Women in Comparative Societies

Measuring and Comparing Women’s Status

Worldwide, women enjoy less status and power than men

True? Mostly true? Sometimes true? Used to be true?

What kinds of power and status do men enjoy to a greater degree than women?

Economic power

Absence of women from highest levels of economic power elite (only 4% of US CEOs are female, 40)

Gender pay gap

Feminization of poverty

Their work counts as work

Why?

How has women’s work been rendered invisible, not

remunerated?

Public Sphere vs. Private Sphere

Define each

“Men’s control of the public sphere, their greater size, and women’s economic dependence on men meant that women couldn’t do much about [men’s control over women]” (37)

Past tense? No longer the case?

Exchange Value vs. Private Use Value

Political power

Women have gained voting rights in most countries only in the last 30 yrs (18)

Only 15% of the world’s lawmakers are female (13% in US)

Few women heads of state/government

Religious power

Most religious leaders are male

Power to define, interpret religion most often only allowed men

Most religions have asserted that the Divine/Natural order of things is for women to be subordinate to men by Divine/natural

Social privilege/status

Margaret Mead

“Prestige values always attach to the activities of men” (19)

Examples?

From US

From other cultures

Do women enjoy any kind of power or status to a greater degree than men?

What kind? In what societies? (see pg. 38)

Females as Property

Examples?

In US?

Physical Violence against Women

Universal

Proof of women’s lower status or something else?