Examining the Intersection of

Gender and Work

Powell ix-xx

In-class activity #3• Blue Collar vs. Pink Collar Jobs• Three tasks:

– Identify each occupation as a blue collar job (male job) or pink collar job (female job)

– Include one aspect of that job that brought your group to this conclusion

– Approximate the percentage of that occupation that is the majority gender

• Extra Credit Opportunity for Group– 1 point for identifying blue or pink collar correctly– 2 points for being within 4 percentage points of actual

composition

Women may be in “male jobs” but their wages are less then a comparable male’s wage

WHY???

Discrimination

• By employer

• By other employees

• By the customer

Or….not discrimination

• Less investment in human capital– Women are more likely to finish high school;

men are more likely to get an advanced degree

• Enter lower paid occupations

• Hold lower level positions

Sex vs. Gender

• Sex = Biological property of individuals– Sexual characteristics

• Gender = psychological and social ramifications of being male or female– Girly, macho, emotional, dominate…

Sex and Gender is not the whole story• Also must include

– Race– Ethnicity– Culture

• Adds serious complications

Gender typecasts occupations

• Influences wage

• Influences opinion about that job and the person within the job

Quarter Overview on Gender• Gender’s impact on interviews• Gender’s impact on job evaluations and

promotions• Environmental changes due to changes in

gender composition• Sexuality in the workplace

– Welcome, i.e. relationships– Unwelcome, i.e. sexual harassment– Same sex relationships

• Affirmative Action

Common Sense about the “Other” (Essed p. 6-13)

Common Sense about the “Other” (Essed p. 6-13)

• Who is the “other”?• What is racism?

– Thoughts of racial superiority– Founded in belief that race defines a person– Assumption that group differences are BIOLOGICALLY

determined and unchangeable• People are very sensitive to being called a racist• Bugs Bunny examples…

• What part did racism play in our society in the past?– Hierarchy– Appropriate

• What part does it play today?– No Hierarchy– Not appropriate

Old vs. New Ideology

• Old: Not like because– Dirty– Ugly– Not intelligent

• New: Not like because– On welfare– Don’t speak proper English– Live on the east side

How is racism transmitted?

• Politics• Media

• Education• Socialization

mailto:u7752@snet.net

Forms of Racism

• Overt Racism– Direct behavioral or verbal racially discriminatory acts

• Covert Racism– More subtle– Thoughts or indirect actions of racially discriminatory acts

• Three ways to look at– Individual– Institutional– Cultural

Individual Racism

• Overt example:– An Arabic male student is brutally murdered

out of hate• Covert example:

– An employer decides not to hire an Asian American employee because she believes that the employee might drive away business, but tells the person that there are no more openings available

Institutional Racism

• Overt Example:– A country club that has clearly written rules

which precludes any non-White members• Covert Example:

– An academic curriculum that only emphasizes European American History and does not address the history of other ethnic/cultural groups

Cultural Racism

• Overt example:– The extermination of Jews in the Holocaust

• Covert example: – The unrealistic and stereotypical portrayal of

ethnic minorities in the media

Consequences of Racism

• On the minority or target group– Low self-esteem, depression, anxiety– Limited access to necessary and desired

resources– Limited freedom and/or death

• On the majority or dominate group– Continued ignorance– Pressure to maintain the status quo– Impairment of moral development

In-class exercise 4

COLOR BLIND In this provocative program, five students

from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds speak with candor about racial harassment at their high school in an effort to encourage teenagers to examine their own

attitudes and behaviors.