We employ a social networks perspective to answer our primary research question: does gender matter in the academic profession of sociology? Our empirical approach focuses on how the gender composition of a core group of people who provide instrumental support to scholars in the field of sociology has evolved over time. Rather than drawing attention to simply whether the presence of women is disproportionately small in the field, we seek to understand whether there are differences in the relative influence exerted by men and women within the profession of sociology- that is, we focus not on the exclusion of women but rather on how women are included in the communal process of providing feedback. In academia, where the reputation of scholars …show more content…
Both theoretical and pragmatic reasons motivated the selection of Sociology as our field of study. First, a lion’s share of the work on the under-representation of women in academic disciplines has been done in the STEM fields and not in the social sciences (Beede et al. 2011; Cheryan & Plaut, 2010; Clark, 2005; Xu, 2008). The facts that gender is a part of everyday language in sociology and that the sociological enterprise is deeply cognizant about the role of gender in social life have detracted attention away from extant gender disparities within the field. Second, a deep institutional knowledge about the players in the discipline is inevitably necessary to make sense of acknowledgment networks. This is because unlike citation networks, authors sometimes acknowledge familiar people using their monikers, and at other times they do not. Only those embedded within a particular discipline would be conversant with the use of such names in their field. Further, we chose the five aforementioned sociological journals because: (1) they ranked highly on the h-5 index (Jacobs, 2011) and the Web of Knowledge Journal of Citation Report 2012 Eigenfactor Score ; and (2) given the empirical impracticalities of analyzing all highly …show more content…
Based on the number of ties a node has, its reach to all other nodes, and its position in controlling the flow between other nodes, Freeman (1978) classified three measures of centrality: degree, closeness, and betweenness. The weighted degree of the node is the sum of the weights attached to the ties connected to a node (Barrat et al., 2004). Betweenness centrality is based on “the identification of the shortest paths, and measures the number of them that passes through a node” (Opsahl et al. 2010, p. 247). In a weighted network, the quickest path may be through nodes that are stronger and have more frequent ties than through a weak direct tie (see Opsahl et al., 2010). Closeness centrality refers to the average distance from a node to all other nodes in the network. The closeness centrality measure is somewhat limited in its applicability when there are disconnected components in our network and is restricted in its use within the giant component (see Opsahl et al, 2010). Eigenvector centrality, defined as the “weighted sum of not only direct connections but indirect connections of every length” (Bonacich, 2007, p. 555) is another important measure used in the exploration of our network that allowed us to identify individuals who are connected to other well-connected individuals. In order to measure local
In “Gender as a Social Structure: Theory Wrestling with Activism”, the author Barbara Risman explains her theory to readers about how gender should be thought of as a social structure. Thinking of it as such would allow people to examine how gender is ingrained in almost every part of society, thus putting gender on an equal level of importance with economics and politics. In society, gender dictates many of the opportunities and limitations that an individual may face in his or her lifetime. Barbara Risman points out the three aspects of the gender structure that happen at an individual, interactional, and institutional level (Risman, pg. 446). First, gender contributes to how a person will develop themselves in life. This is the “individual level”. At an interactional level, men and women face different expectations that are set by society. The individual and interactional level are linked because sometimes, changes to one level can affect the other. The third level, the institutional level, notes that gender is affected by laws, rules, and organizational practices that dictate what
Words can be powerful, especially when those words are spoken by the president of a top university. In a 2005 speech by Lawrence Summers, he put forth the hypothesis that there are more men than women in the most high end positions due to a different set of measurable attributes, rather than it being caused by pervasive sexism or discrimination. To make it to the top of highly demanding fields, one has to be of exceptional quality and these are “people who are three and a half, four standard deviations above the mean in the one in 5,000, one in 10,000 class” (Summers, 2005). Summers is making the point that we should analyze the dataset that produces this type of result, rather than saying it’s all because of discrimination. Summers does not deny that discrimination exists, but he argues it cannot explain every difference. While there are more women in science and math based majors than ever before, fewer of them are in the top research positions that require the most demanding work and longest hours. Summers was strongly criticized and forced to resign as president of Harvard.
Over the past twenty years, sociology has gone through a process of self-evaluation, as field researchers and observers express a wariness about the empty universalism of speculative systems and look for ways in which to secure empirical foundations that give way to meaningful application in a pluralistic, postmodern world. The survival of sociology as a critical theoretical discipline is a concern expressed by many, such as contemporary social analyst George Ritzer, who are forging new paths of application that represent a paradigm shift in this classical social legacy.
Kendall, D. (2012-01-01). Sociology in Our Times, 9th Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781285309682
Hughes, Michael, Carolyn J. Kroehler, and James W. Vander Zanden. "Sociology | Chapter Summary." McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2002. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. .
Since the beginning of time men have played the dominant role in nearly every culture around the world. If the men were not dominant, then the women and men in the culture were equal. Never has a culture been found where women have dominated. In “Society and Sex Roles” by Ernestine Friedl, Friedl supports the previous statement and suggests that “although the degree of masculine authority may vary from one group to the next, males always have more power” (261). Friedl discusses a variety of diverse conditions that determine different degrees of male dominance focusing mainly on the distribution of resources. In The Forest People by Colin Turnbull, Turnbull describes the culture of the BaMbuti while incorporating the evident sex roles among these “people of the forest”. I believe that the sex roles of the BaMbuti depicted by Turnbull definitely follow the pattern that is the basis of Freidl’s arguments about the conditions that determine variations of male dominance. Through examples of different accounts of sex roles of the BaMbuti and by direct quotations made by Turnbull as well as members of the BaMbuti tribe, I intend on describing exactly how the sex roles of the BaMbuti follow the patterns discussed by Freidl. I also aim to depict how although women are a vital part of the BaMbuti culture and attain equality in many areas of the culture, men still obtain a certain degree of dominance.
52% of teenagers do not identify as exclusively heterosexual. (according to a report by the J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group) 35% of millennials fall in the same category, and the percentage keeps declining as you move to older generations. This is because gender identity is not primarily caused by nature, but by things like upbringing, your environment, and your education. My partner and I stand in affirmation of the following resolution: Gender identity is caused more by nurture rather than nature. We will argue this case with the following two contentions:
In our present world, people understand and view gender in different perspectives, or “lenses.” The idea of gender that we see specifically in our present society today is very extensive compared to what it was years ago. We see a variety of different kinds of gender, whereas only years ago it was two: male and female. Personally, I have seen this in our society because I have met people that identify as many different genders that aren’t specifically just male or female. The word “gender” holds an important place in our language, specifically in today’s society, because it has determined who we are, how we identify ourselves, and ultimately our roles in society.
Faris, Robert E.L., and William Form. The "Sociology" of the "Sociology" Britannica. The. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d., pp. 113-117.
Society places ideas concerning proper behaviors regarding gender roles. Over the years, I noticed that society's rules and expectations for men and women are very different. Men have standards and specific career goals that we must live up to according to how others judge.
The female gender role in society has created a torturous fate for those who have failed in their role as a woman, whether as a mother, a daughter, or a wife. The restrictive nature of the role that society imposes on women causes extreme repercussions for those women who cannot fulfill their purpose as designated by society. These repercussions can be as common as being reprimanded or as severe as being berated or beaten by a husband or father. The role that women were given by society entails being a submissive homemaker who dotes on her husband and many children. The wife keeps the home impeccably neat, tends to the children and ensures their education and well-being, and acts obsequiously to do everything possible to please her husband. She must be cheerful and sweet and pretty, like a dainty little doll. The perfect woman in the eyes of society is exactly like a doll: she always smiles, always looks her best and has no feelings or opinions that she can truly call her own. She responds only to the demands of her husband and does not act or speak out of turn. A woman who speaks her mind or challenges the word of any man, especially her husband, is undesirable because she is not the obedient little doll that men cherish. Women who do not conform to the rules that society has set for them are downgraded to the only feature that differentiates them from men; their sex. Society’s women do not speak or think of sex unless their husband requires it of them. But when a woman fails to be the doll that a man desires, she is worth nothing more than a cheap sex object and she is disposed of by society.
Women and gender studies contribute greatly to our understanding of the social and cultural world we inhabit. Studying the complex issues of this field has instituted many key insights. Two major insights that positively affected our society are the awareness through learning and through this awareness activism that can ensue.
Social Construction of Gender Today’s society plays a very important role in the construction of gender. Gender is a type of issue that has raised many questions over the years in defining and debating if both male and female are equal. Today, gender is constructed in four different ways. The The first way gender is defined is by the family in which a child is raised.
Women address the problem of being underrepresented in academic fields such as engineering, because there is an overweight of men – should men say that there is too many nurses or kindergarten teachers? They only want the equality because the academic fields is something that the men have for themselves.
Society has stamped an image into the minds of people of how the role of each gender should be played out. There are two recognized types of gender, a man and a woman, however there are many types of gender roles a man or a woman may assume or be placed into by society. The ideas of how one should act and behave are often times ascribed by their gender by society, but these ascribed statuses and roles are sometimes un-welcomed, and people will assume who they want to be as individuals by going against the stereotypes set forth by society. This paper will examine these roles in terms of how society sees men and women stereotypically, and how men and women view themselves and each other in terms of stereotypes that are typically ascribed, as well as their own opinions with a survey administered to ten individuals. What I hope to prove is that despite stereotypes playing a predominant role within our society, and thus influencing what people believe about each other in terms of their same and opposite genders, people within our society are able to go against these ascribed stereotypes and be who they want and it be okay. Through use of the survey and my own personal history dealing with gender stereotyping I think I can give a clear idea as to how stereotypes envelope our society, and how people and breaking free from those stereotypes to be more individualistic.