Gender Inequality: New Conceptual Terrain

Fenstermaker, Sarah; West, Candace; Zimmerman, Don H.

doi:10.4135/9781483325415.n14

Cited by 89 publications

(67 citation statements)

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“…However, even when men and women interact on an ostensibly equal basis, they carry with them their knowledge of belonging to unequal social groups. Thus, they are inevitably 'doing gender' (Fenstermaker, West and Zimmerman, 1991). If a woman perceives herself as a member of an inferior social group, she may feel uncomfortable about claiming her 'rightful' portion.…”

Section: Personal Spending Moneymentioning

confidence: 99%

Distributive justice in marriage: Equality or equity?

Burgoyne

Lewis

1994

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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Experimental studies of distributive justice suggest that men prefer an equity rule for allocating rewards, whereas women prefer equality. These differences are likely to carry implications for distributive justice in the context of marriage. There is a popular view in Western societies that marriage should be regarded as a partnership of equals, and this is also an implicit assumption in microeconomic accounts of the family. However, inequality between spouses is still commonplace, with the husband more likely to have overall financial control and greater access to money for personal spending (PSM). This paper investigates the issue of sharing in marriage, with particular reference to PSM, using data from an in-depth interview study supplemented by some follow-up questionnaires. The participants were 13 women and nine of their partners, mainly 'middle class' and aged between 30 and 50. After classifying each couple's system of financial management, the paper focuses upon eight couples with a philosophy of sharing. The findings show that, despite attempts to equalize outcomes for both partners, a sense of 'ownership' associated with having earned the money seemed to render it more salient than other, non-financial contributions to the marriage. As a result, patterns of control and personal spending appeared to be based upon equity rather than equality.

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Section: Personal Spending Moneymentioning

confidence: 99%

Distributive justice in marriage: Equality or equity?

Burgoyne

Lewis

1994

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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“…The concept of situational accountability is critical to linking constructions of masculinity to criminal behavior (Fenstermaker, West, and Zimmerman 1991;Messerschmidt 1993Messerschmidt , 1997. Actors realize that others hold them accountable to behavioral dictates consistent with immediate circumstances.…”

Section: Situational Accountability and Masculinitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Situational Construction of Masculinity among Male Street Thieves

Copes

Hochstetler

2003

Journal of Contemporary Ethnography

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Increasingly, theorists recognize that the influence of masculinity on decision making is situationally contingent and embedded in interactions. Using interviews with ninety-four male street thieves, the authors describe the situations that bring constructions of masculinity into the foreground of street crime. In certain situations, men are likely to engage in criminal behavior as a mechanism for constructing their masculinity. The authors find that hanging with criminally capable associates and partying are critically significant for understanding when masculine concerns bear on criminal decision making. In these situations, copresent others interpret inappropriate actions or responses as definitive signs of weakness, passivity, and failure in the struggle to be a man. They also examine how age and criminal experience shape conceptions of masculinity and the style of their enactment.

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“…Economic theories are primarily interested in how couples have actually divided paid work and domestic tasks, and they therefore focus on the outcomes of possible decision-making processes. Gender theories (Fenstermaker, West, & Zimmerman, 1991;Hiller, 1984;West & Zimmerman, 1987) help to shed light not only on the outcomes, but also on the decision-making processes and their underlying mechanisms. Gender theories Á including those which focus on roles, identities, norms, and a tendency to inertia Á may therefore offer more promising explanations for the slow pace of change in the division of paid and domestic work.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%