jobs for women have contributed in the beginning of the twenty first has provided a steady increase in the number of females participating in the labor force in Canada (Ondercin-Bourne, 2012).
Emotional dimension is another factor that affects Canadian families. The psychological aspect of family relationships leads to domestic violence. Women continue to endure abuses from men. In 2016 alone, police departments have filed 38,000 reports of spousal assault committed against females. Of these cases, 61% were frequent abuse, 14% were significant attack causing bodily harm. Besides, 11% were for giving death threats, and 8% respectively were for stalking (Ondercin-Bourne, 2012).
Numerous factors, such as proactive, socialization, residential, economic, and emotional dimension help explain and comprehend the transforming pattern of Canadian families. Many women are participating in the labor force and spending their income to stabilize their family. That changed the traditional concept that men are the ultimate breadwinners. However, females in Canada give priority to their career and choosing to give birth before getting married. Many of them are not married at a younger age. Besides, high divorce rates and domestic violence against women are critical factors that continue to threaten many Canadian families.
References
Andrew, P. (2012). The social construction of age: Adult foreign language learners. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Butler, L. (2012). Diversity and conformity: The role of gender. In Angelini, P. U. (Ed.) Our society: Human diversity in Canada, 4th Edition (pp. 217-240). Toronto: Nelson Education.
Correa, D. (2009). The Construction of gender identity: A semiotic analysis. In Race, ethnicity and gender in education. (pp. 183-194). Springer Netherlands.
Luxton, M. (2011). Changing families, new understandings. Vanier Institute of the Family. Retrieved from https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Luxton%2C+M.+%282011%29.+Changing+families%2C+new+understandings&btnG=
McQuillan, K., & Ravanera, Z. R. (2006). Canada’s changing families: Implications for individuals and society. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Ondercin-Bourne, G. (2012). Diversity in Canadian families: Traditional values and beyond. In Angelini, P. U. (Ed.) Our society: Human diversity in Canada, 4th Edition (pp. 277-312). Toronto: Nelson Education.
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