Gender stratification
Stratification has always existed in our society but earlier the economic and caste barrier were considered as major reasons, but later on, female sociologists tactfully showed how gender equally plays an important role in stratifying our society. The females were abused and were underclass level stratification but afterward, it occupied a different category.
Stratification occurred in different ways like a widow remarriage was not something to even think about. Sati practice was also common i.e. the women were obliged to end their lives after husband death. The decision making freedom was not amounting for women of the society. Joan Acker was the one sociologist who criticized the gender role in stratification.
There was an argument between feminist that whether a female position should be recognized by her husband occupation and authority or her own position. In today’s time, a female position is studied as a separate category. The stratification between the genders can be seen in different ways. For example, it is a traditional thinking that mechanical branch is suitable for boys only, thus the number of girls in this branch is much lesser than other engineering branches. Likewise in many companies, there is the difference in payment of men and women being placed at the same level. There is one more example where the number of female employees at a company is lesser than men.
Although this system is studied in a detailed way and nowadays women empowerment process is happening at a large scale. The companies mostly IT companies are employing women more and they have made many policies regarding the betterment of women in society. For example, Accenture company has made a rule that a minimum of 1/3 of the total employees should be females.
There are three categories of occupational segregation among women
- Women who work outside their houses like adopting a full-fledged career in any career. For example, a women working in some multi-national company comes under this category.
- Some of the percentage of women does not go outside their homes, they work from home and earn from part-time jobs. For example, women opening beauty parlors in their homes or women taking up the weaving work at their homes earn from part-time jobs only.
- And a major proportion is the housewife and they depend on their respective partners for financial support. For example, a homemaker does not earn anything but the work day and night without a holiday depending on her spouse for money matters.
Women have different priorities regarding occupation and lifestyle. These set a difference in the status bar of married couples in which either only one person earn or both of them earn. This difference sets the status bar of education and lifestyle of their offspring’s too.
Another sociologist Karl Marx researched the impact of women in any society. He stated that a society which cannot provide respect and opportunities to a woman will not develop as a society.
