Republic of the Philippines
P resident R amon M agsaysay S tate U niversity
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
THEORIES OF INEQUALITY
Inequality
-unevenness in the case of social position, income, power, educational attainment and so on.
Equality and inequality are not merely subjects of scholarly interest, but also matters of
everyday concern; since there are inequalities between classes, races, castes and gender.
Inequality is not always man-made, it could be due to the varying differences of physical and
mental capacity, of aptitude, skills, efficiency, talent.
Caste System
The system is based upon the assumption that all people are not created equal and is practiced
today throughout Asia (e.g. India, Sri Lanka) and Africa (Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria)
The Four Classes – Caste System
Brahmans belong to the highest caste. They are priests and scholars.
Kshatryas are soldiers and warriors.
Vaisyas are merchants and professionals.
Sudras are the lowest caste. They are laborers and servants.
Fifth level are the untouchables or polluted. They did all the dirtiest jobs.
GENDER INEQUALITY
“The denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups based on gender that
results from the normal oppressions of a society”. (Schaefer, 2015)
Gender inequality acknowledges that men and women are not equal and that gender affects
an individual’s lived experience. These differences arise from distinctions in biology,
psychology, and cultural norms. (Wikipedia, 2019)
Gender inequality has been prevalent in all societies for centuries and continues to exist even
today.
An example of gender prejudice is female foeticide. The widespread practice of aborting
female foeticide happens every day; the reality of gender inequality in India, origin of gender
inequality and how to deactivate it.
One of the evilest forms of discrimination faced by a girl after marriage is the practice of
dowry.
UNIVERSITY VISION UNIVERSITY MISSION QUALITY POLICY
PRMSU shall be premier The President Ramon Magsaysay State University The President Ramon Magsaysay State University is
learner-centered and shall primarily provide advance and higher committed to continually strive for excellence in
proactive university in a professional, technical, and special instructions in instruction, research, extension and production to
digital and global society. various disciplines; undertake research, extension strengthen global competitiveness adhering to
and income generation programs for the quality standards for the utmost satisfaction of its
sustainable development of Zambales, the region valued customers.
Republic of the Philippines
P resident R amon M agsaysay S tate U niversity
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
Some Factors responsible for Gender Inequality
ILLITERACY: one of the factors responsible for gender inequality. According to
2001 census of India. The literacy level in India is 65.38% in which the male literacy
level is 75.85% and female literacy level is only 54.16%.
CHILD MARRIAGE: children specially the girls are married at a very young age.
This proves fatal for their overall development and have a negative impact on their
health too.
SOCIAL EVILS: like dowry system, sati system, are also responsible for the low
status of women.
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE GIRL CHILD: the girl child is not treated
properly in the family. People still prefer the birth of a boy treated properly in the
family. People still prefer the birth of a boy rather than a girl. The girl child is
basically trained for household work only. Even today, female infanticide is a
common social evil.
Types of Gender Inequalities
1. Inequality in Family
Sigmund Freud suggested that biology determines gender identity through
identification with either the mother or father. While some people agree with Freud,
others argue that the development of the gendered self is not completely determined
by biology based around one’s relationship to the penis but rather the interactions that
one has with the primary caregiver(s).
The father alone detains parental authority in Hindu and Muslim families. His
authority is partially limited only in educated and urban families. In the event of
divorce, the law assures some equality with regards to child custody, but any
advantages granted to the mother in this aspect are rarely exercised as divorces are not
common practice.
The old Hindu traditions favored men in matters of inheritance: only sons – not
daughters – could inherit their parents. After independence, however, these traditions
were abolished by law. But in the north, nothing has really changed and women are
still deprived of inheritance.
Polygamy – the practice of marrying multiple spouses.
Polygyny – one man married to several women.
Polyandry – one woman married to several men.
Group Marriage – when a marriage includes multiple husbands and wives.
UNIVERSITY VISION UNIVERSITY MISSION QUALITY POLICY
PRMSU shall be premier The President Ramon Magsaysay State University The President Ramon Magsaysay State University is
learner-centered and shall primarily provide advance and higher committed to continually strive for excellence in
proactive university in a professional, technical, and special instructions in instruction, research, extension and production to
digital and global society. various disciplines; undertake research, extension strengthen global competitiveness adhering to
and income generation programs for the quality standards for the utmost satisfaction of its
sustainable development of Zambales, the region valued customers.
Republic of the Philippines
P resident R amon M agsaysay S tate U niversity
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
Repudiation
-legal for Muslims. For persons of other religious beliefs, the divorce proceedings have been
equal for men and women since 1967. Divorce by mutual consent is legal but in reality, any
woman who initiates a divorce is condemned by the public opinion. For that reason, divorces
are very rare.
2. Natality Inequality
In this type of inequality, a preference is given for boys over girls that many male-
dominated societies have, gender inequality can manifest itself in the form of the
parents wanting the newborn to be a boy rather than a girl. There was a time when this
could be no more than a wish (a daydream or a nightmare, depending on one’s
perspective), but with the availability of modern techniques to determine the gender
of the fetus, sex-selective abortion has become common in many countries.
3. Professional or Employment Inequality
In terms of employment as well as promotion in work and occupation, women often
face greater handicap than men. A country like Japan and India may be quite
egalitarian in matters of demography or basic facilities, and even, to a great extent, in
higher education, and yet progress to elevated levels of employment and occupation
seems to be much more problematic for women than for men.
4. Ownership Inequality
In many societies the ownership of property can be also be very unequal. Even basic
assets such as homes and land may be very asymmetrically shared. The absence of
claims to property can not only reduce the voice of women, but also make it harder
for women to enter and flourish in commercial, economic and even some social
activities.
5. Household Inequality
There are often enough, basic inequalities in gender relations within the family or the
household which can take many different forms. Even in cases in which there are no
over signs of anti-female bias in say survival or son-preference or education or even
in promotion to higher executive positions.
6. Special Opportunity Inequality
Even when there is relatively little difference in basic facilities including schooling,
the opportunities of higher education may be far fewer for young women than for
young men. Indeed, gender bias in higher education and professional training can be
observed even in some of the richest countries in the world, in India too.
UNIVERSITY VISION UNIVERSITY MISSION QUALITY POLICY
PRMSU shall be premier The President Ramon Magsaysay State University The President Ramon Magsaysay State University is
learner-centered and shall primarily provide advance and higher committed to continually strive for excellence in
proactive university in a professional, technical, and special instructions in instruction, research, extension and production to
digital and global society. various disciplines; undertake research, extension strengthen global competitiveness adhering to
and income generation programs for the quality standards for the utmost satisfaction of its
sustainable development of Zambales, the region valued customers.
Republic of the Philippines
P resident R amon M agsaysay S tate U niversity
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
The Functionalist Perspectives of Gender Inequality
Suggest that gender inequalities exist as an efficient way to create a division of labor, or a
social system in which a particular segment of the population is clearly responsible for certain
acts of labor and another segment is clearly responsible for other labor acts. (Schaefer, 2015)
Theorist of Functionalism
The functionalist perspective of gender inequality was most robustly articulated in the
1940s and 1950s, and largely developed by ‘Talcott Parsons’ model of the nuclear
family.
In their view, it is a way of socializing children and regulating the relationship
between sexes.
Structural functionalist view of gender inequality applies the division of labor to view
predefined gender roles as complementary: women take care of the home while men
provide for the family.
Thus gender, like other social institutions, contributes to the stability of society as a
whole. (Schaefer, 2015)
CONFLICT VIEW OF GENDER INQUALITY
Men, like any other group with a power or wealth advantage in conflict theory, fought
to maintain their control over resources (in the case, political and economic power).
Conflict between the two groups caused things like the women’s suffrage movement
and was responsible for social change.
According to conflict theory, society is defined by a struggle for dominance among
social groups that compete for scarce resources.
Societies are divided into two groups:
a. Bourgeoisie
b. Proletariat
Randall Collins (1975) believes sexual inequality is based on conflict between a
dominant group (men) and a subordinate group (women).
The original basis for male domination of females was that males, being bigger and
stronger, were capable of forcing themselves on women for sexual gratification.
UNIVERSITY VISION UNIVERSITY MISSION QUALITY POLICY
PRMSU shall be premier The President Ramon Magsaysay State University The President Ramon Magsaysay State University is
learner-centered and shall primarily provide advance and higher committed to continually strive for excellence in
proactive university in a professional, technical, and special instructions in instruction, research, extension and production to
digital and global society. various disciplines; undertake research, extension strengthen global competitiveness adhering to
and income generation programs for the quality standards for the utmost satisfaction of its
sustainable development of Zambales, the region valued customers.
Republic of the Philippines
P resident R amon M agsaysay S tate U niversity
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
Bourgeoisie – the class of people in Bourgeois society who owns the social means of
production as their private property.
Scale of Power
Bourgeoisie – owns everything
Proletariat
-works and sell labor to Bourgeoisie
-owns nothing
NEO – MARXIST VIEW
Heidi Hartman (1976) suggests a complicated set of relations among capitalism,
patriarchy and the structure of economy. The argument goes like this:
a. By providing lower wages for women than men, society maintains male
dominance.
b. Lower wages encourage women to marry.
c. Married women work for their husbands in the household.
d. Because of their household responsibilities, women are placed at a further
disadvantage in the labor market.
UNIVERSITY VISION UNIVERSITY MISSION QUALITY POLICY
PRMSU shall be premier The President Ramon Magsaysay State University The President Ramon Magsaysay State University is
learner-centered and shall primarily provide advance and higher committed to continually strive for excellence in
proactive university in a professional, technical, and special instructions in instruction, research, extension and production to
digital and global society. various disciplines; undertake research, extension strengthen global competitiveness adhering to
and income generation programs for the quality standards for the utmost satisfaction of its
sustainable development of Zambales, the region valued customers.
Republic of the Philippines
P resident R amon M agsaysay S tate U niversity
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
Charles Horton Cooley
Looking Glass Self
Cooley argued that an individual’s perception of himself or herself is based primarily
how society views him or her.
In the context of gender, if society perceives a man as masculine, that man will
consider himself as masculine.
Men and women are expected to perform their gender to the point that it is naturalized
and thus, their status depends on their performance.
Thus, when people perform tasks or possess characteristics based on the gender role
assigned to them, they are said to be doing gender (rather than “being” gender).
(Schaefer, 2015)
UNIVERSITY VISION UNIVERSITY MISSION QUALITY POLICY
PRMSU shall be premier The President Ramon Magsaysay State University The President Ramon Magsaysay State University is
learner-centered and shall primarily provide advance and higher committed to continually strive for excellence in
proactive university in a professional, technical, and special instructions in instruction, research, extension and production to
digital and global society. various disciplines; undertake research, extension strengthen global competitiveness adhering to
and income generation programs for the quality standards for the utmost satisfaction of its
sustainable development of Zambales, the region valued customers.
