Women as a minority group

In a society where stratification is as common as access to McDonald, there is an additional component that is oftentimes overlooked—that is stratification of the sexes. I’m sure we have all heard the adages “girls are better than boys”, and “men are stronger than women,” but what merit do these really have in today’s society?

If we examined Forbes list of the most powerful women in the world, we’d find that American women hold extremely high-ranking posts, those with the power to change the current structure of this country. They include such positions as US Secretary of State, presidents and CEOs of major domestic and international corporations, chairmen (no pun intended) of boards, Speaker of the House, president of one of the world’s most prestigious universities, lead anchor of internationally broadcasted news, and even president of a major US airline. Interestingly, in 2003, women represented 59 percent of people earning bachelor’s degree and 59 percent of those earning master’s degrees. In the words of Bob Dylan, “Times, They Are A-Changin,” yet there is still much to be done.

The income of women lags behind that of men in this country, even if we juxtaposed experience and education. For all occupations, the median income for women was $28,704.00 compared to $36,140.00 for men in 2004, according to William Thompson and Joseph Hickey (2008). Even in examining top level positions such as chief executive, women had a median income of $64,636.00 compared to the men’s whopping $90,272.00. That difference increases as salaries increase, but may go unnoticed when reaching certain levels. The income gap at one point was narrowing, but now it appears that it once again is widening.

We live in a patriarchal society that is perpetuated by some of the same vices that plague racial stratification. An interesting point that is often disputed is that women are considered a minority group. Depending on the type of feminists one identifies, there are claims that women are not minorities and that this label bears little merit, if any at all. But to apply a sociological definition of “minority,” I would define it as Richard Schaefer has, “a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than the members of a dominant or majority group has over theirs.”

One question to answer, what group has the greatest power over women’s reproductive rights? Once this question has been answered, you should then understand, based on the definition, how and why women fall into a minority category. The term minority is often associated with groups that are non-white. But in this case, the reference simply refers to women having less control over their own lives than that of men, more specifically, white men. If we lace a woman with being black, it sheds even more light on the designation of women as a minority group. A woman who is black experiences what sociologists refer to as double jeopardy—where a black woman experiences the trials and tribulations of firstly being black, then those of being a woman.

There are numerous other inequalities that exist between men and women. However, this commentary was simply to provide minimal insight into a persistent problem that almost seems to get swept under the rug—sex inequalities. Being versed regarding these and other inequalities gives us a greater bargaining chip when applying for positions and life in general. Knowledge is power! © 2007 Keydron Guinn