Q: How do sociologists construct gender in their analysis on social inequality?

Model Answer:

Ann Oakley (Sex, Gender and Society) pioneered the sociological distinction between biological “sex” and constructed “gender,” framing it as a foundational system of social stratification and inequality.

Sociological Paradigms of Gender Construction

• Functionalism: Talcott Parsons originally constructed gender as functional for social equilibrium, assigning men “Instrumental” and women “Expressive” roles.
• Conflict and Feminist Views: Sylvia Walby theorizes gender as an exploitative system of Patriarchy. Similarly, Joan Acker exposes “Gendered Organizations”, demonstrating how supposedly neutral institutions favor masculinity.
• Interactionist and Post-Structural Views: West and Zimmerman argue inequality is actively reproduced via “Doing Gender” in daily interactions. Judith Butler (Gender Trouble) advances “Gender Performativity”, deconstructing gender binaries entirely.
• Intersectionality: Kimberlé Crenshaw argues that gender interacts with race and class to co-produce unique matrixes of domination.

Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin highlights the “Motherhood Penalty”, illustrating how constructed gender roles perpetuate the modern global wage gap and unequal unpaid care burdens.

Conclusion

Moving beyond rigid binaries, contemporary sociology increasingly utilizes Queer Theory to understand gender fluidity, analyzing it not merely as structural inequality, but as a dynamic site of resistance.