Question

Many researchers suggest that there is great inequality in America today (e.g. class, race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin). Using one theoretical framework (social conflict, structural-functionalism, Feminist/Gender-Conflict Approach, RaceConflict Approach, Symbolic Interactionism), explain how and why inequality persists in America

Answer 1

Inequality is still a pressing issue in America today, and issues of gender inequality are one of the most prominent ones. Allegations about sexual misconduct by ‘men of power’ in politics, entertainment, media, and other industries have echoed across the United States in recent years, drawing attention to issues of gender equality in the workplace and in the American society in a broader perspective. Here are few key findings of gender issues drawn from Pew Research Center surveys:

1. Women and men, both Democrats and Republicans, believe recent sexual harassment allegations primarily reflect widespread societal problems.

2. About one-in-five employed women in the US (22%) reveal they have been sexually harassed at work.

3. About four-in-ten employed women (42%) say they have been through some kind of gender discrimination at work.

4. A majority of women (57%) say the country hasn’t gone far enough when it comes to giving women equal rights with men.

5. Approximately three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) see gender discrimination in the tech industry as at least a minor issue.

6. Most Americans say women face immense pressure to be an involved parent and be physically attractive.

7. A substantial share of men in the U.S. (45%) say men encounter a lot or some pressure to join in when other men talk about women in a sexual way.

8. A majority of women (70%) see online harassment as a major problem.

9. About one-in-five U.S. women -- under the age of 30 -- say they have been sexually harassed online.

In addition, there are certain gender income gaps as well. Men make up a whopping percentage of top earners across the U.S. economy, even though women now constitute close to half of the country’s workforce. Women add up to just 27 percent of the top 10 percent, and their share of higher income categories runs even smaller. Among the top 1 percent, women make up slightly less than 17 percent of workers, while at the top 0.1 percent level, they make up only 11 percent.

Female-dominated occupations — such as childcare and restaurant service — continue to occupy the lower rungs of the U.S. wage ladder. White males mainly dominate highly lucrative financial industry jobs. At the top five investment banks in the US, viz. JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup, men make up from 69 to 82 percent executives and top managers.