Discuss the feminist perspective on the economy and its impact on society.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Feminist scholars agree with conflict theorists that there is widespread workplace inequality. They emphasize, however, that gender is a critical factor in explaining the inequity. Nationally, women and men are equally satisfied with job security and relations with coworkers. Pay is the primary exception, and women are much more dissatisfied than men.Employment rates increased after the recession, but the gains for women have been largely in low-paying jobs, particularly waitressing, in-home health care, food preparation, and housekeeping.Many women's earnings suffer from a motherhood penalty (also called motherhood wage penalty or mommy penalty), a pay gap between women who are and aren't mothers.Critics note that men don't always dominate women in the workplace. There are many situations where female supervisors have power and authority over women and men, and top female managers aren't always concerned aboutgender wage gaps or support qualified women's promotions. Second, many feminist scholars maintain that capitalism exploits women by crowding them into lower paying occupations. According to critics, however, there's considerable economic gender inequality in socialist, communist, and mixed economies in both industrialized and developing nations.