...women are increasingly selling their labour in the labour market, and consequently contributing economically to family life. Willmott and Young predicted that the family, are becoming symmetrical. They claimed that the family has evolved from an institution based on patriarchy, to one characterised by equality and democracy. This essay will claim that, although relations in the family may have change the ‘new man’ and symmetrical family are nothing but an exaggerated myth. Willmot and Young argue that the family has changed from that of an industrial form, traditional Nuclear family to that of a modern form, symmetrical family. The Nuclear family is defined by specialised division of labour whereby the adult male sold his labour in the labour market in exchange for a wage, while his wife became primarily responsible for childcare and housework. In comparison the symmetrical family is an institution where partners play equal roles. This suggests that the family has evolved from having gender-segregated roles to joint-conjugal roles. Willmott and Young’s suggestions can be supported by the changes in the occupational structure. Over recent years there has been a decline in. Over the recent years there has been a decline in the traditional industries, such as mining, and a rise in office based jobs such as administration. Many women have taken up both part-time and full-time paid positions in offices. These changes in the occupational structure demonstrate that women are no longer...
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...the strengths/limitations of feminism in comparison to other social theories. You will need to critically analyse and evaluate the following claims in your essay. * Feminist theorists argue that religion is a: Instrument of domination A product of patriarchy Serves the interest of men * Women are always unequal to men in terms of: Institutions – leadership and hierarchy Representation – culture, in scriptures. Attitudes and beliefs - socialisation Item A Sociologists disagree about the role of religion in society. Functionalists, for example, see religion mainly as a positive force. However, Marxists see religion as a tool of capitalism. They argue that it acts to justify inequality, helping to keep the poor satisfied by giving them hope of better times to come and preventing social unrest and revolution. Feminists see religion as a force for subordination and patriarchal oppression. This view is supported by evidence such as the differential treatment of women in religious congregations. Other sociologists argue that such evidence is out of date and that women are no longer the victims of religious oppression. Introduction Briefly explain the feminist view of religion– negative – patriarchy – conservative force. Briefly compare to the Marxist view as it is similar. Feminists show us the negative elements of religion but fail to see the good elements as argued by FUNC, NR and NM. Paragraph 1: FEMINISM vs FUNCTIONALISM Point: religion is patriarchal...
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...Assess the contribution of feminist perspectives to our understanding of society (33 marks) Feminists see society as patriarchal. They seek to describe, explain and change the position of women within society. The first ‘wave’ of feminism appeared in the late 19th century with the suffragette’s campaign for the right for women to vote. Even though all feminists oppose women’s subordination, there are disagreements on its causes and how to overcome it. Liberal or reformist feminists believe that traditional prejudices and stereotypes about gender differences are a barrier to equality. They believe all human beings should have equal rights. Since both men and women are human beings, both should have the same opportunities. Liberal Feminists argue that laws and policies against sex discrimination in employment and education can secure equal opportunities for women. Campaigning for changes in law can bring about change and we can bring about change through a cultural shift within society. They reject the idea that biological differences make women less competent or rational than men or that men are biologically less emotional or nurturing than women. To bring about change we must shift society’s socialisation patterns. For example society must seek to promote appropriate role models in education and the family by doing this we will benefit from a cultural shift and gender equality will become the norm. Liberal Feminists believe that changes in socialisation and culture are gradually...
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...You will have 30 minutes to write a 20 mark answer. * The essays will consist 4 paragraphs and a conclusion containing new information. How to use this document: * Use the extract from the mark scheme and examiners’ advice to create essay plans of the questions. * You may not have heard of all of the concepts in the mark scheme but there should be at least some that are familiar to you. * The examiner’s advice usually outlines bad, moderate and good answers to the question so pick out the ways in which you can achieve top band and incorporate this into your plan. June 2015 Examine the impact of government policies and laws on family life. [24 marks] From the mark scheme: Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: patriarchy; familism; surveillance; ideological control; gender regimes; marital breakdown; family structure; family diversity; welfare dependency; underclass; reserve army of labour Policies/laws on abortion; divorce; contraception; reproductive technology; marriage; adoption; pensions; benefits; taxes; education; childcare; child protection; sexuality; immigration may be discussed Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by comparing the impact of different policies/laws or by discussing perspectives on social policy and the family (eg New Right, feminist, functionalist etc) From the examiner’s report: The most successful answers were able to identify relevant policies...
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...During the industrial revolution men became increasingly identified with the public world of production and wage labour. While women were confined to the private sphere of consumption and the home. This is where conjugal roles come in; these are roles played by the husband or boyfriend and wife or girlfriend in a married or cohobating couple. The item suggests that some sociologists see the family as a march of progress where as others see it as unequal and patriarchal. Functionalists, like Talcott Parsons, saw the division of labour as biological and he claimed that they were beneficial to the family and wider society. Elizabeth Bott named the divisions through ‘joint and segregated conjugal roles’. The joint roles were more common amongst middle class and young families, these roles were joint. Whereas the segregated roles were more common amongst working class, these roles were divided. Parsons named these gender roles as expressive and instrumental functions which become clearer during the industrialisation. The husband performs the instrumental function, in being the ‘breadwinner’ of the family to provide financial support, and the wife performs the expressive function, in being the housewife. Parsons reckons that these functions are natural and they benefited the whole family. This view was also supported by the New Rights. However, this view has been criticized as it is traditional and that in the modern family these roles are fading. Therefore, this proves that in...
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...Social distribution of religious participation Many feminist sociologists argue that religious institutions and beliefs help legitimise gender inequality. Like Marxists, feminists argue that religion is a source of domination and oppression. However, unlike Marxism, they see religion as a product of patriarchy, rather than capitalism. They argue that religion is patriarchal in that women are exploited by men and seen as subordinate. Feminist sociologists are interested in how women have become subservient and how religion has promoted patriarchy. This view is not just shared by female and feminist sociologists. Anthony Giddens argues that; "The Christian religion is a resolutely male affair in its symbolism as well as its hierarchy. While Mary, the mother of Jesus may sometimes be treated as if she had divine qualities, God is the father, a male figure, and Jesus took the human shape of a man. Woman is portrayed Gender is a major part of religion, and it is believed that women are more religious than men. Religious participation is also a big part of religion along with religious organisations. A number of studies have proven different views on the relationship between gender, religious participation and religious organisations. There are a number of religious organisations including; churches, sects, denominations and cults. A number of studies have some that women are more religious then men. Whatever women's influence and status may have been in religious organizations...
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...a comparative study accentuate the distinctive contexts of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and A Room of One’s Own? A Room of One’s Own (1929) by Virginia Woolf and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) by Edward Albee, when compared, accentuate the difference in values and beliefs that pervaded the context in which they wrote. Woolf’s critical yet creative essay explores truth and gender equality in a period driven by progression and the first wave of feminism. Contrastingly, Albee attempts to confront his audience through satirical dialogue and bombastic characters. Although Albee also explores truth and gender equality, the difference in context allows him to examine the way in which these values have been discarded in the moral decline masked by the American Dream. When paralleled, it is evident that both texts reflect the differences of their context. Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own digs beneath the veneer of social progress to expose the patriarchal values entrenched in society. Woolf first establishes the subjectivity of truth, so that the readers draw their own conclusion as “they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker.” By making them conscious on the subjectivity of truth, Woolf is forcing the reader to draw their own conclusions on what is logical, rather than accepting the patriarchal beliefs of their context. The anecdotal evidence of the fictitious Mary Seaton’s experience at the British Museum exposes the illusion of male superiority...
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...Social Inequalities: Gender and Employment The debate about the relative significance of gender has been important to the understanding of the structural force in society. There is a need to make a distinction, between women and men concerning their perceptions and roles within the workforce in today’s society. The distinction between sex and gender is that sex relates to the biological difference whereas gender relates to the socially unequal division into femininity and masculinity. Theorists have stressed the importance of social rather than the biological determinants of a wide range of behaviors between men and women and created an oppositional stance that attempted to tie women to subordinate positions on account of their biology. This has created an immense contribution to feminist thinking and has placed a powerful argument in the field of sociology. Although women’s gains in education may have been central to narrowing the gender gap in income historically, gender differences in fields of study continue to disadvantage women (Bobbitt-Zeher, 2007). Gender and Employment Before World War II, women did not have a major role in the workplace. Some argue that women in pre-industrial societies had a considerable influence in the household, which in those times were not separate from the various productive activities. This changed after the Industrial Revolution, as many men moved away from home to mechanized factories, lessening the involvement of women in the economic...
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...The most common archetype seen in noir is the femme fatale. The femme fatale becomes a distinct part of film at the end of World War II as well as a threat to transgress the patriarchy (Grossman, p.4). The origins of the femme fatale comes from "the historical need to reconstruct an economy based on a division of labor by which men control the means of production and women remain within the family, in other words, the need to reconstruct a failing patriarchal order" (Jancovich, 2011, p.100). Furthermore, Jancovich claims that the femme fatale was created as an effort to encourage women to revert back to their womanly duties and to quit their jobs that they took on while the men were overseas. He calls them a “demonization of the independent working-woman” ( 2011, p.105). Grossman states that the character of a femme fatale is repeatedly depicted as an antagonist or a dangerous woman, which causes the audience to not side with her or feels any sympathy towards because the patriarchy is structured in a way where man is supposed to have all the power and women cannot (p.4). Most femme fatale become either power hungry or tainted, which leads them to be...
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...With the rise of civilization also came the rise of patriarchy-based societies and the slow decline of the importance of women in society. For the longest time the history of the world has been written by men who have been the head of the patriarchy and have forgotten the role of women in history. It is important to realize that women do in fact have a place at the table with men when it comes to importance in history, and are not just the ones cooking and serving the meal. It is women who tasked with raising the next generation. By looking at women of the past, people of the future can learn and evolve to fight oppression and gain their own power. Come up with a good thesis that doesn’t suck. While women hold different experiences with power,...
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...Sociology Homework 1) Define the term ‘patriarchy`. (2 Marks) A system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line. 2) Using one example, briefly explain how Marxists suggest that the next generation may be socialised into capitalist values. (2 Marks) They think those families in relations to capitalism and how it will benefit capitalism because they will have a lot more works that will work for them and that means there will be more money for the ruling class. 3) Outline three criticisms made of the New Right view of the family. (6 Marks) The family is in decline because there is an increase in: Lone parents Fatherless families Gay and Lesbian couples. Because of this the family is no longer performing its function properly, it is failing to give children proper socialisation and this leads the kids to have bad grades and it causes them to behave badly and commit crimes and it makes lone parents dependent on the welfare. (Welfare Dependency). 4) Outline and explain two function that functionalist’s sociologists see the family performing. (10 Marks) Functionalists believe that families must have a function or a purpose and they must to something useful that will benefit the family members and the society. One of the functions that George Murdock thinks that is vital for the family is being reproductive and having babies this will increase the population and that...
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...Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the relationship between gender and religion (33marks) Many feminists view religion as a patriarchal institution that reflects and perpetuates this inequality. There is much evidence of this female subordination in religion; They are male dominated and in Orthodox Catholicism and Judaism women are forbidden to become priests. Also Christianity teaches that men made in ‘the image and glory of God’ and women made ‘for the glory of man. This is supported by the Old Testament which states ‘...for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.’ There are many female characters in the biblical texts and some are portrayed as acting charitably or bravely, however the primary roles are reserved for males and most female roles are either evil (Eve) or subordinate (Mary). Similarly in the Quran, the sacred text of Islam contends that ‘men are in charge of women’. Even Christianity and Buddhism are dominated by a patriarchal power structure in which the feminine is mainly associated with the secular, powerless, profane and imperfect. Even women’s bodies and sexuality are felt to be dangerous by many religious. Because women menstruate and give birth, they are considered to have the capacity to ‘pollute’ religious rituals. The presence of women is seen to distract men from their important roles involving worship. Even though there is evidence to suggest that religious institutions have patriarchal values, it...
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...Feminism in Cyber Culture Within the ever-evolving cyber world, in which many people find themselves living, there are traditional aspects of a previous culture which are re-emerging with technological advances. There are changing expectations of almost all themes and ideas in life, including gender and sexuality that are emerging with different notions and concepts which accompany them. In Neuromancer, by William Gibson, gender and sexuality of cyber culture are themes which are redefined and addressed throughout the novel. Through these new definitions of sex and gender, which are modified by technological advances, feminism, sexuality and the male-female binary are altered and take on entirely new meanings, which represent the decline of some aspects of humanity. Beginning with sexuality, there were very strict definitions of sexuality in our culture before it was exposed to an internet and cyber infested world. There were expectations and notions which existed prior to the emergence of cyber culture. These concepts are discussed and depicted in Gibson’s Nueromancer. There are many scenes which show this evolving and changing notion of sexuality of the future; the most memorable would most likely be the scene where Riviera performs a sexual scene to an audience including Armitage, Molly and Case. He uses his hands and mind to paint a picture of a woman, which he is having sex with; the woman is Molly. Riviera is able to paint a vivid and strong image of Molly, his...
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...HSC Advanced English, Module A: Richard III and Looking For Richard, Essay Connections of commonality and dissimilarity may be drawn between a multiplicity of texts through an appreciation of the values and attitudes with which they were composed. Accordingly, the values and attitudes of the individual being may be defined as an acute blend of externally induced, or contextual and internally triggered, or inherent factors. Cultural, historical, political, religious and social influences, dictated by the nature of one’s surroundings, imprint a variable pattern of values and attitudes upon the individual. Thus any deviation in any such factor may instigate an alteration of the contextual component of one’s perspective. By contrast, the psychological fundamentals of humanity are sturdy and whilst they partake in the definition of the values and attitudes of the individual, they are unwavering. Shakespeare’s historical play ‘Richard III’ and Pacino’s docudrama ‘Looking for Richard’ confirm such theory through an exploration of the contextual and inherent. A scrutiny of the contradictory forces of humanism and determinism and the function of women as demonstrated by both texts imparts an incongruity of context. Difference is thus conveyed. Conversely, an acknowledgement of the strength of conscience common to both texts suggests an inherent influence. Thus it is through inspection of the prescribed texts that one may distinguish the degree to which the texts converge on inherent...
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...DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE DIFFERENT SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS AND USE RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS TO WHAT EXTENT DO SOCIOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS AND EVIDENCE SUPPORT THIS VIEW? There are many different social groups within society and many different reasons why one would join a religion and follow a certain belief. Religiosity is related to age, gender, and social acts. Religion take help many people solve underlying problems where people are experiencing anomie. Religion can be defined in many different ways such as Weber defining it as a belief in a superior or supernatural power that cannot be explained through science. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the extent to which sociological arguments and evidence support the view that different groups have different social and spiritual needs and use religion and religious organisations in very different ways. Religiosity varies by age, this can be due to many different reasons such as the amount of time one has to participate and commit to a set belief. People younger than 15 and over 65 are more likely to be involved in a religious activity; however participation by those under the age of 15 takes part in the form of Sunday school and religious playgroups. Therefore, this portrays that they may have been brought up by their primary caregiver mother to attend Sunday school since they were young so attending is part of their weekly routine. As well, the elderly (over 65) are most likely...
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