Gender Inequality In Canada

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The status of male and female are central in the lives of humans. While people hold many statuses at any given time, gender constitutes an element status. Its’ recognition begins so early, its’ socialization is so intense, and its’ imposition on all other components of human development and status achievement is so total – that one could term gender a core status (Kendall, Murray, & Linden, 2014). Gender inequalities are visible in politics, religion, media and in the workplace. Everywhere we look, we can see the concrete manifestations of gender inequality. Despite gains over the last thirty years, gender inequality continues to be a reality and an issue in Canada (Kendall, Murray, & Linden, 2014). Gender inequality is often assumed to be …show more content…

Gender inequality, long predates capitalism (Kendall, Murray, & Linden, 2014). The Bourgeoisie inherited a social system with a long history of gender inequality and a deeply held set of beliefs and values that justified and maintained it. Nonetheless, the capitalist owning class has benefited from this already-exiting inequality and as a result has had little motivation to eliminate it (Kendall, Murray, & Linden, 2014). For example, the unpaid labour of women provides huge profits for the employer. While wage differentials are universal in all capitalist societies, the actual extent of it may vary. Nonetheless, capital in general does benefit from wage inequality. More women than men are unemployed, underemployed, or work part time, ready to take whatever work is available out of economic need (Statistics Canada, 2015). This underpayment of women exerts a downward pressure on all wages, further enhancing profits. Most anthropologists agree that the development of classes led to the growth of the state, warfare, a changing religious system, and the development of the patriarchal family (Cichocka, Golec de Zavala, Kofta, & Rozum, 2013). All of these played a role in magnifying gender inequality (Kendall, Murray, & Linden, 2014). While men’s higher statue does lead to some male privilege, most men have little structural power. The real power is help by the capitalist owning class (Kendall, Murray, & Linden, 2014). Traditionally men have had greater access to these positions of

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