This document discusses gender roles and inequalities related to sex and age. It explores how societies typically assign different roles and behaviors to men and women, with men often dominating. These roles are influenced by biology but are also socially constructed. Gender inequalities persist in areas like education, jobs, money, religion and politics. However, women's liberation movements have made progress in eradicating discrimination and creating more equality between sexes. The document also examines social aspects of aging like physical, psychological and social aging processes.

1. GENDER ROLES AND
INEQUALITIES IN AGE
AMPARO, Geraldine O.
CONCEPCION, Marianne M.
GENUINO, Sharmaine L.
TOLENTINO, John Patrick

2. Sex and Age
 Universal distinctions , for they are ascribed
statuses that arise inevitably from the human
condition.
 Our species contains male and female, and we all
grew older from the time of birth to the moment
of death.

3.  Every societies categorizes its members according to
sex (gender), treating men and women in different
ways and expecting different patterns of behavior
from them.
 MEN have been generally the dominant sex, and
WOMEN have usually taken this inequality for
granted as a “natural” state of affairs, passing it
down from generation to generation as part of their
culture.

4.  Every societies distinguish among their members on
the grounds of age, giving different rights and
responsibilities to people of various age categories and
requiring them to play different social roles.
 The patterns of inequality are not so consistent.
 Traditional societies are usually dominated by old, but
in modern societies, the middle aged become the
dominant category, and the old sometimes take on the
characteristics of a disadvantaged minority.

5. “WHAT IS THE NATURE OF
THE GENDER ROLES, BEING
MASCULINE AND FEMININE?”
GENDER ROLES
It is the patterns of attitude and behavior that a
society expects of its members because of their
being male or female.

6. Gender Roles in the Philippines
 Filipino society assigned to men the role of
breadwinner and to women the role of
housekeeper.
 “Man’s World” outside the home was viewed as a
harsh and heartless jungle in which men needed
strength and aggression.
 “Woman’s World” was the home, and her job was
to comfort and care for husband and
children, maintain harmony, and teach her
children to conform to society’s norms.

7. Popular Stereotypes
 The oversimplified mental images of what men and women
are supposed to be and to some extent, it persist.
MEN – supposed to be ambitious, aggressive, strong and
athletic; should hold back their emotions and must not
cry; expected to be sexually aggressive and experienced;
supposed to be independent, fit to be a leaders; and,
expected to be logical, rational and objective.
WOMEN – supposed to be shy, easily intimidated, passive,
weak and demure; expected to worry about their
appearance and aging; expected to be emotional, even to
cry easily; expected to be sexually passive and
inexperienced; believe to be dependent, in need of male
protection; and, expected to be inconsistent and intuitive.

8. A recent analysis of personal ads in a major newspaper finds
that men are more likely to seek women whom they view as
“sex objects” – physically and sexually attractive – while
women are more interested in men as “success objects” –
financially secure and well-educated
(Ventigmilia, 1982; Sherman and Haas, 1984; Rosal, 1984;
Goleman, 1988; Joubert, 1989; Abelos, 2004; Davis, 1990;
Palispis, 1998)
All this reflects the powerful influence of traditional gender
roles, which make men and women behave differently.

9. Gender Roles in other Cultures
 Gender Roles viewed as natural, innate and God -given.
MARGARET MEAD – (cited by Thio) found striking
differences among three tribes in New Guinea. She
concluded that human nature is almost unbelievably
malleable, responding to cultural conditions,
standardized personality, differences between the sexes
are of this order, cultural creations to which each
generation, male and female, is trained to conform.
a) Arapesh – both men and women would consider a
feminine way. They were passive, gentle and home -
loving.
b) Mundugumor - both sexes shows masculine traits. They
were competitive, aggressive and violent.
c) Tchambuli – sharp differences in the male and female
roles . Men are passive, emotional, and dependent,
women are the economic providers, doing the farming,
hunting, and fishing.

10. GENDER INEQUALITIES
Underlying these inequalities is sexism – prejudice
and discrimination against women.
“WOMEN DENIED THE RIGHTS TO HOLD PROPERTY, TO
VOTE, TO GO TO SCHOOL, TO TRAVEL, TO BORROW
MONEY, AND TO ENTER CERTAIN OCCUPATIONS.”

11. Sexism
 It is the belief that women are inferior to men. Even when a man
and a woman have the same personalities and are equally
competent in performing the same task, she is still likely to be
considered inferior to him.
 A healthy, mature woman is characterized as submissive,
dependent, unadventurous, easily influenced, excitable in
minor crises, susceptible to hurt feelings, and conceited about
her appearance.
 A man having that characteristics can be considered as
unhealthy and immature (Jaggar and Strhul)
 In general, men are describe as positively – as independent,
courageous, and the like – but women are described negatively –
as having “sexual timidity” and “social anxiety.” Yet, if they
get rid of sexual timidity and become sexually active, which is
normal for men, women are diagnosed as abnormal
(Goleman).

12.  Sexism can also subtly influence the interaction
between sexes. Studies of nonverbal interaction
have revealed that men often unconsciously
exhibit their superiority to women – and women
their inferiority.
 It also influenced pattern of body language in
women’s tendency to speak more politely than
men, being more careful to say “please” and
“thank you” as they are expected to.
 It may also produce inequality between sexes by
unconsciously biasing evaluation of people’s work.

13. HOMER – “It made many women to pursue successful
careers.”
TRESEMER and HYLAND – “Fewer women today suffer
from inferiority – perhaps because gender-role stereotypes
were vigorously attacked during 70’s and 80’s.”
FIORE – “College women believe that men regard women
who seek “masculine” occupation at least preferable as
friends or romantic partners.”
JANMAN – “Successful career women are likely to have
marital problems, so they will give up their careers to
protect their marriage and family and husband’s career.”
MATHISON – “Female subjects described the woman as
aggressive, pushy or unfeminine, which they consider to be
negative characteristics in women.”

14. Inequalities can be seen at:
EDUCATION JOBS AND MONEY
RELIGION POLITICS

15. Sources of Gender Roles and Inequalities
 Men and women are different in their genes,
Biological Evidence
which provide inherited blueprint for their
physical development.
 FEMALES have two similar chromosomes (XX),
while MALES have dissimilar chromosomes (XY).
 Men and women also have differences in their
hormones, chemical substances that are secreted
by the body’s various glands. The precise effects of
hormones have not been fully determined, but it is
known that they can influence both physical
development and emotional arousal.
 Also, there are obvious differences in the sexes’
anatomy, or physical structure and appearance.
e.g. reproductive system

16. Sources of Gender Roles and Inequalities
 Although there are many differences
Psychological Evidence
among both individual men and individual
women, the typical personality patterns of
adult men and women clearly dissimilar in
many ways.
 Psychologists have focused much of their
research on very young infants. Babies have
had very little exposure to learning
situations, and the earlier sex-linked
differences in behavior appear, the more
likely it is that they are the result of inborn
factors.

17. Sources of Gender Roles and Inequalities
Cross-Cultural Evidence
 The biological differences between males
and females seem logically related to the
division of labor between sexes.
 If men are bigger and stronger, then it
makes sense for them to do the work that
requires strength. And assigning women
the care of the home and children may be a
logical extension of their biological ability
to bear and nurse children.
 BENDERLY – “Thus, we are born male or
female, but we learn to become men or
women.”

18. Gender Inequalities
A Functionalist View
 Functionalist theorists start from the assumption
that if all societies encourage gender
differences, then these distinctions must have
some positive effects for society as a whole.
 They point out that (at least in
traditional, preindustrial societies) it was highly
functional for men and women to play different
roles.
 A society operates much more efficiently if duties
are allocated to particular people who are
socialized to play the specific roles involved.
 This division of labor need not necessarily be
along sex lines – but sexual differences, being
rooted in our biology, do offer an obvious and
convenient means of achieving it.

19. Gender Inequalities
 To conflict theorists, the inequality of men and
A Conflict View
women is simply another form of social
stratification.
 The stratification of sexes takes an unusual form,
however, for men and women are found in equal
proportion at every level of the social-class
hierarchy – but at any given position, women
generally have inferior status to a lower-class
woman, but in many aspects, she has inferior
status to an upper-class man.
 Modern conflict theorists argue that men can
enjoy superior status only if women have inferior
status, and the existing gender-role patterns allow
them to maintain their political, social, and
economic privileges.

20. GENDER ROLES TODAY/
TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY
Due to WOMAN’s LIBERATION

21. The WOMAN’s Movement
 Eradicate slavery
 Right to vote
 Education
 Occupation
 Social Status
 Political position
ANNIE GOTTLIEB – wrote, “found themselves serving as
secretary, mother and concubine, while men did all the
speaking, writing, and negotiating – and these were men who professed
to reject the ‘oppressive’ ritual machinery of their society.”
EGALITARIAN FEMINISM – belief that emphasizes sexual equality by
insisting that men and women be treated exactly alike.
PROTECTIONIST FEMINISM – emphasizes the biological differences
between the sexes by insisting that the unique interest of working
women be protected
e.g. prenatal care, maternity leave, and child-care services

22. MEN’s Liberation
 Freedom in expressing emotion
 Freedom from social expectation
 Social Relationships
 Freedom from competition
JANET CHAFETZ – the degree of gender equality
depends on the degree on which women are
involved in socially valued economic production.
This means that women will enjoy more equality
with men if they move into male-
dominated, higher-status occupation.

23. SOCIAL GERONTOLOGY
 It is the study of social aspects of aging.
 This sub discipline of sociology examines the influence of
social forces on the aged and the aging process, and the
impact of the aged and their needs on society.
 As gerontologists point out, aging actually involves three
related processes:
1) PHYSICAL AGING - the maturation and other age-
related changes that takes place over time in the body.
2) PSYCHOLOGICAL AGING - the development and other
changes that occur in the personality, including its
emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components.
3) SOCIAL AGING - involving the various transitions from
one social status to another that the individual
experiences over the life course.