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GENDER ROLES IN CULTURE (continued):Women Employment, Feminization of Poverty

<< GENDER AND CULTURE:Gender Stratification, Suggested Readings
STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE:Social Ranking, Dimensions of Inequality >>
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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Lesson 19
GENDER ROLES IN CULTURE (continued)
Gender Ideology
Gender ideology is used in most societies to justify the universal male dominance. Deeply rooted values
about the superiority of men, the ritual impurity of women, and the preeminence of men's work are used to
justify subjugation of women.
However, it has been demonstrated in recent years that women do not perceive themselves in the same
ways that they are portrayed in largely male gender ideologies.
Negative Impact of Biased Gender Ideologies
In some societies, gender ideologies become so extreme that females suffer serious negative consequences
such as female infanticide, female nutritional deprivation, honor killings and domestic violence.
These atrocities are due to the negative impact of gender ideologies as well as due to the disempowerment
of females which is another simultaneous consequence of these ideologies.
Women Employment
Although the words `breadwinner' and `housewife' accurately described the middle-class western household
around the beginning of the twentieth century, the separate gender roles implied by these two terms have
become more myth than reality.
Over the past four decades the number of women in working outside the home has increased dramatically.
This is true for not only industrialized but also developing countries, due to the ongoing phenomenon of
globalization, which has led more and more women into the workforce.
Occupational Segregation
The economy of most countries is characterized by a high rate of occupational segregation along gender
lines. Not only are occupations gender segregated, but women tend to earn considerably less than men.
Feminization of Poverty
There has been a trend in recent decades toward the feminization of poverty. Being disempowered, women
fall victims to poverty much more easily then men. They also have less access to resources with which to
fight against poverty. Women often are responsible for looking after their children, and their poverty results
in declining health standards of both women and their children.
Useful Terms
Segregation: separation
Resources: means of production or more generally the (financial) means required to do something
Ideology: an established way of thinking
Decade: a period of ten years
Disempowered: without any say or without any authority or power
Suggested Readings
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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 11 in `Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective' by Ferrarro and/or Chapter 19 in `Anthropology' by
Ember and Pergrine
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which
provide useful and interesting information:
Gender and Cultural Anthropology
http://vlib.anthrotech.com/Cultural_Anthropology/Gender/Feminism/
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Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?:Cultural Anthropology, Internet Resources
  2. THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE AND THE APPLICATION OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
  3. MAJOR THEORIES IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Diffusionism
  4. GROWTH OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY (continued):Post Modernism
  5. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Comments on Fieldwork
  6. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):Census Taking
  7. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD
  8. ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES
  9. FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE:Languages of the World, Structure of Language
  10. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE (continued):Levels of Complexity, Cultural Emphasis
  11. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURES:Optimal Foraging, Suggested Readings
  12. FOOD AND CULTURE (continued):Food Collectors, Food Production
  13. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURE (continued):Pastoralism, Agriculture
  14. RELEVANCE OF KINSHIP AND DESCENT:Kinship Criteria, Rules of Descent
  15. KINSHIP AND DESCENT (continued):Tracing Descent, Primary Kinship Systems
  16. THE ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE:Economic Aspect of Marriage
  17. ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE (continued):Family Structures
  18. GENDER AND CULTURE:Gender Stratification, Suggested Readings
  19. GENDER ROLES IN CULTURE (continued):Women Employment, Feminization of Poverty
  20. STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE:Social Ranking, Dimensions of Inequality
  21. THEORIES OF STRATIFICATION (continued):The Functionalists, Conflict Theorists
  22. CULTURE AND CHANGE:Inventions, Diffusion, Donor, Conventional
  23. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Cultural Interrelations, Reaction to Change
  24. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Planned Change, Globalization
  25. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION:Bands, Tribal Organizations, Chiefdoms
  26. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):State Systems, Nation-States
  27. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):Social Norms, Informal Mechanisms
  28. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE:Emotional Development, Psychological Universals
  29. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE (continued):Origin of Customs, Personality Types
  30. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE:Ideology in Everyday Life, Hegemony
  31. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE (Continued):Political ideologies, Economic Ideology
  32. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES:Variation in Associations, Age Sets
  33. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES (continued):Formation of Associations
  34. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE:Similarity in Human Adaptations
  35. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE (continued):Inter-group Relations
  36. CULTURE AND BELIEFS:Social Function of Religion, Politics and Beliefs
  37. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE:Changing Definitions of Local Knowledge
  38. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (continued):The Need for Caution
  39. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT:Influence of Development Notions
  40. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Contentions in Development
  41. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Operational
  42. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART:Relevance of Art, Art and Politics
  43. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART (continued):Art as a Status Symbol
  44. ETHICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY:Ethical Condemnation, Orientalism
  45. RELEVANCE OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Ensuring Cultural Survival