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Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences

Lecture 46

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Reminder

The midterm exam is scheduled for February 13th (Part A: multiple choice questions) and February 15th (Part B: short answer questions)

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Announcements

1. I will hold additional office hours in preparation for the February exam:

Wednesday, February 8th: 1:00-3:00Friday, February 10th: 11:30-12:30, 2:30-4:30

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2. It is Outweek at UBC. As part of Outweek, the Rainbow flag will be raised today at 12:00 PM at the

Flagpole Plaza, between the Student Union Building and Brock Hall.

For more information on Outweek, please visit http://outweek.prideubc.com.

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Office Hour InvitationsFebruary 10th, 11:30-12:30 Kenny 2517

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Education, Careers and Work

2. How do females and males divide occupational and domestic labour?

1. What sex differences in education have been found in other countries?

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2. review recommendations to increase educational opportunities for females in developing countries.

1. discuss the social benefits associated with educating females in developing countries.

By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

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4. explain the phenomenon of “deviance neutralization.”

3. describe contemporary employment rates and domestic labour contributions among females and males.

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What sex differences in education have been found in other countries?

• Although females and males have similar access to education in industrialized countries, large sex

differences in access exist in other countries.

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• It is estimated that, worldwide, 75 million fewer girls attend school than boys (Smith, 2006).

• The greatest sex disparities in educational access and attainment are found in the sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific (UNICEF, 2003; UN Children’s Fund, 2007).

Country Ratio of Girls to Boys

Afghanistan 45.6

Bangladesh 104.7

Bulgaria 97.5

Cambodia 83.9

Canada 99.8

Ethiopia 69.0

Ghana 88.6

India 78.6

Iraq 76.3

Morocco 85.1

Nicaragua 105.3

Nigeria 80.0

United States 100.4

Yemen 55.6

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Ratio of Girls to Boys Enrolled in Primary and Secondary Education Around the World (World Bank, 2002)

Country Percent Female

Argentina 59

Australia 54

Canada 56

Ethiopia 26

India 39

Iran 49

Israel 56

Japan 45

Kenya 34

Morocco 44

Russia 57

Saudi Arabia 58

Turkey 41

United States 56

Vietnam 4212

Percentage of All College and University Students Who are Female Across the World (United Nations, 2005)

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• Many societal benefits arise from the education of females (e.g., healthier offspring, reduced gender inequality).

• The UN Children’s Fund (2007) suggests the following strategies to enhance educational access for females across the globe:

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1. Build more schools, especially in rural areas.

2. Lower costs of educating children.

3. Teach parents about the importance of educating girls.

4. Provide programs to prevent teenage pregnancy.

5. Encourage teen mothers to stay in school.

6. Attach day-care centres to schools.

7. Recruit more female teachers.

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How do females and males divide occupational and domestic labour?

• Over the past several decades, women’s participation in the paid labour force has increased steadily.

• Today, women comprise 48% of the Canadian labour force (Statistics Canada, 2010).

• 66% of these women have children under the age of 3.

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1979 1989 1999 2009

Female

Male

Women and Men as a Percentage of Total Employment (Almey, 2006; Statistics Canada, 2010)

Per

cent

age

of T

otal

Em

ploy

men

t

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1976 1986 1996 2006

Percentage of Women with Children Under the Age of Three Who Are Employed (Almey, 2006)

Per

cent

age

of T

otal

Em

ploy

men

t

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• Nevertheless, it remains the case that:

females are more likely than males to be employed in part-time positions: 70% of part-time workers are female (Almey, 2006).

females are less likely than males to be employed: 58% of Canadian women vs. 68% of Canadian men are employed (Almey, 2006).

few males—7%—assume the role of “househusband” (Smith, 2007).

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occupations are segregated on the basis of sex.

females are more likely than males to perform domestic activities (e.g., housework), irrespective of

their employment status.

Occupation Percent Female

Accountants, auditors 62

Nurses 92

Teachers (non-college, non-university) 73

Social workers 82

Health Technicians 76

Secretaries 97

Household service 89

Engineers 14

Mathematicians, computer scientists 27

Chemists, material scientists 41

Mechanics 9

Construction 9

Firefighter 5

Police, detectives 23

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Percent Women in Various Occupations (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008)

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0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

Wives

Husbands

Pro

port

ion

of H

ouse

hold

Lab

our

Wife’s Economic Dependence (-1=High, 1=Low)

Proportion of Household Labour Performed as a Function of Sex and Economic Dependence

(Greenstein, 2000)

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“Breadwinner” wives do more domestic work than wives who earn salaries similar to their husbands.

Economically-dependent husbands do less domestic work than husbands who earn salaries similar to their wives.

Explanation: Deviance neutralization (Greenstein, 2000).

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Education, Careers and Work

2. How do females and males divide occupational and domestic labour?

1. What sex differences in education have been found in other countries?