Gender Inequality

Gender inequality, or unequal treatment and availability of opportunities for women based on the social and cultural meanings associated with being female, can be seen in every institution of society with the help of prejudice, stereotypes, individual discrimination, statistical discrimination, and institutional discrimination. Women earn seventy-seven cents for every dollar that men earn and this number has only increased at a rate of less than half a cent per year. This statistic and the image show income inequality in the institution of work in the form of a significant wage gap between men and women. This is an example of statistical discrimination because it deals with inequality in the labor market and employment opportunities. It displays the presence of individual discrimination because employers exhibit a negative behavior towards women by valuing them less for their hard work. It is institutional discrimination because the institution of work privileges men and disadvantages women solely based on their social statuses ascribed to them by their sex. Prejudice, or negative thoughts and attitudes, towards women plays a role because it causes employers to act on their thoughts and attitudes by offering them less money for the same work, even when they have similar levels of education and work experience. Stereotypes about women being the primary caretaker of the home, the husband, and the children, and men being the primary breadwinner lead to justification of the wage gap. Negative treatment, attitudes, and behaviors by individuals and institutions applied towards women combine to create gender inequality in the institution of work and broader society.