Yue Yue Wu

Professor Mozzini
Sociology 1
10 July 2016
Project #1: Video Analysis
America prides itself of the American Dream, which states that it does not matter who
one is or where he comes from, through hard work and dedication, he can be financially and
professionally successful. Therefore, hypothetically speaking, a child growing up in the southside of Chicago, who dreams of escaping poverty and becoming a prominent lawyer someday,
can do so if he is just willing to put in the effort. The American Dream thus paints a rosy picture
of the society Americans live in, and it gives them hope for the future during difficult times.
However, there are many factors that make the American Dream not completely true.
Women from across generations know of patriarchy, or the belief that men are more
dominant than women, all too well. When deciding between a man or a woman with equal
credentials for a job position, the employer will most often choose the man. In addition, females
in companies are not taken seriously by their male counterparts, as evidenced by the fact that
females earn 74 cents for every dollar males earn. Even women who have made significant
contributions to society are not taken too seriously because it is in the minds of many that they
are violating their social roles. An example of famous women leaders treated unfairly would be
how the media portrays a female politician like Hillary Clinton. Despite being the first woman
nominated by a major presidential party or one of the few female Secretaries of State, media
outlets, like the Washington Post, cannot stop talking about her fashion styles or the way she
wears her hair, things that are trivial compared to her accomplishments. Speaking on the topic of

women leaders, there are too few of them around the world. For example, when all the
parliaments of the world are combined, women make up just 13%.The video (titled Gender:
Now) I have chosen for this assignment goes into more detail the discrimination imposed onto
females around the world. It is important to note that the video focuses solely on the treatment of
women in developing worlds. Although women are also discriminated against in first world
countries, such discrimination is not as conspicuous as in third world countries.
The video begins by outright contending that gender discrimination does not make sense
on any level and that it is utterly unjust. It argues that by limiting the opportunities for women,
people will not see a society where men, women, and children are lifted out of poverty-basically a society that values justice. From our births, men and women are expected to fulfill
certain social roles, which are premeditated by culture and tradition. Women are marginalized
and at a disadvantage because these social roles dictate the responsibilities and characteristics
they are expected to take on. Women are expected to be subservient to their husbands, care for
children, clean the house, and cook family meals. Among other things, they are not expected to
go to school. Women in third world countries, such as Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, are thus
denied the right to an education and forced to work at home. They then have limited opportunity
to earn money or realize their full potential. In addition, rural women play a significant role in
agricultural development, but because they are women, they are denied the right to own land. If
they cannot formally own land, they cannot get loans to develop their farms or businesses. They
also have no control over the use of land or reap its benefits. Making women secondary citizens
is perpetuating the poverty and hunger in developing countries. Luckily, there are solutions that
can be taken. By taking agenda transformative approach, societies can change the social norms
inhibiting women and give them the same resources that men have, such as health care and

education or job training. Policies must be passed to support women. Communities need to
change their mindset of women and start encouraging them as agriculturists and leaders. By
essentially giving women more opportunities, societies will see its potential for prosperity
satisfied because there are now many more talented and knowledgeable people contributing to
society.
The contents in the video can be examined through three major sociological perspectives:
functionalist, symbolic interactionist, and conflict. Before the essay goes on to do that, it must
first acknowledge the French sociologist and philosopher who founded sociology: Auguste
Comte. Comte was influenced by a heave of political and social factors during the time he
established his study. France was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, and as a result,
aristocracy was being supplanted for democracy; people were transitioning away from religious
explanations and towards scientific ones; and life in the countryside was fastly giving way to
suburban and urban life. Under such circumstances and influences, Comte wanted to develop a
study that would examine society in the way that scientists examine the natural world. He wanted
such study to unlock the fundamental laws of society. He felt these laws would explain two
primary principles, which are referred to as social statics and social dynamics. Social statics
are what keep a society in harmony, while social dynamics are what trigger change and what
guide change to a certain direction. It is then the sociologists goal to maintain a balance between
social statics and social dynamics. That way, society can be in peace while also constantly
changing and improving itself for the better. Comte named this study sociology, which means
the study of the process of companionship. It was English sociologist Harriet Martineau who
codified Comtes teachings into the book Society in America. In her book, she included her own
beliefs on concepts such as inequality and power, religion, politics, child rearing, and

immigration. According to Martineau, scholars and academics do not just have the duty to
observe their societies but also respond to the issues they see and help to create a better world.
For that reason, she was known for vocally supporting religious toleration and the rights of
women.
Social order and social inequality have formed the epicenter of sociology. Both Emile
Durkheim and Karl Marx have examined these two concepts to a great degree in their works.
Emile Durkheim studied what occurs when influence of society diminishes, leading to weakened
social integration, as is the case when labor division rises. A weakened social integration makes
it difficult for people to relate and connect with one another, so it creates the anomie, or as the
textbook defines it, the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual
behavior has become ineffective Anomie contributes to an overall feeling of hopelessness and
melancholy. Emile Durkheim is a key figure of the functionalist perspective in sociology. The
functionalist perspective says that society is similar to the anatomy of a human body. All the
organs function interdependent of one another, so when one organ shuts down, the other organs
have to figure out a way to compensate for their loss. Similarly, institutions in society, like
education, religion, and the government, work together to preserve peace. Aspects of society that
seem dysfunctional will go away in a matter of time, or they actually serve a benefit that
sociologists have yet to discover. Durkheim believes that gradually, society would advance
toward a greater order, as it accepts the current social conditions or responds to obvious
difficulties and threats.
If sociologists were to look at the contents of the video through the lens of the perspective
theory, perhaps they would say that the institutions largely responsible for the culture of
marginalizing women are families, religion, and the government. Each work together, and are

thus interdependent of one another, to stifle the rights and opportunities of women. Families
would teach their daughters that they are limited to only being moms and housewives. Religion,
as well as education, teach that only men can have contributions to society, as religious and
historical figures are predominantly male. Meanwhile, the government is comprised of officials
and policy makers who are all men and who feel an urgency to preserve the status quo, which is
that male are superior to females. They make laws and policies that deny education or resources,
like health care and job opportunities, for women. In parts of the Middle East, women are not
allowed to drive without the accompaniment of men. They are also not allowed to go outside
without the supervision of men or without covering everything of their bodies except their eyes.
And when someone like Pakistani social rights activist Malala Yousafzai stands up to the status
quo (which has been keeping social order, though an unfair one) and demanding education rights
for girls, the Taliban attempts to quiet her by shooting her in the face multiple times.
Functionalist perspective sociologists would then go on to argue that society clearly
needs to change its mentality about women, or it would never fully flourish. Such change, as was
stated in the video, must happen in all aspects of society in order to be effective. Government
must rewrite the laws to bridge the gap between resources offered to men and women. It must
permit women to maternal leave of absence and supporting them financially when they are on
their leave. It must allow women to own land and businesses, which will in turn help fuel the
economy. Government can start advocating for women by creating more space for women
leaders so that they can voice the concerns of their female counterparts. Education must start
empowering women to aspire to pursue whatever careers they wish, whether they are in the
sciences, academia, business, agriculture, or the government. If all institutions were to work

together, it is completely possible that societies eradicate sex or gender based prejudice and
discrimination.
In my personal opinion, I think the perspective most reflective in the video is the
functionalist perspective because it states why it is that women are treated as secondary in class
and it gives insight into what can be done to create a truly egalitarian society. The functionalist
perspective shows that there is a lot of urgency to give women equal rights as men. Gender
inequality does not just hurt women but also men, making it a universal issue. When women are
perceived as the caretakers in society, children tend to undermine their fathers for not being as
loving as their mothers, even when that could not be true in actuality. Actress Emma Watson
delivered a profoundly moving speech in 2014 to the United Nations General Assembly in which
she went into more detail of how gender inequality is damaging to men. She says that thanks to
gender inequality, males are forced to make themselves masculine, or they would be ostracized
by society. This is true in both developing and first world countries. As a result, suicide in men is
four times higher than in women. Men just cannot take the pressure of bottling in all their
emotions. Unfortunately, they see suicide as more socially accepted than just opening up about
their feelings. Moreover, men are just as stifled by gender inequality. Men who are more suited
to be agriculturists or teachers are not given the chance to do so because they would be perceived
as breaking their social roles. Thus, diversity in talent or ability is suppressed, making for a
society that cannot seem to claw its way out of poverty. This is evidenced by the fact that gender
inequality costs Egypt and parts of the Middle East $96.2 billion, according to a study done by
the News Statesmen online news site. In first world countries, gender inequality costs the U.S.
$784.2 billion and $536 in Japan.

Moving along, the conflict and symbolic interactionist perspectives are two other
sociological perspectives. Karl Marx is considered the founder of the conflict perspective. His
works highlight the effects that power and possession over key resources have on how social
order is instituted and preserved. He argues that one of the distinguishing features between
humans and animals is that humans have the creativity to produce an entirely new object from
raw materials. For example, they can turn clay into a ceramic mug or a pile of wood into a
wooden chair. Technology is the driving force of this creative capability, but because technology
is limited, so too are material goods, like clothes or shelter. Social inequality is then decided by
who has more material resources than others. Those in power are differentiated from the poor by
the fact that they own the means of production. The poor, or the people in lower social classes,
only have their ability to work with the means of production and to develop new material goods
out of them. While Durkheim studied the anomie, Marx was fixated with the concept of
alienation caused by the lack of power over the creative human ability to produce. Marxs ideas
correlate with capitalism, but society is complex and there are other things that are characteristic
of social class other than means of production. For instance, a persons sex, religion, or race can
determine if he belongs to the top or bottom in society.
Marx was a main figure in the conflict theory, which states that individuals with power-individuals who own the means of production, financial wealth, and/ or a superior race and
sex--use force to keep their power. They have connections to the government and those who
make the laws. Therefore, laws are made in their favor and to maintain the status quo. Those
without power reluctantly but surely give into the influence of the powerful few, accepting that
their lives are just meant to be in the low social class. The conflict theory can be applied to what
is shown in the video. Men are inherently more powerful and influential than women just

because of their sex. They therefore do everything to keep their authority, so they make laws or
create a culture that intrudes on the basic rights of women. Women are denied education and
resources solely due the sex they were born with. Because they have no influence, it is hard for
them to change the way that society is; it is hard for them to gain rights for themselves. In such
way, the status quo of the men dominating the women is kept until the brave few have enough
courage to not just voice their concerns but get others to listen to them.
As mentioned before, the symbolic interactionist perspective is one other sociological
perspective. The symbolic interactionist perspective examines society from a microlevel; it
attempts to understand society by first understanding the basic, everyday interactions people
make. According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, everyday interactions constitute
societys social order by establishing relationships between people--parents with their children,
teachers with their students, government officials with the citizens. Order is kept by a common
understanding of daily behavior. People are expected to behave in a certain way based on their
social positions. The president of a country is supposed to be charismatic, intelligent, and walk
with his head held high. People ascribe meanings to symbols and nonverbal communication.
Therefore, a wave of the hand means hello or smiling means a sense of welcoming. Significant
figures in the symbolic interactionist perspective include George Herbert Mead, Charles Horton
Cooley, and Erving Goffman. If one was to study the video through this particular lens, he would
say that the culture of female inferiority is created when those in society ascribe females to this
inferiority, when they see them being violated of their rights until it becomes all too common.
Therefore, being female come to mean that one is less dominant than men and are to be
subservient to them. Males believe this and so do females, though reluctantly.

In conclusion, this video can be examined from three major sociological perspectives, but
the functionalist perspective is most reflective of the video.