Introduction
As Amartya Sen (2001) expressed, evidence of gender inequality exists all over the world that can be expressed in cold, hard statistics, such as the number of missing women in developing countries. According to the conflict perspective in gender privilege theory, “Continued domination by males requires a belief system that supports gender inequality” (Nassau Community College, n. d., p. 17). There are two sides in this issue, the people who hold these beliefs, and the people who fight against these belief systems that maintain inequality in society. It is easy to passionately support one side or the other. However, looking at both of these sides in an objective manner, entertaining the validity of both sides, is the way to generate productive dialogue that will move social issues progressively forward. In this essay, I will explain the conflict perspective in gender privilege, and then address both sides of the issues in an objective manner.
The Conflict Perspective on Gender Privilege
While there are many ways to view the problem of gender inequality, the conflict perspective offers the present societal attitudes that maintain the state of inequality between males and females. As stated in the paragraph above, belief systems maintain the continuation of social inequalities. Examples of the existence of this belief system include the belief that women are only good at housework and that women cannot perform well in careers outside the home because they are operating outside of their area of expertise—childrearing and running the household, women’s work (Nassau Community College, n. d.). These beliefs motivate men’s attempt to maintain their position of control in the household by insisting to be the wage earners, and thereby reducing women’s ability to be on equal footing with men in terms of economic power in the household. This might have been justified in ancient society where men were the hunters and women the gatherers, but in today’s society, men maintain their position of power through intention even though there is no justifiable necessity for their actions. This social injustice has led to the woman’s suffrage movement in the 1900s (Lumen Candela, n. d.). Other evidence that supports the conflict theory according to gender inequality has been observed in research. For example, Martin (1990) found in the 1990s that even programs to “help” women in the workplace were really meant to intentionally keep them below the glass ceiling.
Exploring Both Sides
Especially in American society, it might seem indefensible to try and explain the side maintaining the injustice of social inequality in society. However, this behavior has been ingrained in society for thousands of years. There could be a genetic and biological component to justify these viewpoints. Mothers do carry their children throughout the pregnancy, not men. It would make sense that women have a natural bond to their children because of this fact. In addition, I have heard men complain, even envy, the mothers’ closeness with their children because of this inevitable bond. If women want to have children, it does interfere with the workflow of an organization, like it or not.
On the other hand, it is not the fault of women that this biological function has been placed on them, so it is unjust that they should be the ones to suffer injustice because of it. Just because they give birth to children, this does not automatically provide them with a disposition of being weaker or inferior, or only capable of one function in life, nor should it be a reason for men to limit their potential in any field due to this biological inevitability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is the unfortunate circumstances of women to be placed in a position where they are fighting against thousands of years of repression. The conflict theory in regard to gender privilege in American society assists in viewing how men purposely maintain their belief system and their position of power in order to keep the status quo and women in a position of inferiority. A mature, objective examination of both sides helps to give voice to all members of society, which enhances the resolution of all matters of social inequality based on gender.
References
Lumen Candela. (n. d.). Sociological perspectives on gender stratification. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/sociological-perspectives-on-gender-stratification/
Martin, J. (1990). Deconstructing organizational taboos: The suppression of gender conflict in organizations. Organization Science, 1(4), 339-431. doi: 10.1287/orsc.1.4.339.
Nassau Community College. (n. d.). Gender inequality. Retrieved from http://www3.ncc.edu/faculty/soc/feigelb/soc212online/chapter10.pdf
Sen, A. (2001). Gender inequality and theories of justice. In M. Nussbaum & J. Glover (Eds.) Women, culture, and development: A study of human capabilities, (pp. 259-270). Oxford, England: Claredon Press.
