American History: Gender Inequality, Essay Example

Introduction

Since the earliest years in the history of America, gender inequality had been the definitive feature of the country’s societal progress. The popular male breadwinner ideology positioned men in the center of all social structures and provided them with the socially more advantageous position compared to that of women. Despite the relevance of the gender inequality issue, the state of research regarding the meaning of inequality and female discrimination in the American society is rather scarce. Scholars in American history avoid linking gender inequality to economic processes, class and race issues and the public-private social dichotomies, and gender inequality in professional life  persists and manifests through limited participation of women in labor, gendered labor distribution patterns, and lower rewards compared to those of men.

America was founded on the principles of equality, equity, and fairness, but gender inequality is among the few historical and social patterns America was never able to combat. Since the very first years of the American state, the male/female division exemplified a persistent binary commonly embodied in access to income, wealth, and jobs (Katz, Stern & Fader 65). Not only did the American state display persistent negligence toward female participation in and female contribution to the important social, economic, and cultural processes, but society constantly built barriers in women’s way to professional self-realization and growth. Wages became the first instrument of gender inequality in America. Even during the pre-colonial times, the distribution of rewards among family members in the household was the result of the authoritative decisions imposed by the household’s head – usually, the oldest resident male (Main 39). The combination of religion, custom and law produced a marked, complex impact on the distribution of roles among the members of the household (Main 39).  Their community roles also depended on their age, and sex and gender was the driver of every member’s distinctive social roles (Main 39). The American society was aware of the existing male/female dichotomies and could perceive the effects of gender inequality on various social patterns; yet, little or nothing was done to at least reduce the gap between men and women. Maximum wages for women were several times lower than those of men and their opportunities for the participation in the labor force were at least limited.

The problem of gender inequality in professional life endures and manifests through the limited access of women to particular jobs, gendered patterns of job distribution, and unequal rewards. Although America made a gigantic step ahead in its striving to reduce the existing gap between men and women, the difficulties that link women to social, cultural, economic, and political/ public factors continue to persist. Actually, gender inequality in America always reflected the paradoxical combination of social mobility and differentiated experiences among women, further divided by class, ethnicity, and race (Katz, Stern & Fader 70). Increased participation of women in labor markets signifies the most dramatic development in the history of women’s employment in the United States, but whether women have opportunities to realize themselves in professional life depends on a variety of factors. For example, black women traditionally lack education and skills needed to enter qualified managerial and clerical jobs, and have to concentrate in contingent work or poor working conditions (Katz, Stern & Faber 70). The distribution of jobs is another topic of the serious historical concern. During the 1970s, the expanding participation of women in various jobs became an urgent response to the growing attractiveness of women as workers and women’s willingness to enter and use the emerging employment opportunities (Katz, Stern & Faber 75). Anti-discrimination law also made discrimination costly (Katz, Stern & Faber 75). However, women became attractive to employers not because they were professional and qualified but because they would work for less pay compared with men (Katz, Stern & Faber 75). Ultimately, rewards remain the basic source of historical and social controversies in America and the basic pattern of gender inequality in professional life.

One of the reasons for the enduring character of gender discrimination is the lack of the objective and detailed analysis of gender inequality in professional literature. Scholars in American history used to focus “on the level and nature of economic activity or on gender roles, seldom on both at the same time” (Main 40). The state of literature and research about gender inequality always reflected the tension between history and theory, with the former dedicated to the study of events in the context of particular place and time, and the latter resulting in large generalizations about cultural and social processes (Anderson 18). The concept of patriarchy in literature was discussed through the prism of the role division between men and women, where men were described as public representatives and the carriers of the community power, and women were limited to participating in their kin groups and household obligations (Anderson 19). The reality, however, is quite different, and the concepts of patriarchy and gender inequality are inseparable from the social, cultural, economic, and political contexts in which they occur. The time has come to shift attention from psychic structures to social and cultural processes (Anderson 20). Anderson is correct in that scholars in American history must finally move beyond the fear of theory and reconceptualize the notion of patriarchy through the prism of its connections to various methodologies (30). Future research of patriarchy and gender inequality must ensure that scholars realize, recognize, reflect, and explore the fundamental connections of gender to historical, economic, social, and cultural processes, including gender, race, class, and family relations (Anderson 30).

Conclusion

Since the earliest years of American history, gender inequality has been the definitive feature of the societal progress in the country. The growing gender inequality awareness and increased attention to the problem did not resolve the existing controversies. In professional life, gender inequality manifests through the limited access to particular jobs, gendered job distribution patterns and unequal rewards. Unfortunately, scholars in the history of America avoid linking gender inequality to economic, class, race, and social issues and provide a limited view of patriarchy. Future research of patriarchy must concentrate on the complex analysis of the fundamental connections of gender various social, cultural, economic and political processes.

Works Cited

Anderson, K. “Work, Gender, and Power in the American West.” In S. Schakel, Western Women’s Lives: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century, New York, UNM Press, 2003, pp. 18-30.

Katz, M., Stern, M.J. & Fader, J.J. “Women and the Paradox of Economic Inequality in the Twentieth Century.” Journal of Social History, 39.1 (2005), 65-88. Print.

Main, G. “Gender, Work, and Wages in Colonial New England.” The William and Mary Quarterly, 51.1 (1994), pp. 39-66. Print.