More than twenty years ago, in October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security (UNSCR 1325). This was a call to States to strengthen their security through inclusion, equity and equal opportunities for all, giving women the opportunity to get involved and actively contribute to peace negotiation and maintenance. Show
UNSCR 1325 calls on governments to foster the direct involvement of women in peace-building processes. It reaffirms the important role that women play in conflict resolution and it should be seen as a catalyst for the implementation of a broader range of international commitments to which national governments adhered. From the moment UNSCR 1325 was adopted, the OSCE has made considerable efforts to support the participating States implement the resolution. More than 63 per cent have developed national action plans (NAPs) for its implementation. The vast majority of the OSCE participating States have actively capitalized on their partnership with civil society organizations, research institutions, involving them in the process of drafting those plans. Taking the inclusive approach beyond consultations, some governments have partnered with civil society organizations in the implementation of the National Women, Peace and Security Agenda. These efforts have resulted in increased women’s representation in the police, army and peacekeeping missions in OSCE participating States; improved response mechanisms to domestic violence and other forms of gender based violence, and; progress in designing mechanisms against sexual and gender-based harassment within security sector institutions. However, one critical goal has yet to be achieved — women representation among negotiators and signatories of peace agreements. The Swedish Chairpersonship encourages participating States to engage more women in monitoring missions and to invest more resources in fighting discrimination. It is a proven fact that inequality, including gender inequality, is a key driver of conflict. Women’s empowerment, economically, socially and politically must be addressed as part of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. To achieve the desired results in this area, the OSCE encourages participating States to appropriately resource the effective implementation of gender policies, including the objectives set out in their respective NAPs. Today, 86 per cent[1] of participating States’ NAPs have minimal or zero information on budget, or the financing mechanism for their implementation. The OSCE is working on creating a networking platform for women in peace processes, that will connect women mediators and peacebuilders active in the OSCE region, to advance the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. This platform will be an important capacity-sharing and capacity-development tool, which will officially be launched on December 7, 2021. I am hopeful that OSCE participating States will continue their efforts for the full implementation of UNSCR 1325. It is unfortunate that after so much effort, that women disproportionately bear the brunt of conflict. For example, there are still many women in the OSCE region whose lives are endangered by minefields that cause daily casualties among women, men, and children. Often the burden of taking care of the injured falls on women. According to a recent report by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, women represented 31 per cent of all civilian casualties affected by accidental explosions of landmines. Women have been killed and injured by mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosives while working in their gardens, in their fields, grazing cattle, or simply collecting mushrooms to secure food for the family or income for the household[2]. Regrettably, a significant number of women and girls continue to be affected by conflicts the OSCE region, and as a consequence, face endless social and economic challenges. I am confident that OSCE participating States will continue to strive for the well-being of women by enhancing the inclusiveness of their societies, creating new opportunities for their economic, social and political empowerment, and by extending negotiation formats and dialogues. I urge OSCE participating States to press on with the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda which has transformative potential and is a powerful tool for shifting away from exclusive decision-making towards a more democratic approach, from gender inequality to gender justice, and from conflict and violence to sustainable and feminist peace. [1] https://www.osce.org/secretariat/444577 [2] https://www.osce.org/special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine/498108 The Functionalist PerspectiveThe functionalist perspective of gender roles suggests that gender roles exist to maximize social efficiency. Learning Objectives Describe gender inequality from the view of the functionalist perspective Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
The functionalist perspective sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. This approach looks at society through a macro-level
orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole, and looks at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements, namely: norms, customs, traditions, and institutions. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole. A Female Indian Construction: While the structural-functionalist perspective argues that gender inequalities exist as a form of the division of labor, the photograph above clearly illustrates that women need not be restricted to certain activities. The Conflict PerspectiveConflict theory suggests that men, as the dominant gender, subordinate women in order to maintain power and privilege in society. Learning Objectives Describe gender from the view of the conflict perpective Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
According to conflict theory, society is defined by a struggle for dominance among social groups that compete for scarce resources. In the context of gender, conflict theory argues that gender is best understood as men attempting to maintain power and privilege to the detriment of women. Therefore, men can be seen as the dominant group and women as the
subordinate group. While certain gender roles may have been appropriate in a hunter-gatherer society, conflict theorists argue that the only reason these roles persist is because the dominant group naturally works to maintain their power and status. According to conflict theory, social problems are created when dominant groups exploit or oppress subordinate groups. Therefore, their approach is normative in that it prescribes changes to the power structure, advocating a balance of power between
genders. "And the villain still pursues her! ": A satirical postcard from the Victorian era commenting on a society that is structured so that women are bound by convention to fulfill certain roles and obligations. The Interactionist PerspectiveFrom a symbolic interactionist perspective, gender is produced and reinforced through daily interactions and the use of symbols. Learning Objectives Describe gender from the view of the interactionalist perspective Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
InteractionismIn sociology, interactionism is a theoretical perspective that understands social processes (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) as emerging from human interaction. Scholars of this perspective study how individuals act within society, and believe that meaning is produced through the interactions of individuals. According to interactionists, gender stratification exists because people act toward each other on the basis of the meanings they have for one another. Interactionists believe that these meanings are derived through social interaction, and that these meanings are managed and transformed through an interpretive process that people use to make sense of, and handle, the objects that constitute their social worlds. Goffman and ControlSocial interaction is a face-to-face process that consists of actions, reactions, and mutual adaptation between two or more individuals. The goal of social interaction is to communicate with others. Social interaction includes all language, including body language and mannerisms. Erving Goffman, one of the forefathers of this theoretical perspective, emphasized the importance of control in social interactions. According to Goffman, during an interaction, individuals will attempt to control the behavior of the other participants, in order to attain needed information, and in order to control the perception of one's own image. If the interaction is in danger of ending before an individual wants it to, it can be conserved through several steps. One conversational partner can conform to the expectations of the other, he or she can ignore certain incidents, or he or she can solve apparent problems. Symbolic InteractionismSymbolic interactionism aims to understand human behavior by analyzing the critical role of symbols in human interaction. This is certainly relevant to the discussion of masculinity and femininity, because the characteristics and practices of both are socially constructed, reproduced, and reinforced through daily interactions. Imagine, for example, that you walk into a bank, hoping to get a small loan for school, a home, or a small business venture. If you meet with a male loan officer, you might state your case logically, listing all of the hard numbers that make you a qualified applicant for the loan. This type of approach would appeal to the analytical characteristics typically associated with masculinity. If you meet with a female loan officer, on the other hand, you might make an emotional appeal, by stating your positive social intentions. This type of approach would appeal to the sensitive and relational characteristics typically associated with femininity. Gender as PerformanceThe meanings attached to symbols are socially created and fluid, instead of natural and static. Because of this, we act and react to symbols based on their current assigned meanings. Both masculinity and feminity are performed gender identities, in the sense that gender is something we do or perform, not something we are . In response to this phenomena, the sociologist Charles H. Cooley's developed the theory of the "looking-glass self" (1902). In this theory, 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. 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), a notion first coined by West and Zimmerman (1987). West & Zimmerman emphasized that gender is maintained through accountability. Men and women are expected to perform their gender to the point that it is naturalized, and thus, their status depends on their performance. Confounding Expectation: The woman in this picture blurs the boundaries between the symbols that are traditionally considered masculine or feminine. While she has long hair and is wearing makeup, typically feminine markers, her clothes are much more masculine in nature. The Feminist PerspectiveFeminist theory analyzes gender stratification through the intersection of gender, race, and class. Learning Objectives Explain gender stratification from the feminist perspective Key TakeawaysKey Points
Key Terms
In sociology, social stratification occurs when differences lead to greater status, power, or privilege for some groups over others. Simply
put, it is a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. Members of society are socially stratified on many levels, including socio-economic status, race, class, ethnicity, religion, ability status, and gender. Gender stratification occurs when gender differences give men greater privilege and power over women, transgender, and gender-non-conforming people. "Women! The same rights, the same duties. ": This 1919 German social democratic election poster advocates for the rights of women. However, did white women face the same challenges that women of other races and ethnic groups did? Feminist theory uses the conflict approach to examine the reinforcement of gender roles and inequalities. Conflict theory posits that stratification is dysfunctional and harmful in society, with
inequality perpetuated because it benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Radical feminism, in particular, evaluates the role of the patriarchy in perpetuating male dominance. In patriarchal societies, the male's perspective and contributions are considered more valuable, resulting in the silencing and marginalization of the woman. Feminism focuses on the theory of patriarchy as a system of power that organizes society into a complex of relationships based on the assertion of
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How does conflict perspective view gender and gender inequality?According to conflict theory, society is a struggle for dominance among social groups (like women versus men) that compete for scarce resources. When sociologists examine gender from this perspective, we can view men as the dominant group and women as the subordinate group.
Which of the following theorist propose strengthening social institutions to combat gender inequality?Social Issues (MCX). What is the sociological perspective on gender?The sociology of gender examines how society influences our understandings and perception of differences between masculinity (what society deems appropriate behaviour for a “man”) and femininity (what society deems appropriate behaviour for a “woman”).
How does conflict theory view the division of labor by gender?How does conflict theory discuss the division of labor by gender? Says that there are labor inequalities based on unjust hierarchies which favor men over women.
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