Sense of gender equality
This week asks you to look at many different institutions in our society specifically as gendered institutions. Referring directly to the learning resources for this week, as a response to this post, take a moment to synthesize what you have learned:
- What are some of the major threads that connect these institutions in terms of gender, gender expectations, or effects on gender?
- Are there any common problems that need to be solved?
- Why is it important to consider intersectionality whenever we look at gender in institutions? Give at least two examples from the learning resources.
- Is the role of gender in politics connected to finding those solutions? If so, how?
- Finally, choose one or two of the gendered institutions we learn about this week (education, politics, criminal justice, military, healthcare, religion), and dive deeper into these questions:
- How do expectations about gender affect that institution?
- How does that institution affect gender?
- What are the major hurdles to achieving gender equality in that institution?
- What would gender equality look like in that institution?
- And, what do you see as the major work that institution needs to do to achieve gender equality?
Requirements: 300 words or more
Answer preview
I chose politics as my preferred gender institution. Expectations about gender prevent women from joining the political scene. According to Palmer (2019), women from conservative backgrounds are discouraged from political leadership. Politics affects gender by passing laws and regulations requiring women’s participation in society. These laws are the basis for policies and regulations of other smaller bodies like state governments, organizations, companies, and businesses. The major hurdles to achieving gender equality in politics are the stereotypes that have discouraged women from participating and the lack of processes that encourage women’s participation. Gender equality looks like having women comprise half of the political leaders
[384 Words]