Don't Judge Me by My Tights by Sascha Radetsky - Book Report/Review Example

 Don't Judge Me by My Tights by Sascha Radetsky The essay aims to address a two-fold objective to wit to describe the qualities beingassociated with masculinity; and (2) to identify and explain jobs that create the problems in terms of gender in women. Using the articling written by Sasha Radetsky entitled “Don’t Judge Me by my Tights”, the essay expounds on the role of gender, particularly focusing on qualities of masculinity and femininity in various societal roles affecting the family, employment and even in ballet dancing. Through identifying masculine qualities and job inequalities among women, the concluding portion thereby would highlight cultural perceptions and efforts undertaken to ensure that equality among gender is ultimately enforced. Introduction The concept of fairness or equality between men and women have been addressed during the Seneca Falls Convention but in the United States and to some parts of the world, the difference between treatment and role performance of men and women still exists. Most of the times, gender differences resulted in gender stratification or the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege among men and women which limits the types of jobs, role, or rights a woman or a man can perform (Macionis, 2009, p. 334). Admit it or not, the label “feminine” and “masculine” equally affect each gender on the role that they perform in the eyes of the society. Masculine Qualities The article made by Radetsky in 2008 associates the wearing of tights to the masculine image. In addition, being masculine is also associated with athleticism, handling lovely women, engaging in duels, moving like a gymnast or martial artist, expanding physical capabilities, and quick learning (Radetsky, 2008, n.p.). Also, there are works typically associated only for men or for women and cultural consciousness has made a significant impact on stereotyping, particularly on gender.For instance, the writer of the article battles against stereotyping on the male-ballet-dancer-stigma; that ballet is associated for being a feminine and not a masculine image. In other parts of the world, like Russia, dancing are valued and gender is disregarded but the writer of the article felt ridiculed in America where he chose to pursue his passion as a ballet dancer. Macionis (2009) identified notions and instances where cultural patterns play a vital role in the honing of masculine or feminine image. For example, culture perceived that best women runners could never compete with men because of difference in athletic performance; women have longer lifestyle than men; and men are better in mathematics while women are strong in verbal communication (p. 334-335). In the past, people of the United States associated qualities like passive, emotional, and cooperative to women while rational, active, and competitive to men (Macionis, 2009, p. 339). Similarly, one might notice that when a baby is born, pink is associated with baby girl and blue to the baby boy. As cultural consciousness becomes integrated, a significant involvement in mathematics and science are observed in men while women are geared toward humanities and fine arts which include language, painting, music, and drama. Analysis of the Article The difficulty encountered by a man to do a job that many people see as not masculine is not surprising. Although equality among men and women are being promoted, the root of stereotyping is deep and has been existed throughout history. With these, majority of the society still sees men in the jobs that involve wearing a pair of tights or jobs that are superior to women and focus on mathematics and sciences, for example, being a scientist, company president, or an accountant. For a culture that has these perceptions of what is being considered as masculine, it is definitely surprising to see a man doing dancing or ballet which is usually associated with feminine qualities. According to Widmer and Ritschard (2009), organization of families and job market are influenced by gender inequalities; therefore, gender determines the division of work usually associated with masculinity and femininity (p. 29). Job Inequalities among Women If there are stereotyping regarding men doing the feminine jobs, there are also jobs that create the same problems in women. Because of gap in physical strength among men and women, it is unusual to see a woman doing jobs like brick layers, stone masons, and heavy equipment mechanics. Women doing these jobs are likely to be labeled as “unnatural” or “lesbians”.In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor stated that majorities of women are in the administrative support works (secretaries, office workers) and service works (food service industries, child care, and healthcare) (Macionis, 2009, p. 341). As you can see, these work apt what Macionis discussed about cultural consciousness of masculine and feminine qualities. In addition, restrictions in job opportunities are attributed to the larger income and prestige often given to men than women. Mateo (2009) stated that stereotyping with regards to gender has put women at a gender disadvantage. The majority of works often associated with women earn less than men; wages do not grow in experience or tenure acquired and there are limited opportunities for advancement (p. 871). In addition, employers often hire men in managerial and firm-specific human capital because of the belief that women are likely to leave the company because of familial responsibilities (Mateo, 2009, p. 872). It is in synonymous with what Widmer and Ritschard described in 2009 about the scope of the role of women being concentrated in family responsibilities and men in fulfilling breadwinner responsibilities and mastering employment status. Conclusion Gender inequalities are often associated with the qualities of being masculine or feminine. Both genders tend to be affected when it comes to family matters, employment, income, and status/label in the society. Cultural perceptions put a man doing a feminine job or a woman doing a masculine job unnatural to the expected roles. Continuous efforts and modifications of existing laws and cultural norms must be addressed to promote gender equality and totally eliminate gender stratification. Men and women must be treated equal, regardless of culture, to promote an advancing society that is free from prejudices and cultural discrimination. References Macionis, J.J. (2009). Gender Stratification. Sociology (13th ed.) (p. 332-359).New Jersey: Pearson Custom Publishing. Mateo, I.F. (2009). Cumulative Gender Disadvantage in Contract Employment. American Journal of Sociology 114(4), 871-923. Radetsky, S. (2008, March 8). Don’t Judge Me By My Tights. Newsweek Magazine, n.p. Retrieved on October 9, 2011 from http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/03/08/don-t-judge-me-by-my-tights.html. Widmer, E.D. & Ritschard, D. (2009). The de-standardization of the life course: Are men and women equal? Advances in Life Course Research 14, 28-39. Read More