Social Theory on Sexism and Heterosexism in Social Institutions

Social Theory on Sexism and Heterosexism in Social Institutions  

Introduction

This paper will be based on the issue of sexism in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. An article that outlines this issue will be discussed and the conflict theory will be used to analyze the problem. A policy change will also be suggested to prevent future gender inequalities observed in the STEM field.

Article Summary

“Top Canadian scientists resign over lack of female nominees” is an article that outlines the issue of sexism in the field of education, particularly in the STEM field. Two of Canada’s top scientists quit from the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame selection committee over concerns that no female candidates made it as finalists for two consecutive years. Judy Illes claimed that she had tried to make some changes in the nomination process over the past years, and a promise was made to advertise opportunities to a diverse workforce, but no changes were observed. Catherine Anderson resigned, citing concerns over the message that the Hall of Fame would be sending to female students as it failed to represent some of the brightest and best female minds. This would mean that such students would lack suitable role models, discouraging them from pursuing the highly competitive and male-dominated STEM courses. The article outlines that since the Hall of Fame was founded in 1991, out of the 60 people who are named, only 11 are women. Women are underrepresented in this institution, and concerns have been raised over the implication that no deserving female scientists are nominated. Even though Canada has made strides in incorporating women in various scientific fields, more is expected to bring more role models for the younger generation (Schwartz, 2015). This article highlights the gender inequality in the workplace and education, particularly in such highly esteemed fields as STEM, where inequality is observed both in education and the workplace.

Theoretical Explanation

The conflict theory claims that society is usually defined by a struggle for dominance among various social groups that compete for scarce resources. Regarding gender, the conflict theory posits that gender is best comprehended as men trying to maintain privilege and power at the expense of women. As a result, men are considered the dominant group, whereas women are considered the subordinate group. Whereas specific gender roles would have been more appropriate in the society of hunters and gatherers, conflict theorists claim that the only reason that such positions continue today is that dominant groups naturally work to uphold their status and power. Therefore, social problems are generated when the dominant groups oppress or exploit the subordinate groups (Lumen, n.d).

Based on this theory, it can be observed that the lack of women nominees to the Canadian Hall of Fame can be attributed to the fact that society continues to find ways of suppressing women who are considered subordinate to men. It is absurd to claim that there have not been any worthy female candidates nominated to the Canadian Hall of Fame in over two years. In many ways, females have been discouraged from taking up courses in the STEM field. Such courses have often been considered masculine. However, when women decide to pursue careers in the STEM fields, they usually are considered less competent than their male counterparts even when they make remarkable success (Kahn & Ginther, 2017). This can explain why only male candidates have continued to be nominated to the Hall of Fame even though there are female candidates who might just have been worthy of those positions. Such issues tend to affect women’s emotional state and motivation in their careers and society in general; hence, even the few women in the STEM courses and jobs are likely to resign from their positions. With the lack of female role models in STEM fields, then the stereotypes held about women’s subordination and natural inability to take up STEM courses will prolong generation after generation. Such stereotypes will also enhance the masculinity and dominance of men in such fields. The article highlights that 30 percent of the engineering class first years in the University of Toronto are females, and this is the highest proportion ever. A 61 percent increment was recorded, and in 2011, 39 percent of university graduates are said to hold degrees in STEM (Schwartz, 2015). Such increments are likely to cause conflicts for dominance between males and females as they strive to grab such enviable and few opportunities in the Hall of Fame.

How the Act was Managed

The Hall of Fame was forced to suspend nominations and find better ways to celebrate the outstanding Canadian scientific innovation. Since there are only 11 out of 60 women in the Hall, finding suitable candidates would not be any difficult. It was suggested that the nominations be advertised to a broader and diverse pool of candidates to motivate more female candidates to apply or be nominated to the fields since the article claims that women are less likely to be comfortable asking to get nominated (Schwartz, 2015). With an open nomination, more women got the opportunity to be nominated.

Policy Changes

To prevent future occurrences of such an act in the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame, it will be essential to advocate for policies to encourage more females to pursue STEM courses and careers. This would mean setting non-discriminatory policies and also establishing resources that will encourage girls to pursue STEM courses. With more females in STEM courses and professions, there will be more female candidates to choose from. According to CBC News, nominations mainly come from the public. The fact that no female candidates were selected as finalists implies that the public does not perceive women as viable enough candidates for such prestigious honours (McQuigge, 2015). By encouraging more women to pursue STEM careers and recognizing the achievements of women in these fields, there would be more role models for young girls hoping to have a career in STEM.

Conclusion

In sum, the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame is representative of the social problems that exist in our society today. Society continues to view specific fields as masculine, and such stereotypes tend to discourage females from pursuing these male-dominated fields. These fields are also normally well-paying, and therefore women continue to be suppressed and oppressed. The few women in such male-dominated fields experience significant challenges that force them to quit. The conflict theory outlines how the competition for scarce resources results in power imbalance and inequalities as men strive to maintain their dominance to the detriment of women. It is essential to use equity and education policies to encourage more females to take up STEM courses and be recognized through such institutions as the Hall of Fame.

References

Kahn, S., & Ginther, D. (2017). Women and STEM (No. w23525). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Lumen. (n.d). Sociological Perspectives on Gender Stratification. Boundless Sociology. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/sociological-perspectives-on-gender-stratification/

McQuigge, M. (2015, April 14). Researchers quit science Hall of Fame panel over lack of women nominees. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/researchers-quit-science-hall-of-fame-panel-over-lack-of-women-nominees-1.3031924

Schwartz, Z. (2015, April 11). Top Canadian scientists resign over lack of female nominees. Maclean’s. Retrieved from https://www.macleans.ca/society/two-top-canadian-scientists-resign-from-award-committee-over-lack-of-female-candidates/

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This writing assignment addresses course outcomes 3 and 4. This assignment will require you to think about gender, sexuality and social institutions. You will apply a social theory to discuss how sexism and heterosexism are embedded in social institutions.

Social Theory on Sexism and Heterosexism in Social Institutions

You will evaluate how inequality is created and maintained by social institutions. You will be asked to think carefully about current policies in place to prevent discrimination and bias against women and against members of marginalized sexual and gender orientations. You will be asked to make suggestions on how these policies could be improved.