GRSJ224/Are Women Less Privileged Than Men

Introduction

In the 21st century, equality has come to a level where men and women are almost treated identically but some flaws are still evident. Through the naked eye, both genders are treated equally but deep down, women are still treated unequally. Many things have changed since the start of the movement and is arguably better than the 1980's, but there is still a long way to go. In our society, it may not be so visible to distinguish something that is discriminating towards women but it is constantly evident. It is important to accept that mistreatment towards women are frequent and people need to change.

Recent Issues

According to Women in Harperland: A Critical Look at Gender Inequality in Canada Since 2006 by Brianna Strumm, she found that “in the paid labor market, Canadian women earn 23% less than men regardless of their age, education or occupation (Strumm, 2015). Moreover, she also mentions that the wage gap in Canada in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is ranked as fifth largest amongst the 34 countries. Women who are single mothers, racial minorities, or First Nation women are particularly pronounced with the pay gap. Moreover, in the article The Gender Wage Gap in Canadian Provinces by Tammy Schirle, she also mentions that pay inequality is still evident in Alberta and Newfoundland and the gender wage gap has seen little change (Schirle, 2017). Though some provinces have shown changes for the better like New Brunswick, Canada as a Nation is still showing gender inequality. Lastly, gender inequality is also evident at prestigious universities. For example, at University of British Columbia, a report of An Analysis of the Gender Pay Gap in Professorial Salaries at UBC by multiple committee members, stated that the regression analysis of the annual salaries of full-time professors employed at the Vancouver Campus (excluding the Faculty of Medicine) as of June 9, 2010 shows a gender differential of $14332.20 in average pay (Karen et.al) 2010. Though there are abundant other cases that shows the privilege difference between men and women, these are just some of the many examples that have happened and are happening as we speak

Case Study

To find out about people’s opinion about the issue, I constructed a convenience sample survey with a research question: are women less privileged in today’s society than men? My target sample was 10 from the a Sociology class with independent variable as gender and the dependent variable as privilege. Because privilege is a broad topic, I decided it to factor it down with regards to wage, rights, and treatment and construct questions surrounding these issues. To get the survey result, I handed 10 students to answer my survey with 5 being male students and 5 being female students.

The Results

Socio Demographics

Out of the ten participants, half of the students were male and the other half were female who are all between the ages of 18 to 24. Four students were of Asian ethnicity, one was Black/African American, and five were White/Caucasian students. 70% of the students were employed and only 30% of the students were not employed.

Perception Towards Gender Equality at Workplace and Society

When it comes to gender equality in our society, 87.5% or seven respondents stated that women are not treated equally and 12.5% or one respondent stated that it is equal with two of the respondents with no opinion. This shows that majority of the participants feel that inequality exists between genders and are aware of the issue. However, when it comes to actually identifying or experiencing the difference in privilege, only 40% saw or experienced women getting paid less for equal work. While the majority are aware of the inequality, less than half have encountered this issue.

A common phrase “ladies first” is a saying that has been inherited for generations and is a terminology that is frequently associated with being a gentleman and well-mannered. However, from a different perspective, it could also be viewed as a privilege that only women have. When asked about if the participants have used or heard the phrase “ladies first” in the past 30 days, 70% of the participants stated yes, with five being male, or 100% of the male participants, and two being female. This can mean that unconsciously, all men were giving privilege to women whether that may be with or without realizing. Should this phrase be eliminated to promote gender equality? The participants generally feel that women and men are both equally capable of the same things. The data showed that 100% of the surveyors feel that women are fully capable of achieving something men did and 90% stated that they do not feel that men are more productive than women. However, ironically, when it comes to leadership, 60% of the participants stated that it is harder for women to be a leader than men and 40% stated that it is not. Out of the six people who believe this is true, four of them were men and two were women. While both men and women stated that they are equally capable of doing the same thing and share same level of productivity, it is surprising to see divided results when it comes to leadership. What is even more ironic is that when asked about if men have stronger leadership skills than men, 40% stated yes and 60% stated no. To be more specific, the 40% were all men, meaning that 80% of male participants feel that men have stronger leadership skills but all female participants believe that this is not true. How is it that while we see both genders as equally capable, that when it comes to leadership, men feel more superior in leadership skills? This could be due to implications from our innate nature and history of male leaders only being depicted in our current society. Is it harder for women to become leaders due to this mindset from men that the masculine gender has stronger leadership skills?

References

Bakker, K., Boyd, L., Fortin, N., Johnson, J., Patch, T., Trowell, M., & Sudmant, W. (2010). An Analysis of the Gender Pay Gap in Professorial Salaries at UBC

Strumm, B. (2015). Women in Harperland: A Critical Look at Gender Inequality in Canada Since 2006

Schirle, T. (2015). The Gender Wage Gap in the Canadian Provinces, 1997–2014. Canadian Public Policy, 41(4), 309-319.