Gender Inequality In The Military
Gender Inequality-
According to the functionalists point of view, gender inequality exists in the U.S. due to it contributing to overall social stability. They view the roles of men and women as one that compliments the other however, view the male as having the dominant force in the relationship. They equate women as being more expressive and emotionally supportive, while men are viewed as being more instrumental and practical. An example of this can be applied to the military and how women are not allowed to enlist in the infantry, an all male front line combat team in the military, primarily due to women being viewed as more emotional and not being able to fully accept the scene of combat as men in their league do. Women
are moreso considered important for the role of basic family tasks while men are viewed as the one whose role is to provide for the family the women primarily care for. Functionalist divide these roles into two categories the expressiveness-which denotes concern for the maintenance of harmony and the internal emotional affairs of the family, and the instrumentality-which refers to an emphasis on tasks, a focus on more distant goals , and a concern for the external relationship between work and family. The theory on these roles is that women’s interest in expressive goals frees men for instrumental tasks and vice versa. However the theory is not concrete due to some women being instrumentalist, and some men being more expressive. Although it is true that societies are predominately dominated by men than women it has also been established that women within those societies have become more affluent in important roles in society. Conflict theorist believe that no matter the same quality a woman may have as a man, a man will most likely better fare and be acknowledged whether monetarily or prestigiously. They believe that this inequality, although functionalist say it works, is not beneficial to women. As in the functionalist theory, conflict theorists believe that men are looked at as the dominant sex over women. They see gender differences as a reflection of subjugation of one group over another group. It is viewed that no matter the hard work a woman puts in she may be overlooked by her male counterpart due to the males role being superior. Although women can experience some prestige in occupations as men, most will not be able to surpass men in their respective positions. Which brings the question as to how this is a functioning part of society that one gender is praised more than the other. Woman have long fared as a shadow in a mans spotlight even in the household. The roles have put in place what a woman’s role is and what a man’s role looks like visually in the media and in politics. According to Conflict theorists, it is rare to see a woman that is in a powerful position and even more rare to see a woman that is the head boss of a corporation. This is mainly based on cultural environment rather than biology as the primary determination of gender differences. However, women do fair highly when going through a divorce or separating from a partner whom she has had a child with. Due to women being associated with the role of the family caretaker, the woman is more likely to gain primary custody of a child and receive monetary care from an ex-husband as well as child support and health insurance for both her and the child. That is the exchanged benefit women receive as far as roles are perceived between men and women, however it is not enough.
According to the functionalists point of view, gender inequality exists in the U.S. due to it contributing to overall social stability. They view the roles of men and women as one that compliments the other however, view the male as having the dominant force in the relationship. They equate women as being more expressive and emotionally supportive, while men are viewed as being more instrumental and practical. An example of this can be applied to the military and how women are not allowed to enlist in the infantry, an all male front line combat team in the military, primarily due to women being viewed as more emotional and not being able to fully accept the scene of combat as men in their league do. Women
are moreso considered important for the role of basic family tasks while men are viewed as the one whose role is to provide for the family the women primarily care for. Functionalist divide these roles into two categories the expressiveness-which denotes concern for the maintenance of harmony and the internal emotional affairs of the family, and the instrumentality-which refers to an emphasis on tasks, a focus on more distant goals , and a concern for the external relationship between work and family. The theory on these roles is that women’s interest in expressive goals frees men for instrumental tasks and vice versa. However the theory is not concrete due to some women being instrumentalist, and some men being more expressive. Although it is true that societies are predominately dominated by men than women it has also been established that women within those societies have become more affluent in important roles in society. Conflict theorist believe that no matter the same quality a woman may have as a man, a man will most likely better fare and be acknowledged whether monetarily or prestigiously. They believe that this inequality, although functionalist say it works, is not beneficial to women. As in the functionalist theory, conflict theorists believe that men are looked at as the dominant sex over women. They see gender differences as a reflection of subjugation of one group over another group. It is viewed that no matter the hard work a woman puts in she may be overlooked by her male counterpart due to the males role being superior. Although women can experience some prestige in occupations as men, most will not be able to surpass men in their respective positions. Which brings the question as to how this is a functioning part of society that one gender is praised more than the other. Woman have long fared as a shadow in a mans spotlight even in the household. The roles have put in place what a woman’s role is and what a man’s role looks like visually in the media and in politics. According to Conflict theorists, it is rare to see a woman that is in a powerful position and even more rare to see a woman that is the head boss of a corporation. This is mainly based on cultural environment rather than biology as the primary determination of gender differences. However, women do fair highly when going through a divorce or separating from a partner whom she has had a child with. Due to women being associated with the role of the family caretaker, the woman is more likely to gain primary custody of a child and receive monetary care from an ex-husband as well as child support and health insurance for both her and the child. That is the exchanged benefit women receive as far as roles are perceived between men and women, however it is not enough.