ence of stratification.
Women in society have traditionally been accorded a low ranking in this system of stratification. Women are generally treated as a minority in almost all societies, even though there are at least as many women in most societies as there are men, and often more. In this regard, sociological theorists have been careful to distinguish that the term "minority" does not necessarily indicate an actual lack of numbers. Rather, in order for a group of persons to be labeled a minority, "it is only necessary that they be of low status and be discriminated against by more dominant members of the society" (Gordon and Harvey, 1978, pp. 231-232). From this definition then, it can clearly be seen that women do qualify as a "minority" in American society as a result of their relatively low position in the social strata. Women are delegated to a lower position than men in a number of ways. For example, women are, in general, economically inferior to men in that they tend to receive less pay than men do for comparable work. Even women who hold high-paying professional jobs tend to receive less money for their work than men in similar positions. Women have also been delegated to a lower position in the social hierarchy in terms of status and power. In this regard, it can be seen that there are many modern issues in women's rights which are apparently geared toward removing self-control and self-determination from the women themselves. Many sociological theorists, particularly those with a feminist orientation, believe that the current abortion issue is one such attempt to take away the right of women to control their own bodies and in effect, their futures. If the male-dominated political system succeeds in restricting this right, it will further entrench women in an even lower position in the overall social hierarchy as it currently exists.
The problems of social stratification as they affect women can be viewed ...