Gender Inequality
A famous sociologist, A H Halsey said that there are two kinds of inequality.
Inequality of opportunity is where people do not have the same
chances in life.
Inequality of outcome is where people may have the same
opportunities, but cannot take advantage of them for social reasons.
Key skills
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Numeracy
Communication
Sociology skills
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Examination techniques
Evaluating ideas and thinking for yourself.
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To understand that gender inequality is in all areas of life in modern
Britain.
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To recognise that inequality can be proved through looking at
statistics
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To look at some of the reasons why men and women are not equal
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Look at the information on this sheet.
Answer the questions using the information on the sheet.
Aims
Tasks
page 1
Sociological problem: Are men and women equal in Britain?
There are slightly more women than men in Britain at all ages of the population.
More boys are born than girls. Boys and men tend to die earlier and at a younger age. They
are more likely to be born with genetic disease, experience accidents and to have an
unhealthy life style. Until recently, more men than women smoked and drank alcohol.
If men and women have equality of outcome, they will appear in the statistics in the same
numbers that they do in the population.
Complete the following table and copy it into your book:
Gender of those who are
men
women
1.
Members of Parliament
18%
2.
local councillors
3.
top earning directors of big companies
2%
4.
studying Home Economics
95%
5.
studying Computer Science
22%
6.
doing most of the housework in homes where both partners work
30%
7.
the very poorest people
29%
8.
studying for modern apprenticeships in hairdressing
7%
9.
secondary school head teachers
72%
30%
10. studying to be a teacher
11. employed as managers and senior officials
81%
65%
12. senior Police Officers
8%
13. studying engineering and technology
85%
14. top judges
92%
15. members of the European Parliament for Britain
76%
16. members of the workforce in Britain
46%
17. generals and senior officers in the Army, Navy and Air Force
1%
18. infected with AIDS
41%
Using the information in the table above, discuss:
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Do we have inequality of opportunity for the genders in Britain?
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Do we have inequality of outcome for the genders in Britain?
page 2
How are the genders experiencing inequality in Britain?
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One in four women experience domestic violence at some time in their lives.
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In 70% of heterosexual couples where both partners work full-time, the woman does most
of the housework.
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An average of 3 women per day claim they have lost their jobs because they are
pregnant.
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Estimates suggest that more than half of females and nearly 10% of male workers have
experienced some form of sexual harassment at work.
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Reported rape has trebled in the last decade but the conviction rate has dropped from
24% to 6%.
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Each week, two women are killed by their current or former partners.
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The female prison population almost trebled between 1993 and 2003. It is still less than
10% of all prisoners.
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59% of girls and 48% of boys gain five or more GCSEs grades A*–C or equivalent
qualifications.
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Average hourly earnings for women working full-time are 18% lower than for men working
full-time, and for women working part-time hourly earnings are 40% lower.
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Life expectancy of men and women in Britain
Men
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74.5
Women 79.8
years difference 5.3
The gender gap between women’s and men’s average incomes in 2002/03 was 46%.
Questions
1. According to government figures, how many women experience domestic violence in their
lives?
2. What is the conviction figure for rape?
3. What is the percentage of women who experience sexual harassment at work?
4. What is the percentage difference between girls and boys in terms of those achieving 5 or
more GCSE grades A*-C?
5. What is the gender pay gap for part time workers in the UK?
6. What is the gender pay gap for full time workers in the UK?
7. Can you find any situations in which women are better off than men? Try and be clever
here!
page 3
Why are men and women unequal?
Have a look at the following images and the clues below. Suggest reasons why men and
women are not equal in Britain.
Either write a paragraph or design a spider diagram in your books to help you to remember
the points.
Clues:
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Childcare
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Housework
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Male bosses
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People living longer
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The work women do
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The socialisation of little girls.
Revision point:
Socialisation is the
process of learning
how to behave for
your culture.
Development work to discuss with your friends
Can you trust all government figures to be absolutely truthful? Think about reasons why they
are likely to be accurate and reasons why they should not be trusted. This is a question about
how information is gathered from people.
Imagine you are the Prime Minister of Britain. What laws would you have to make sure that
men and women had equal chances of the best jobs and pay?
Does equality for men and women matter? Why?
page 4