Maria Mendoza Flores

Gender: Witt CH 12
Social construction of gender is what society labels a newborn when they are born. There
is only two genders to choose from whether its a female or male. While later in the individual's
life they may experience different changes happening in their body, such as baldness a man
would experience or a female growing more facial hair than is usually normal, for men they
might also experience tender breasts. Also, usually when a child is born their future is already
decided for them as in any gender roles that will be expected from them.
Feminism is the empowerment of female rights that corresponds to economical equality,
political equality, and social equality.The first wave in the feminist movement was during 1848
when a group of women decided to get together and fight for equality. This brought us to the
19th amendment, which allowed women to vote beginning in 1920. Because of this change
wman women stopped the fight and compromised with what they had been given. The second
wave happened in 1960, when Betty Friendan wrote a book expressing the issues. She created
the organization NOW in which brought many more women together. The third wave allowed
the empowerment of women and expressing the freedom of expression, where younger women
realized the social inequality between genders. This made many women realize how self
involved they should be, to have the freedom to self-identify themselves, where sex is only a
connection with biology. These women developed a standpoint theory where they that shape us
because of our past.
Men are more likely to perform hard labor jobs or at the top of any work such as
president, ceo, firefighter, sheriff, doctor etc. Women, because they have been seen as
housekeepers in the past are seen working lower or lighter jobs such as nurses, baby sitters,

receptionist, and librarians. Men are typically paid much more than woman even though they
work the same job, this is how feminism first started as women fought for the belief of equality
in both sexes. There is a 21% gab between these two genders, a female will earn 79 cents for
every dollar a male makes. If a women decided to take on the job of a man (a harder working
job) the gap would still exist. Thats only if some companies would allow for woman to work in
these harder jobs.
The word second shift is used to describe the double work of working outside and
housework or childcare done at home. It isnt possible to equalize the second shift because
society has engraved into our minds that a women has to do most of the house work. If the
couple is willing to communicate and compromise they should be able to come to an equal
second shift. Theres no need to have to do anything alone, two partners come together they
should be able to split the house work that needs to be done and and child care that needs to be
taken care of, this is a family.