A Gender Debate

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Gender refers to the psychological, social, and cultural differences between males and females. Gender also means the physiological and anatomical differences between the male and female bodies. Most socio-biologists believe differences in sex are a result of differences in the thinking and behavior of men and women. They argue gender identity is formed through socialization. Gender structures every aspect of an individual's life through social relationships and all forms of interaction with society including work.

Marxist writers note that pre-capitalism depended on a working relationship. Men dominated the public sphere while a woman's place was in the private sphere. John Stuart Mill (1869) wrote one of the first political tracts to address what was to become `The Woman Question' in Victorian society. Mill detailed the social inequalities built into the marriage contract, including disparate property rights and a woman's familial responsibilities. Mill argued that women should move into the workplace if they are to challenge men and gain freedom from subordination. However he also expected that women would continue to run the household and care for the children.

Mill was careful not to alienate himself from men and women in society because most people at that time believed women should stay home. Mill argued that it was in a women's "nature" to choose the role of wife and mother (William Stafford, 1998). However, recent feminists have argued against such notions and challenge the idea that motherhood is the only meaningful occupation for women. They have developed a critique of the family, which claims family is:

...ideological confinement to the domestic sphere and that it institutionalizes hete...

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...nges the status quo. Challenging the status quo or social norms means that social policy relating to equality in the home and workplace will continue to advance.

References

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Stafford W John Stuart Mill London 1997

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Walsh M Women, Men and Gender : Ongoing Debates New Haven and London 1997

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www.equalopportunitiescommision.com

www.eironline.com

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