...The flexibility of labour markets and the elite-orientated education of liberal market economies in the UK and the US result in higher degrees of inequality compared to coordinated market economies. Discuss. Student ID: 0956592 Word count (excluding references): 2492 This paper will discuss and analyze whether the flexibility of labour markets and the elite orientated education in liberal market economies, found in the UK and the US are the only reasons for higher degrees of inequality, compared to coordinated market economies. In order to understand the labour markets of liberal market economies and coordinated market economies, they must be defined in terms of their differences, which can affect the flexibility of their labour markets. Furthermore, it is important to note that there are numerous inequalities which may emerge in this analysis. Namely, gender inequality, class inequality, and wage inequality as well as some other perspectives will be examined. The aim of this paper is recognize which inequalities are more prominent in either liberal market economies or coordinated market economies, in relation to the flexibility of relevant labour market. Drawing on the work of Polanyi (1994), Esteves-Abe et al. (2001) suggest that market failures in economies can be avoided depending on the type and the extent of the social protection offered from national institutions. Liberal market economies, such as the US and UK, have an institutional framework which accents...
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...The labour market is a market by which workers compete in order to obtain employment, it is the province of the world by which commodities are bought and sold. It is a place where employees and workers share interaction; it is the market that employers strive to be the best and to provide the best jobs. In addition, according to the Economic Times "without competition there would be no market” (2010), therefore it is crucial that there is economic movement in the market. There will be three features of the labour market discussed within this assignment in order to highlight the inequalities. It aims discuss the inequalities amongst the gender factor, the concept of child labour and the links these factors have with unemployment. The argument which explains the gender inequalities within the labour market originates from the 1970s. However, it is fair to state that a lot has changed within society in particular the labour force since then. It is difficult to identify the particular factor that clarifies such segregation but many conclude on the basis of pay discrimination. Other factors to explain gender segregation could relate to comparative biological advantages, underinvestment in human capital, differential income role and entry barriers....(Bettio and Verashchagina (2009) Examples of gender inequality within the work place are common amongst contemporary society and this is because there are continued obvious biases in the labour market. There are hidden practices within...
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...Social Inequality essay plans for Part b) 30 mark question Evaluate the usefulness of sociological explanations of ethnic inequalities.(30) Evaluate the view that society is institutionally racist (30) Adapt according to question given Introduction Ethnic inequalities are still significant in the UK – give a few examples. Suggest some explanations e.g Racism, Institutional racism, social class of ethnic minorities (Marxism), welfare dependency (New Right). This essay will identify and assess these explanations. AO1 Define types of Racism e.g Barker and new racism, institutional racism – McPhearson report on murder of stephen lawrence – racism in met police. Jenkins suggests recruitment to jobs is more word of mouth and disadvantages ethnic minorities. Modood 1994 28% of african caribbean people surveyed said they felt they had been refused a job on grounds of race. AO2 There are many government acts such as Race relations acts which should prevent discrimination AO2 However because racism is implicit (hidden) now it can be difficult to prove in court. AO1 Marxists such as Westergaard and Resler argue that race is a distraction from the real issue which is social class. It is capitalism which disadvantages certain groups and ethnic minorities are more likely to be in lower classes. AO2 However this ignores the existence of racism in society e.g in education where black boys have the highest exclusion rates in school. AO1 Another marxist explanation by Castles...
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...Outline and assess feminist explanations of social inequality Feminists stress the importance of woman being treated as equal to men in society and work to ensure that males and females are entitled to the same rights. Most believe that women are disadvantaged in society due to their gender and that this disadvantage is socially constructed; there are numerous types of feminists which take different approaches in explaining key concepts such as status, power the labour market and other disadvantages some individuals face within society. Most feminist explanations of inequality focus on discrimination surrounding gender, however Oakley provides an explanation for age inequality; she argues that inequalities experiences by children are inextricably linked to those of women and the patriarchal nature of society. Children are controlled by adults in relation to the age they can start work, their education, where they play and use of their time. Gannon (1999) goes on to argue that some are controlled by abuse and neglect and that older women are materially deprived compared to men as a result of time out of employment and the gender pay gap. However Wyness (2006) opposes this view and argues that children are controlled by both women and men in society. Liberal feminists desire equal opportunities for men and women which they argue can be achieved through legislation and changing attitudes. They argue that gender roles are socially constructed through the family, education...
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...testimony that, in the days of yore, men were considered as the bread-winners and women as the nest-builders. As far as women were concerned, they were entrusted the responsibility to transform the brick-made house into a love-made home. The men had only to support the family financially. In fact, the women were stigmatised as homely-made furniture in the eyes of men. Unfortunately, this patriarchal trend still prevails in this so-called revolutionized world, where women are, once again, characterized as inferior. If the world has really undergone a revolution, then why this corrupt attitude towards women has not yet changed? However, the law has as its main motive to preserve and promote human rights, and gender equality is the crux of those rights. Gender equality does not only stand as a process of equal valuing of the roles of women and men, but more precisely, as a practice to overcome the obstacles of prejudices so that both sexes are subject to the economic, social, cultural and political developments of the society. It simply aims at equal perception, equal empowerment and equal responsibility in all spheres of life. One can be surely flabbergasted to acknowledge that achieving gender equality necessitates the presence of men; those men, because of whom, the word gender inequality came mostly into existence. Notwithstanding it is an incontestable fact that gender inequality includes both sexes, yet women are the most vulnerable to these disparities. ...
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...It is said that men outnumber women in the world; this is the case in some countries such as the United States however it is the opposite in China. In other words, half of the Chinese population are men. It is believed that the motive behind gender inequality between Chinese males and females is due to their one-child policy . Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping has established the one-child policy in 1979 as a solution to limit China’s population growth. Although it was implemented as a ``temporary measure, `` the one-child policy still exists twenty-five years later. Luckily, in the era of 21st century, in North America, for example, there is no such policy that entails gender discrimination since both males and females have similar rights as well as privileges. However, even in the 21st century, China is still struggling with its enormous gap that exists between genders because males are more valued than women. Therefore, women are not expected to place in a inferior place as opposed to men and this is why Chinese families seek to have more boys first than girls. The aim of this paper will be to prove the gender inequality within the Chinese inequality, from different perspectives, Sociological, psychological and economical studies. Sociological Chinese gender discrimination persists everywhere, especially in the labour market since some women are being segregated in various occupational categories. Sex segregation refers to the chances of entering a certain occupation or...
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...of gender inequality in contemporary UK (40) Intro: * There are many sociological explanations of gender inequality, for example, functionalist views contrast hugely with Marxists. * For hundreds of years, women have been seen as unequal, however in the late 19th and 20th century up until today, there has been a huge increase in the belief of gender inequality and numerous feminist movements to try and conquer gender inequality. Functionalists: * Different, not unequal * Men and women serve different social roles in society, fam & workplace. * Parsons: women = expressive. Men = instrumental (breadwinner). Differences are innate and prescribed at birth. Warm bath 4 husband * Murdock: One of roles of fam = to socialise children into gender roles to fit instrumental & expressive roles for society * Human Capital Theory: many women choose to prioritise role as homemaker, fitting with expressive instincts, therefore choosing their own position * Marxist feminists would argue that gender differences = used to exploit women through capitalism at work and in home. * Ansley: Women used to benefit economy, absorbing frustration & anger of husbands who are also exploited at work. ‘Women are the takers of shit’. * Benston: focused on economic aspects of gender inequality. Women = a reserve army of labour. Contribution of domestic labour to capitalism. Marxists: * More critical viewpoint of inequality * Women = useful...
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...endorsement by the United Nations Development Programme or the institutions of the United Nations system. Table Of Contents Introduction I. Women And Poverty: Are Women Poorer? II. From Women and Poverty to Gender and Poverty A. Engendering Poverty Analysis B. New Conceptualizations of Poverty C. From Consumption/Income Poverty to Human Poverty D. Are Women Poorer?: Revisiting the Question from a Human Poverty Perspective E. Assessing Gender Differences in Poverty: Quantitative versus Qualitative Approaches F. Do Gender Inequalities Increase Overall Poverty? III. What Is To Be Done? What Is Being Done? A. Gender Mainstreaming at UNDP B. Engendering Anti-Poverty Projects and Programmes Figures Figure 1: A Pyramid of Poverty Concepts Boxes Box 1: Chile: Targeting Female Headship for Combating Poverty Box 2: Gender and Poverty in Guinea: Human Poverty versus Consumption Poverty and Participatory Approach to Poverty Assessment Box 3: South Asia Poverty Alleviation Program (SAPAP): The Case of India Social Mobilization through Self-Help Groups 1 “The causes and outcomes of poverty are heavily engendered and yet traditional conceptualizations consistently fail to delineate poverty’s gender dimension, resulting in policies and programmes which fail to improve the lives of poor women and their families.” Lourdes Beneria and Savitri Bisnath (1997) Introduction The relationship between gender and poverty is a complex and controversial...
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...both Canada and the ‘economic south’?” The lives of women in the recent past have changed dramatically. There are more women now who are educated than ever before, and a great percentage of them have forged ahead in the labour market. The pace of change is improving at fast rate with both developed and developing countries working towards bringing around a change. But despite the numerous developments in this area, there still exists the issue of gender gap that limits the progress of women workers in the paid workforce. This paper discusses the topic of gender differences in OECD countries and how it affects the process of work and learning of women in both Canada and the economic south. In almost all the OECD countries, women participation in the workforce has steadily increased. There are more women participating in the all kinds of jobs and they continue to enter the workforce in rising numbers. But still gender inequality continues to persist and is a topic that dominates the sad plight of women. There are OECD reports that Scandinavian countries have the lowest ratio of such issues due to well-equipped infrastructure that supports child-care and family-friendly workplaces. Though this seems like a rather outdated subject, the gendered work, wage gap, inequality are still rather the most pressing issues in countries like Canada in particular. Amongst many difficulties, economic inequality between women and men lives on due to the inadequacies to address the...
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...equality of opportunity of women and men is more likely to be achieved if both genders embrace the changes now occurring in communication and information use with similar vigour. This term paper seeks to highlight on the concept of gender discrimination, even as sundry instances of the persistent issue is well sustained. The argument proposed here provides an anecdotal rather than theoretical overview of the way in which the use of information technology has come to dominate modern decision making in a variety of contexts. The dimension of women disparity and the need to correct such inequality is elaborated. Finally, the areas of applications of information technology in curbing gender differences and the probable outcome of such applications is well addressed. INTRODUCTION Women are key to the development challenge. Throughout the developing world, women are at a disadvantage at the household, community, and societal levels. Within the household, women have less access to and control over resources and limited influence over household decisions. Beyond the household, women have limited access to communal resources, are under-represented in public decision-making bodies; have limited bargaining power in markets (such as the labour market), and often lack opportunities to improve their socioeconomic position. Therefore, efforts to reduce gender inequality are required on multiple fronts. However, the feminization of poverty is not so much about more women than men being poor, but...
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...Gender Inequality in Bangladesh Gender inequality can be defined as the unequal and biased treatment between men and women and is a common phenomenon in developing countries. Women in Bangladesh face obstacles and disadvantages in almost all aspect of their lives, including access to health and education, economic opportunity, political participation and control of finances. Gender inequality is a development issue as excluding women from access to resources, public services, or productive activities prevents a country from reaching their maximum productivity potential. It exists due to cultural, social, economic and legal factors. In the following paragraphs we can examine the types of inequality, their causes and the impact on development as well as few policy recommendations to improve the matter. In Bangladesh 71.1 per cent of young women are employed in the agriculture industry whereas 20 per cent are in production and transport industries, and 3.8 per cent in service sectors. A recent study by the ILO finds that women in Bangladesh are often considered to be lesser or inferior participants in the labor market and are not valued much. For example despite women getting hired in the RMG sector of Bangladesh, they are usually mainly employed in less important, lower paid and lower skilled areas, which consist of little decision-making responsibility. As a result women are the first to be subject of cyclical unemployment and lose jobs in times of market fluctuations and/or...
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...Outline and Assess functionalist explanations for ethnic inequality Functionalists hold the view that ethnic inequality is a dysfunctional for society, and that ethnic minorities need to become more similar to the white majority. This is known as Assimilation theory, which is staunchly criticised by the Marxists who believe racism exists to justify the inequalities that are so wide spread by the Bourgeoisie via Capitalism. Weberianism concurs with Marxists (so they diverge from the Functionalists) to an extent, but they introduce status into the explanation. Postmodernists take a approach antagonistic to all of the afore mentioned approaches, and that is to argue that blanket terms such as ethnicity are no longer relevant in the modern era, where our identities are defined by consumerism and globalisation. Functionalists outline the Assimilation Theory, suggested by Patterson. Patterson believes that the influx of immigrants into Britain in the 1950s disturbed what was a homogenous society with social stability and a high degree of social integration, leading to a value consensus. The norms and values brought in with the immigrants led to a Cultural Clash, where each different ethnicity were seen to be against the norm. This created many stereotypes e.g. boisterous West Indians. Prejudice also came about, buoyed by xenophobia, competing for jobs between ethnicities and a lack of similarity (Assimilation) with foreigners. Patterson continues by arguing this has caused self-segregation...
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...activity, and a resulting decline in government spending. Under such conditions, the loss of jobs is a familiar side-effect of the bitter medicine of companies cutting costs. Women, who are more highly concentrated in fields such as government, healthcare and education, are less immediately affected by the economic downturn in comparison to male dominated fields. Blue collar industries such as construction and manufacturing are more sensitive to the economy, as recession results in a rapid fall in demand for such services. This means jobs disappear faster and in larger quantities. Women in the public sector are also protected by unions, unlike the less-regulated private sector. However, when governments do eventually cut back, females suffer profoundly. Contractionary fiscal policy, often one pursued in recession, causes cuts in public education and public-sector service jobs. Any government spending designed to remobilize the economy is often directed towards stimulating investment, for instance in infrastructure, rather than injecting resources into public sector industries. Thus, the reemployment rates for men are more distinct, despite the initial debacle. Inequality is also an influencing factor. While women have come a long way in reducing the disparity between the proportion of men and women in the labour force, and gaining higher representation in better-paid jobs, some employers may believe that male workers will clock longer hours or be less of a liability during times...
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...Gender and trade: A fresh look at the evidence Summary: The relationship between trade and gender has been hotly debated. Some say that globalization has excluded or impoverished women, causing disproportionate job losses due to the influx of foreign goods into domestic markets. Others argue that increased trade leads to greater gender equality by creating new jobs and economic growth.In fact, neither side in the debate is totally right, and a nuanced view is needed. Trade integration has translated into more jobs and stronger connections to markets for many women. Indeed, as shown by the World Bank's 2012 World Development Report (WDR 2012), increases in international trade have tended to increase women's employment, not a feature that typifies many development processes. And access to these jobs can empower women in important ways. Introduction: While it is difficult to establish a precise number, surveys estimate that women constitute a large share of informal cross-border trade in southern Africa. More than 70% of cross-border traders betweenMozambiqueandsouthAfricaarewomen. A recent survey in four key border crossings in the Great Lakes region between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda found that the majority of traders are young women and experienced traders. These traders face serious risks and losses with each border crossing, including threats and sexual harassment, bribes, fines, confiscation of goods, verbal abuse and insult...
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... Background Paper for the UNESCO Education for All Monitoring Report 2003: Gender and Education for All Introduction The 1980s and 1990s are frequently referred to as the era of globalization. While there is no consensus on what the term “globalization” means, for the purposes of this paper we use the term to refer to the greater openness of economies to international trade and finance, or external liberalization. The question that this paper will be tackling is how globalization has impacted on the growth of real economies in diverse regional contexts (Section One), their capacity to create employment (Section Two), and specifically how the new policy agenda has impacted on women’s labour force participation in diverse regional contexts and their enjoyment of social rights (Sections Three and Four). In addition to the available global data sets, the paper will be drawing on in-depth case studies from around the world in order to support the arguments that are being put forward. 1. International Economic Integration and Economic Growth The purpose of this section is to look at the growth implications of globalization. However, to begin the discussion we need to clarify how the term globalization is understood in this paper. As Gerald Helleiner (2000) usefully points out, the term globalization as frequently used, confuses two different phenomena. The first is the shrinkage in space and in time that the world has...
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