Friday, November 6, 2009
Unit C - Blog 21
Britton gives many great examples of how to improve the prison system and make it less gendered. One recommendation she has is to restructure the system. It was developed and constructed by gender norms for in society. Britton believes we need to restructure to where positions are not gender related. So prisons aren’t divided by gender. She also has issues with how prisons are portrayed in society. This is responsible for a lot of the gender inequalities as well. If we (society) keep socializing prisons as these violent places, then it is going to keep feeding the stereotype. Another thing she believes is that these affiliations like violence being attached to gender exist, then they will exist in the prisons. Britton also has strategies about training the officers for men’s and women’s facilities, not just one. She also takes the stance to reduce sex segregated positions and to have some balance. These are all resolutions with specifics. The National Association of Female Correctional Officers’ recommendations are less detailed, as well as one dimensional. Their recommendations are all geared to sexual assault and preventing it. In my opinion, this is keeping the stereotypes alive. It is portraying the women as victims that can’t defend themselves. None of these solutions are restorative, they are all retributive. They are mainly punishment based. Britton has ideas that will influence structure and won’t depict female officers as sexual victims, but as officers that have ways to prevent these things from happening. Last, these recommendations don’t even imply that these females will be able to prevent it themselves. They are all about how the situation will be handled. There is room for speculation that they are looking to have men defend them better or they will be held accountable for not. And the very last recommendation included weapons and technology to defend it. I would go with Britton’s restorative stance any day of the week.
Unit C - Blog 20
The hostage situation at the Lewis Prison was reflected as a high security prison. In relation to Britton, the prison, like many others according to our media was portrayed as violent. It obviously supported the norm by describing and demonstrating violent and ruthless inmates. During the early part of At Work in the Iron Cage the book spoke about the stereotype of an officer, but also to inclusion of weapons being necessary to tame. This was portrayed in the article as well. I also think the socialization of a male corrections officer was supported, but not necessarily how Britton described it. In the Phoenix Magazine article, the male officers were affiliated with cowboys multiple times, which have the same brute and violent implications as the other stereotypes. The headline also stuck out to me right off the bat when it affiliated female with soft right away. Another area that relates to Britton is some of the implications of restorative justice by some of the guards. Schriro is cited as using restorative justice for her correctional facilities. Also, when the incident was first initiated, her number one priority was to make sure that no one would be killed. This supports that she views the inmates as human beings.
These articles also support the notion that prisons are gendered. The largest example was apparent in Inside the Tower when the Sheriffs that were restraining the convict were referred to as “four burly men.” It also portrayed the victim as a week female that was in fact a victim that had to have the Sheriffs around to essentially protect her. They also referred to the Sheriffs’ thick necks and biceps that could be considered “lethal weapons.” The Phoenix Magazine article, as stated earlier, referred to the previous officers as cowboys, again with implications of violence (masculinity). They then started referring to her as getting nervous and not being able to handle the situation, a sign of weakness, and a sign of feminine. One other huge part of the Inside the Tower article that really emphasized gender roles was the fact that Schriro chose a non-violent resolution which is in line with the feminine stance. And finally, back to the restorative justice. Schriro believes that the inmates can go back and be a part of society, the masculine stand point would be that they are violent animals.
A prison is a total institution because it is a place where individuals “live the whole of their lives” (Britton, Pg. 3). Britton talks about how inmates are living there against their own will, but nevertheless they are an institution under total control. Prisons are basically a small society, but have a hierarchy of control that they have to abide by. There is simply a chain of command. The prisoners, the officers, and the wardens is the structure of the institution. They all spend a majority, or whole part of their live together.
A correctional officer is an engendered position because it came about with socialized structure. Prisons have always been affiliated with violence, as have men. Men were historically the majority of the incarcerated and in past times, men had to be controlled by men. Violence had to be controlled by violence. Due to these early formations of prisons, the foundations were reproduced and still are. Our society continues to socialize the traits of prisons, although, as Britton mentions several times, are inaccurate.
Britton’s recommendations could have been useful in avoiding the hostage take over. Her whole stance with training and restructuring is to help provide an equal prison life for guards and inmates. I think the situation could have happened either way, and I think she would have done, or had structure prepare officers, both male and female, how to handle it. Britton states that we need the “promotion practices that privilege the ability to deal with physical violence over other skills, like the ability to defuse it, should be made more equitable.” Schriro takes this same stance and is working on that type of structure, as well as defused the violence.
These articles also support the notion that prisons are gendered. The largest example was apparent in Inside the Tower when the Sheriffs that were restraining the convict were referred to as “four burly men.” It also portrayed the victim as a week female that was in fact a victim that had to have the Sheriffs around to essentially protect her. They also referred to the Sheriffs’ thick necks and biceps that could be considered “lethal weapons.” The Phoenix Magazine article, as stated earlier, referred to the previous officers as cowboys, again with implications of violence (masculinity). They then started referring to her as getting nervous and not being able to handle the situation, a sign of weakness, and a sign of feminine. One other huge part of the Inside the Tower article that really emphasized gender roles was the fact that Schriro chose a non-violent resolution which is in line with the feminine stance. And finally, back to the restorative justice. Schriro believes that the inmates can go back and be a part of society, the masculine stand point would be that they are violent animals.
A prison is a total institution because it is a place where individuals “live the whole of their lives” (Britton, Pg. 3). Britton talks about how inmates are living there against their own will, but nevertheless they are an institution under total control. Prisons are basically a small society, but have a hierarchy of control that they have to abide by. There is simply a chain of command. The prisoners, the officers, and the wardens is the structure of the institution. They all spend a majority, or whole part of their live together.
A correctional officer is an engendered position because it came about with socialized structure. Prisons have always been affiliated with violence, as have men. Men were historically the majority of the incarcerated and in past times, men had to be controlled by men. Violence had to be controlled by violence. Due to these early formations of prisons, the foundations were reproduced and still are. Our society continues to socialize the traits of prisons, although, as Britton mentions several times, are inaccurate.
Britton’s recommendations could have been useful in avoiding the hostage take over. Her whole stance with training and restructuring is to help provide an equal prison life for guards and inmates. I think the situation could have happened either way, and I think she would have done, or had structure prepare officers, both male and female, how to handle it. Britton states that we need the “promotion practices that privilege the ability to deal with physical violence over other skills, like the ability to defuse it, should be made more equitable.” Schriro takes this same stance and is working on that type of structure, as well as defused the violence.
Unit C - Blog 19
Geena Davis raises the issue with children’s TV programs being gendered. She points out that both current and past cartoons and television shows were extremely unbalanced as far as the male to female ratio. As she was speaking a lot of the audience was laughing at her examples that she gave, not only about the lack of women, but how they were portrayed. I think the laughter alone shows a sort of acceptance to this socialization. Some of the portrayals included women and shopping and women and their looks. This is a great example of our society being shaped and socialized from something as early and as basic as cartoons. This is easily transferable to the gender socialization of prisons. As Britton talks about in At Work in the Iron Cage, these same socializations take place in the media towards enforcement officers and prisons. Again, the violence is the highlighted gender trait for these two elements of the prison system. These socializations automatically discourage women from these fields. Women are then deterred from the highlighted violence and brutality during the training. For the few that make beyond these two barriers, they have to deal with even more gender issues. They have to deal with the perception that they are emotional when dealing with violence. Then they have to fight the notion that they are not physically capable, especially with male inmates. Britton discusses how the male officers have the specialized role of dealing with women inmates while at women facilities. Many of the female officers agree with this too and say that they need the men there. They themselves believe the socialization and don’t even see it. This brings me back to Davis. She and her colleagues approached the companies that produced and displayed these cartoons and informed them of the lopsided numbers. Many of these production companies had no clue and were “Thunderstruck” when they noticed the imbalance. A lot of the women officers don’t ever realize that they are socialized. Overall, the few women that are the small statistic of a correctional officer are socialized themselves in a lot ways.
Unit C - Blog 18
Many prisons and confinement institutions attempt to be gender neutral with their policies, but due to our society still structured through masculinity, it truly isn’t gender neutral. The common theme with law enforcement and correctional officers has been affiliated with violence, brutality, and strength, which ultimately is a masculine trait. Because our society doesn’t notice these socializations, they continue to be masculine. The training that these correctional officers receive is violent based. This comes off as unattractive and dangerous to women, therefore discouraging them from working in the field, which in turn keeps the institutions from being truly gender neutral. The violence also continues to drive masculinity through the training, and again, size and force come into the picture.
Men and women prisons are different in many ways. Men’s prisons are believed to be more violent, therefore more men officers are employ those areas due to the masculinity factor. There is also the perception that women are more emotional, not necessarily violent. These are very typical socializations and we continue to embrace them. Through the training these stereotypes are apparent as well. This reinforces it to the officers. The media continues to socialize prisons and officers as violent. All these things make a distinct divide between genders. Officers refer to women as emotional. If we keep using these terms to refer to curtain genders instead of using gender neutral terms and eliminating the misperception, according to Britton, that are apparent for the institutions, then they will always be considered masculine.
Men and women prisons are different in many ways. Men’s prisons are believed to be more violent, therefore more men officers are employ those areas due to the masculinity factor. There is also the perception that women are more emotional, not necessarily violent. These are very typical socializations and we continue to embrace them. Through the training these stereotypes are apparent as well. This reinforces it to the officers. The media continues to socialize prisons and officers as violent. All these things make a distinct divide between genders. Officers refer to women as emotional. If we keep using these terms to refer to curtain genders instead of using gender neutral terms and eliminating the misperception, according to Britton, that are apparent for the institutions, then they will always be considered masculine.
Unit C - Blog 17
Building relationships is very common for correctional officers. As Britton discusses, many of these COs (Correctional Officers) spend more time with inmates than they do their families. Some of the dangers that can arise from these relationships are that COs sometimes are considered to have “gone too far” (Britton, Pg. 107). This term “gone too far” can be in many ways. The first way, which can lead to other areas, is emotional attachment. Some COs begin to have empathy for the inmates and feel bad for them. This can resort to them being let down by the inmates when they do something wrong because they start to build trust and attachment. Another example given was becoming sexually involved. Britton states that there were “many cautionary tales” relating to sexual involvement. The last way that she discusses is that officers will start supplying the inmates with contraband, which can also be dangerous. In the NBC documentary Lock Up, one inmate talks about “hustling” correctional officers and said that she would find “weak staff” and have “hook up” with them and play them for money.
Many officers view inmates very inconsistently. Britton talks about how many officers will view some convicts in a positive manner, but others in a spiteful manner. It is also discussed how some officers treat inmates as if they are animals. She later goes on to say that most officers that she studied really viewed the inmates as humans. She next points out that some officers view them as humans, but also as convicts, therefore placing them in a different category. Other officers view convicts as “bad people.” Some officers unknowingly speak about inmates in coded languages and classify them differently even though they are all inmates. In the end, COs view inmates and convicts in many different ways. I think some of it has to do with what was discussed earlier, COs build relationships with some of these inmates and it changes their views on individuals. Others just have the mindset that inmates are bad people or animals.
Over the last twenty or so years African American and Hispanic correction officers have grow drastically. This is very notable for several reasons. The biggest reason is the proportion of African American and Hispanic inmates. Many of the minority correction officers experience racism while working. This in turn opens their eyes to some of the racism of our criminal justice system. Britton points out that none of the corrections officers acknowledge that they have issues with the system, but believes it is likely and suppressed. She does however recognize that they “share the bond of color and ethnicity” (Britton, Pg. 111) with the inmates, but often hide it. The officers will also distance themselves from the inmates, who are of the same ethnicity and are also of higher proportion, to show loyalty to their coworkers. The book refers to this as “language of the overseer.” This notion is explained as the denial of one’s own race. One officer speaks about how she has to view the inmates as beneath her. She says that she doesn’t necessarily think this, and that she feels some of them are decent, and that it was probably an issue with how they were raised. However, she takes the stance the she essentially says she was trained to take, and that is that the inmates are beneath her. To me, it seems like there is definitely a conflict of interest for a minority, but when it comes down to it they have to abide in order to remain in that position without conflict.
Many officers expressed humanistic attitudes towards the inmates because they see them as human. During one part of the book, as I discussed earlier, one CO said an inmate said he didn’t have his mom around, and that she thought that was apparent. She essentially said that because of a poor upbringing that the inmate was bound for failure. Many of the COs have empathy and compassion for the inmates and feel like they are able to be rehabilitated. A lot of them are taking the stance of restorative justice. That these inmates can pay there consequences, but how can we prevent them from happening again.
Many officers view inmates very inconsistently. Britton talks about how many officers will view some convicts in a positive manner, but others in a spiteful manner. It is also discussed how some officers treat inmates as if they are animals. She later goes on to say that most officers that she studied really viewed the inmates as humans. She next points out that some officers view them as humans, but also as convicts, therefore placing them in a different category. Other officers view convicts as “bad people.” Some officers unknowingly speak about inmates in coded languages and classify them differently even though they are all inmates. In the end, COs view inmates and convicts in many different ways. I think some of it has to do with what was discussed earlier, COs build relationships with some of these inmates and it changes their views on individuals. Others just have the mindset that inmates are bad people or animals.
Over the last twenty or so years African American and Hispanic correction officers have grow drastically. This is very notable for several reasons. The biggest reason is the proportion of African American and Hispanic inmates. Many of the minority correction officers experience racism while working. This in turn opens their eyes to some of the racism of our criminal justice system. Britton points out that none of the corrections officers acknowledge that they have issues with the system, but believes it is likely and suppressed. She does however recognize that they “share the bond of color and ethnicity” (Britton, Pg. 111) with the inmates, but often hide it. The officers will also distance themselves from the inmates, who are of the same ethnicity and are also of higher proportion, to show loyalty to their coworkers. The book refers to this as “language of the overseer.” This notion is explained as the denial of one’s own race. One officer speaks about how she has to view the inmates as beneath her. She says that she doesn’t necessarily think this, and that she feels some of them are decent, and that it was probably an issue with how they were raised. However, she takes the stance the she essentially says she was trained to take, and that is that the inmates are beneath her. To me, it seems like there is definitely a conflict of interest for a minority, but when it comes down to it they have to abide in order to remain in that position without conflict.
Many officers expressed humanistic attitudes towards the inmates because they see them as human. During one part of the book, as I discussed earlier, one CO said an inmate said he didn’t have his mom around, and that she thought that was apparent. She essentially said that because of a poor upbringing that the inmate was bound for failure. Many of the COs have empathy and compassion for the inmates and feel like they are able to be rehabilitated. A lot of them are taking the stance of restorative justice. That these inmates can pay there consequences, but how can we prevent them from happening again.
Unit C - Blog 16
The position of correctional officer is a unique position that has a high demand for workers, but a low supply of them. Britton mentions that being a correctional officer isn’t one of the typical main stream jobs that children and young adults strive to be. It is a blue collar job that entails hard work, sometimes rough working conditions, and doesn’t offer great salary or benefits. These elements combined are part of the reason that this job isn’t the most attractive for many individuals.
There are many paths that lead to becoming a correctional officer. According to At Work in the Iron Cage, several correctional officers alluded to the fact that they did not strive to become correctional officers, but more so fell upon it. Many of the individuals had strived to become police officers, but ended up as correctional officers. Britton speaks about many of the images affiliated with police officers. Many of these include crime fighting, tough and aggressive, and she goes on to speak about the socialization that occurs through television and pop culture. The next parts that Britton goes over are salary and the difference in salaries between race and gender. She points out that white male officers still are higher paid than anyone else, but for diverse workers, it is more comparable than in other fields. Because of this it is more attractive to women and minorities. Other areas that relate to the path of entering corrections include education. Britton speaks about individuals that study criminal justice, which sparks an interest in this field that they later end up pursuing.
There is certainly a difference between men and women when it comes to entering the field of corrections. As stated above, many people become correctional officers through other goals such as police officers, military and criminal justice. Many of these things are socialized as masculine. I have mentioned in several blogs the correlation of prisons and violence, men and violence, size and law enforcement, etc. All these are products of our society’s stereotypes. There aren’t a lot of women that strive for law enforcement because of these socializations, which obviously would mean less would want to be a correction officer. Another factor in the path to become a corrections officer are the other alternatives out there. Although it isn’t the savviest job available during a scarce job market, pay and benefits usually better in corrections, which is many people’s modivation when looking for a job. Overall, it is apparent that corrections officer job isn’t the greatest, but it isn’t the worst. Women are attracted to the position through education, ambitions in for law enforcement, and networking through friends.
There are many paths that lead to becoming a correctional officer. According to At Work in the Iron Cage, several correctional officers alluded to the fact that they did not strive to become correctional officers, but more so fell upon it. Many of the individuals had strived to become police officers, but ended up as correctional officers. Britton speaks about many of the images affiliated with police officers. Many of these include crime fighting, tough and aggressive, and she goes on to speak about the socialization that occurs through television and pop culture. The next parts that Britton goes over are salary and the difference in salaries between race and gender. She points out that white male officers still are higher paid than anyone else, but for diverse workers, it is more comparable than in other fields. Because of this it is more attractive to women and minorities. Other areas that relate to the path of entering corrections include education. Britton speaks about individuals that study criminal justice, which sparks an interest in this field that they later end up pursuing.
There is certainly a difference between men and women when it comes to entering the field of corrections. As stated above, many people become correctional officers through other goals such as police officers, military and criminal justice. Many of these things are socialized as masculine. I have mentioned in several blogs the correlation of prisons and violence, men and violence, size and law enforcement, etc. All these are products of our society’s stereotypes. There aren’t a lot of women that strive for law enforcement because of these socializations, which obviously would mean less would want to be a correction officer. Another factor in the path to become a corrections officer are the other alternatives out there. Although it isn’t the savviest job available during a scarce job market, pay and benefits usually better in corrections, which is many people’s modivation when looking for a job. Overall, it is apparent that corrections officer job isn’t the greatest, but it isn’t the worst. Women are attracted to the position through education, ambitions in for law enforcement, and networking through friends.
Unit C - Blog 15
Women’s prisons have constantly been increasing for over half a century now. There are many reasons for this increase. One reason this can be said is because the numbers are compared to men’s numbers. Another reason is because of the small amount of women that were incarcerated in the past. Women weren’t imprisoned a lot during early part of the 20th century. There was also a strong transformation in the justice system that allowed for stiffer penalties and stronger sentencing. In addition to all of these reasons women have also had population growth as well. There is also a correlation between the region or state and the ratio of women prisoners to men prisoners. One great example of this would be the strict DUI laws in Arizona. If a woman were to get a DUI in another state, she likely wouldn’t have to serve any jail time. I know of two women that have had to serve over four months in prison for DUI charges. Arizona is the strictest. As time progressed, more and more laws were implemented, and the overall views of women began to transform. Women have, and have had, an image of being lady-like and proper. Men and masculinity have the image of being violent and aggressive. Many crimes are affiliated with violence, and that is one reason why men are, and were, incarcerated more frequently than women. Women were also affiliated with certain types of crime such as shoplifting, prostitution, and passing bad checks (Greene, Pranis, Pg. 21). As women became more liberated and our society transformed, more and more women began having violent crimes as well. This went away from some of the notions that implied properness and being “lady-like.” The article Growth Trends and Recent Research also indicated that drug use and dealing became a factor with women as well. Arizona has always been a strict state an incarceration. Before they even were declared a state they already had a prison. This prison was in Yuma and was considered very strict and brutal. This prison included women even way back in the early 20th century. The male to female ratio was still uneven though. During the article Early ADC History it mentioned how women were often pardoned and didn’t receive as harsh penalties. This was apparent in the Growth Trends and Recent Research article as well when the discussed it, as well as discussed the statistics affiliated with it. Overall, women imprisonment rates continue to increase. There are numerous reasons for this including state policies and laws, feminist progression, female growth, and harsher penalties and reforms.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Unit C - Blog 14
Britton begins to frame three questions regarding the theory of gendered organization based on one major issue. This issue is the persistent wage gap between men and women workers. Birtton explores this issue by researching why occupational segregation is persistent, why women concentrated jobs pay less, and what keeps women at the bottom of the ladder. After framing these questions she gives some of the reasons why these are issues. Those reasons include structures of work organizations, ideological functions that shape them, and the agencies of the workers themselves. Essentially she is saying that these three elements are the primary reasons that organizations are gendered. She goes on to explain that we first must acknowledge that organizations are unequal between genders. After that we can analyze it from micro levels, being the individuals, then from macro levels, such as social institutions, policies, and practices.
The three main components of this theory are all interlinked and take place together. The first aspect is the organizational structure. This includes the policies, procedures, and general configuration of an organization, which also includes laws. This is very systematic and is on a macro level. The structure is almost unnoticeable because it is engraved into the operations and some individuals don’t even realize that they are part of the segregation. An example used in the book was when a woman interviewed for a counselor, or correctional officer, in Alabama, but was denied due to her height and weight. With the structure of the laws and legal policies in Alabama at that time, this was valid. This structure automatically would have prevented women from even attempting to get the job. The next component is the cultural and ideological assumptions that shape us. Several examples of this include the media, interaction with others, and anything else that individuals are exposed to that display behaviors. I think movies are a great example for this. Britton uses military movies and the term, “a place where boys are turned into me.” Several movies make a reference to this saying, therefore influencing the culture of and thought processes of the individuals that watch this. I think this can be said for many things. In my last blog I referred to television shows always having female nurses that are good looking. The consistency of this on several different shows displays a cultural norm of nurses being good looking women. The last area is agency. This involves individuals’ interactions that imply gender inequalities. Britton notes that these often aren’t even intentional. The examples that come to me are terms like, “take it like a man,” and “quit whining like a girl.” I think these are the most relatable to me. Since studying in the justice field, I have noticed more and more of these types of remarks everywhere. I hear them from professors, co-workers, television, and especially sports talk radio. Will all three of these components working together our society continues to feed into gender segregation both intentionally and unintentionally.
When Britton says “organizations are gendered at the level of structure,” she means that how organizations are structure can influence gender segregation, and the amount of it. Obviously, as discussed above, the way an organization and society is structured can minimize the amount of segregation. Many of our current structures were designed before any laws were even created for women’s rights. We have certainly made some progress and changed some policies just enough to be in line with the law, but they have not been completely changed to eliminate gender inequalities. Because we are still following structures that were created when discrimination was socially accepted, we continue to reproduce and produce discriminatory behaviors. If organizations were designed or redesigned without gender being a factor, then the structure would be at a level where gender wouldn’t be as much of a factor in the organization. There would still be other things that would influence it like culture and agency, but the structure wouldn’t really allow for that to dictate jobs or salaries.
Public and private spheres become gendered based on history. Women have traditionally been the primary care takers of children. Clearly women also are biologically the primary care taker when birth first takes place, and there really isn’t any debating that. Because of that biological fact and historically women are the care takers of their children, society has structured around it. As society has progressed that has included the socialization of jobs, of men, and of society all together. These reflect on the history of labor by having socializing jobs for men without having to worry about them missing work because of physical effects of pregnancy or child birth. It has allowed for the primary focus of men to be work and of women to be childcare. This is another reason why women are directly affiliated to nurturing and caretaking jobs. These socializations then became norms and have continued to reproduce as time has progressed. They have now become a part of law and policies because it creates an inequality. Women are sometimes considered to be a bit of a liability because there is the chance of pregnancy, or even an emergency with a child to where they would have to leave work. Some policies have allowed for women to take maternity leave so they don’t have to worry about missing work. Laws have been formed for women to not be segregated against because of this biological function.
The three main components of this theory are all interlinked and take place together. The first aspect is the organizational structure. This includes the policies, procedures, and general configuration of an organization, which also includes laws. This is very systematic and is on a macro level. The structure is almost unnoticeable because it is engraved into the operations and some individuals don’t even realize that they are part of the segregation. An example used in the book was when a woman interviewed for a counselor, or correctional officer, in Alabama, but was denied due to her height and weight. With the structure of the laws and legal policies in Alabama at that time, this was valid. This structure automatically would have prevented women from even attempting to get the job. The next component is the cultural and ideological assumptions that shape us. Several examples of this include the media, interaction with others, and anything else that individuals are exposed to that display behaviors. I think movies are a great example for this. Britton uses military movies and the term, “a place where boys are turned into me.” Several movies make a reference to this saying, therefore influencing the culture of and thought processes of the individuals that watch this. I think this can be said for many things. In my last blog I referred to television shows always having female nurses that are good looking. The consistency of this on several different shows displays a cultural norm of nurses being good looking women. The last area is agency. This involves individuals’ interactions that imply gender inequalities. Britton notes that these often aren’t even intentional. The examples that come to me are terms like, “take it like a man,” and “quit whining like a girl.” I think these are the most relatable to me. Since studying in the justice field, I have noticed more and more of these types of remarks everywhere. I hear them from professors, co-workers, television, and especially sports talk radio. Will all three of these components working together our society continues to feed into gender segregation both intentionally and unintentionally.
When Britton says “organizations are gendered at the level of structure,” she means that how organizations are structure can influence gender segregation, and the amount of it. Obviously, as discussed above, the way an organization and society is structured can minimize the amount of segregation. Many of our current structures were designed before any laws were even created for women’s rights. We have certainly made some progress and changed some policies just enough to be in line with the law, but they have not been completely changed to eliminate gender inequalities. Because we are still following structures that were created when discrimination was socially accepted, we continue to reproduce and produce discriminatory behaviors. If organizations were designed or redesigned without gender being a factor, then the structure would be at a level where gender wouldn’t be as much of a factor in the organization. There would still be other things that would influence it like culture and agency, but the structure wouldn’t really allow for that to dictate jobs or salaries.
Public and private spheres become gendered based on history. Women have traditionally been the primary care takers of children. Clearly women also are biologically the primary care taker when birth first takes place, and there really isn’t any debating that. Because of that biological fact and historically women are the care takers of their children, society has structured around it. As society has progressed that has included the socialization of jobs, of men, and of society all together. These reflect on the history of labor by having socializing jobs for men without having to worry about them missing work because of physical effects of pregnancy or child birth. It has allowed for the primary focus of men to be work and of women to be childcare. This is another reason why women are directly affiliated to nurturing and caretaking jobs. These socializations then became norms and have continued to reproduce as time has progressed. They have now become a part of law and policies because it creates an inequality. Women are sometimes considered to be a bit of a liability because there is the chance of pregnancy, or even an emergency with a child to where they would have to leave work. Some policies have allowed for women to take maternity leave so they don’t have to worry about missing work. Laws have been formed for women to not be segregated against because of this biological function.
Unit C - Blog 13
The media has and currently still shapes correctional officers and prison guards pretty consistently. In At Work in the Iron Cage, the introduction characterizes the popular beliefs of these individuals as “brutal and sadistic” based on some of the stereotypes that our media and society has traditionally affiliated these individuals as. The socialization of prisoners also influences these images of officers too. It is based on hegemony. The stronger is always the dominant; therefore if the inmates are strong, then the officers have to appear stronger. Another element involved with these images is weapons and guns, which the book also touches on. This again displays violence and brutality. The book also used the movie ConAir as a source for images our media displays these individuals as. I thought this was a great reference. This movie displayed these guards as larger men, the undercover officer as a large man, and many of them had mustaches. These images are directly affiliated with men, especially size and the mustache. They also portrayed the convicts, or inmates, as big brutal men that were unable to be controlled. The last thing this movie really did to buy into the socialization was include a female guard that was petite, good looking, but somewhat fierce. But in the movie, she ultimately had to be saved from sexual assault by a large physical male. These are all types of images that are regularly portrayed. It seems to me that the women officer in films and shows always has a sexual role. She is usually viewed as a sex figure, not as a guard or capable enforcer. The women are regularly having to be bailed out by men and are usually displayed as physically weaker. In the few occasions that women’s facilities are displayed in the media, the women guards are usually larger and visibly stronger than they typical image of women that society has sculpted. I want to focus on the mustache thing for a second though. This is a male gendered trait that is one of the most affiliated attributes of an officer, guard, military, or anyone in this type of field. I think this alone is something that socializes a lack of inclusion of women.
Unit C- Blog 12
Occupational segregation still currently exists because of our society’s structure. Yes, our society does have laws that prohibit sex discrimination, but occupational segregation still occurs because we our socialized to accept it. As children growing up and learning in schools, observing through experiences and media, occupations are segregated. Even reflecting on my childhood, and in dialogue that is still currently used, I can recall and terms such as “Police Man,” “Mail Man,” and “Fireman.” These are terms that are engraved in our society’s and culture’s communication. In the book At Work in the Iron Cage, they use the media as examples for social constructing pertaining to prison facilities. I can think of several examples of socialization from the media with occupational segregation. In a majority of sitcom and TV shows, Nurses are always these beautiful women that are nurturing to whatever character is having some type of health problem. There is the stereotype of the successful business man and his female secretary. These are just a couple of examples of how our society shows us from a young age that it is a norm for certain genders to perform certain careers. Many of the materials we researched have shown slight improvements on women, and even men, entering non-traditional jobs. I think that because we have shown some improvement, we are quick to pat ourselves on the back and say, “See, we are improving.” Overall, they still exist because society as a whole accepts it, and don’t always realize that they are contributing to the segregation, or are part of it, they just think they are performing the role that they have been raised to complete.
Gender formations relate to occupational segregation in many ways. The first example that comes to mind is the physical attributes affiliated with the male and female genders. Several times throughout the book At Work in the Iron Cage they refer to the relation between men and violence, and men and strength. Even in the youtube.com video Women at Work, non-traditional jobs, many of the women talk about the physical labor involved with their non-traditional jobs. Many of the jobs that are segregated in favor of men entail a lot of physical labor. Our society obviously implies that men are more physical than women. This socialization is apparent through jobs, sports, and many other aspects of our society. Therefore, these physical stereotypes with men and women are played out in the work place. The next example would be the stereotype with women and nurture. Many of the jobs like childcare and healthcare are segregated towards women because of this stereotype. If our society continues to display these things as norms, then they will continue to influence occupations.
When women do break into non-traditional or male dominated occupations, there are many benefits and advantages. I think the first major advantage is the pay is typically higher in these fields, so they will likely have more income in a more female dominated field. Another advantage is for the impact on society. The more women are crossing this barrier, the more normal it becomes to society. It can also motivate other women to do the same thing. The last would be the amount of recognition involved. Peers and co-workers will automatically notice a woman in this type of position, because it is different than what is normal, therefore these individuals have a chance to shine in that spotlight.
When women enter their field they both gain and lose. I am a strong believer in work diversity because it helps people become more rounded and learn the ways of others. It broadens our minds to work with individuals different then us, and it helps us to learn from each other. Another way men benefit is that it would increase the amount of competition and could possibly push them to excel more than they may have without that competition. One way they would be on the losing side is that it would eliminate the amount of opportunity that would normally be available to them. Another way they could suffer in this type of situation is that they sometimes may be more qualified, but quotas have to be filled and someone diverse may get the nod. This happens with not only gender, but race, sexuality, etc. I would say overall though, that men and society would benefit from women entering male dominant occupations.
Gender formations relate to occupational segregation in many ways. The first example that comes to mind is the physical attributes affiliated with the male and female genders. Several times throughout the book At Work in the Iron Cage they refer to the relation between men and violence, and men and strength. Even in the youtube.com video Women at Work, non-traditional jobs, many of the women talk about the physical labor involved with their non-traditional jobs. Many of the jobs that are segregated in favor of men entail a lot of physical labor. Our society obviously implies that men are more physical than women. This socialization is apparent through jobs, sports, and many other aspects of our society. Therefore, these physical stereotypes with men and women are played out in the work place. The next example would be the stereotype with women and nurture. Many of the jobs like childcare and healthcare are segregated towards women because of this stereotype. If our society continues to display these things as norms, then they will continue to influence occupations.
When women do break into non-traditional or male dominated occupations, there are many benefits and advantages. I think the first major advantage is the pay is typically higher in these fields, so they will likely have more income in a more female dominated field. Another advantage is for the impact on society. The more women are crossing this barrier, the more normal it becomes to society. It can also motivate other women to do the same thing. The last would be the amount of recognition involved. Peers and co-workers will automatically notice a woman in this type of position, because it is different than what is normal, therefore these individuals have a chance to shine in that spotlight.
When women enter their field they both gain and lose. I am a strong believer in work diversity because it helps people become more rounded and learn the ways of others. It broadens our minds to work with individuals different then us, and it helps us to learn from each other. Another way men benefit is that it would increase the amount of competition and could possibly push them to excel more than they may have without that competition. One way they would be on the losing side is that it would eliminate the amount of opportunity that would normally be available to them. Another way they could suffer in this type of situation is that they sometimes may be more qualified, but quotas have to be filled and someone diverse may get the nod. This happens with not only gender, but race, sexuality, etc. I would say overall though, that men and society would benefit from women entering male dominant occupations.
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