In order to explore the relationship between gender and work, it is essential to define the fundamental difference between sex and gender. Sex refers to the biological distinctions between male and female based on reproductive organs and functions. On the other hand, gender is a social construct that reflects the interaction between biology and sociological factors such as class, culture, race and the individual. Coltrane and Collins delineate the difference between the two terms clearly in Sociology of Marriage and the Family: "Gender reminds us that the social roles of being male and female are largely produced by the culture, while sex refers to biological characteristics and erotic behavior."
Social Construction of Gender Based Work
Gender based work refers to the way in which the division of labor in society has been shaped by gender. Gender, or the social construct used to define masculine and feminine roles, plays a large part in shaping a sex-segregated work environment that allows for sexual inequality. Sexual inequality in the workplace is manifested in the type of occupations generally reserved for women, the lower wages given to women and the stunted development of careers for women.
Gender based work and sexual inequality is not simply a product of the workplace. The workplace is merely one of the many places that reflect the gender bias celebrated by schools, the media and the home environment.
In fact, the home environment is the first place that initiates young children into a world that defines the expectations of male and female roles. According to Gary and Barbara Yunker, Valian states that the gender stereotyping stems from entrenched cultural beliefs that have been inculcated in men and women since their birth. Young children are given gender scripts that delineate clearly the differences between male and female roles.
When I was young, I experienced the gender stereotype that was practiced i...