Analysis Of Gender Inequality At Work By Catharine Mackinnon

“What is the difference between sex and gender?“ is an inquiry which some individuals seem confused upon because both concepts are often misunderstood. Sex is a biological distinction between males and females, while gender is a socially constructed definition that relates to characteristics defining masculinity and femininity (Kilic). The latter is a structural feature of society, as the public maintains the dominant belief in preserving male advantages. This ideology that the public has learned to accept has led to unfair treatment against women especially in employment opportunities. Women specifically experience deprivation in the work force as they face discrimination based on their sex. Many women in the employment industries have the
MacKinnon introduces the theory of the dominance approach, which she believes parallel society’s practice of social inequality. The ideology of gender identity has created injustice for women as they have become subordinate to men in terms of power and status. Similarly in the article, “An Overview of Sex Inequality at Work” by Irene Padavic and Barbara Reskin, the authors also claim that gender is socially constructed based on the dominance approach. MacKinnon’s interpretation of the dominance approach is behind the construction of society’s ideology on gender identity; Padavic and Reskin’s article also provides an enactment of this approach, particularly on the issue of sex inequality for women in the workplace. Women experience sex segregation of jobs, sex differences in promotion/authority, and also differences in their
“An Overview of Sex Inequality at Work” focuses on women being discriminated on their jobs because of their gender. Padavic and Reskin claim that sex inequality occur in workplaces because it is embedded in the ideology of many societies (341). Like MacKinnon’s assertions, society focuses on a belief that gives preference for males to benefit. Padavic and Reskin argue that gender ideology is, “a set of widely shared assumptions about the way the sexes are and what the relations between them are and ought to be” (342). This is one of the factors that explain why there is sex inequality in the workplace. In this patriarchal society, men are seen as being the real “breadwinners” who deserve higher-paying jobs. On the other hand, women are seen as being homemakers who do not need real jobs that pay enough money to support their family (Padavic and Reskin 343). The depiction of the dominance approach is evident as employers also play a part in upholding this ideology. Employers discriminate women against professions that are seen as being typically male