Essay Questions - Cengage



Essay Questions

Chapter Seven: Women and Work – In Pursuit of Economic Equality

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1.  Evaluate the underlying reasons for the dual labor force. Why are some jobs overwhelmingly held by women and others predominantly held by men? Under what circumstances would you envision a change in the gender patterns in the labor force?

2.  Using separate spheres ideology, analyze the history of women's entrance into the paid labor pool and the current patterns of employment and rates of pay. Be sure to be sensitive to the influence of race and class in your analysis.

3.  Virginia Valian, author of Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women, advances three reasons why women willingly carry the "double burden" of caring for children and the home in addition to their full-time jobs. Evaluate the three reasons and the basis for her claims. Assuming for the moment that she is correct, what impact might this situation have on the development of family/work policies? In what ways is this thesis related to the “glass ceiling” and the “maternal wall”? Given the power and persistence of traditional gender-role socialization well into the 21st Century (as evidenced by the dual labor force), what type of family-work policy will be required to ameliorate the disadvantages women currently experience in combining work and family?

4.  Evaluate how women fare in the workplace under gender-neutral and gender-specific policies. Using at least two specific policies and examples of your choice, create a case for one approach or the other (or some combination) in promoting employment equality for women. What are the benefits and limits of each approach?

5. Is the wage gap real? Is it primarily a result of sex discrimination or an artifact of women’s choices? Develop a critical argument with at least four substantive points in support of your position. Your analysis should also address evidence contrary to your position.

6. You live in a small town. The regional economy is in a slump, jobs are few and far between, but the favorite NHL hockey team is leading the league. The owner of a new sports bar in town has just purchased a satellite dish so that her patrons can watch a variety of sports and take their minds off the rising unemployment rate. Imagine that you have been retained as an advisor to a man who feels he has been wrongfully denied a wait-staff position at this sports bar. The owner of the bar argues that the man is not qualified for the position because only women waitresses can create the proper atmosphere for fun, recession relief, and profits in a sports bar. Your client argues that in this economy, employers cannot deny jobs to qualified applicants who have children to support. The bar owner, using market studies, argues that men are the primary customers in this bar and constitute the profit margin. Citing additional research, the owner reports that male customers prefer women waitresses. Can sex be a legitimate BFOQ in this case? Why or why not? Using material from Chapter Seven and the course, argue the affirmative or the negative.

7. How has women’s role in the military changed over time? Specifically, what has changed since 2003 and the invasion of Iraq? Given the increase in numbers of women serving in combat situations even though technically they are prohibited from doing so, what is the likelihood that women would be excused from the draft should one be reinstated in the future? In making your argument, draw from the statistics, the legal reasoning in Rostker v. Goldberg (1981), and the political context as you understand it.

8. The period from late 2008-2010 featured the worst economic climate since the 1930s. Given how “gendered” work remains in the U.S., explain the recession’s differential impact on women and men using the following concepts: occupational segregation, wage gap, and uninterrupted work history. Is it a positive development that as a result of the recession there are now more women employed than men? Explain.

9. What is the principle difference in legal reasoning between Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dissenting opinion and the majority opinion in Lilly Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (2007). Based on the same facts in evidence, how can Justice Ginsburg see sex discrimination at work while the majority cannot? Explain.

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