Unfairness Essay, Research Paper

Unfairness

It s funny how we grew up saying sticks and stones my break my bones but words will never hurt me . It s all too sad because that is not true. It is unfair that people are treated unfairly because of the way they look or how they act or the color of their skin. Race, gender and inequality are major issues in our society. They determine how people are looked at, treated and or discriminated against.

In today s day and age, inequality is one of the greatest problems in our society. Inequality is the quality of being unequal or uneven. For example, a man would most likely get a job over a woman and a Caucasian person would most likely get a job over an African American person. For instant, the conflict perspective focuses primarily on the oppression of women by men based on notions of capitalism and property. This mean man most likely has the upper hand in the economic system and the right over woman to have ownership. Most professional positions are held by Caucasian men, this can cause a conflict when you have a highly qualified African American male that is continuously over looked for a promotion that he deserves.

In our society, race is an issue that we will always have to deal with. Race is a group of individuals within a biological species able to breed together. Race can also be family, tribe, people or nation of the same stock. Your social status can also be interpreted as race. For example, race have inherited physical characteristics such as, skin color, hair color and texture, facial features, head form, eye color, and height to create broad racial classifications. There are three main racial categories, Negroid, Mongoloid and Caucasian. The conflict perspective is that your race can determine where you are allowed to go, where you are allowed to live, what you are allowed to do, and how you are perceived. For example, the minority races have a harder time purchasing a home because the banks are skeptical about lending them money. While racial categories were first developed biologists in the 19th century, sociologists today consider race to be socially constructed instead of biological, and argue that these categories perpetuate inaccurate and damage stereotypes.

Gender is the expectations and behaviors associated with sex category within a society acquired through socialization. Gender could also mean manner of dress, ways of walking, play activities and aspirations of work. The conflict theory of gender is men and women having differential access to the resources needed to succeed outside the home. Men have an interest in keeping society the way it is, for example, men having all the power (president), politics, and economic equality. For instants, biological argument fails to support gender differences. Gender plays a large part from interaction with parents, teachers and peers through face- to- face interactions with others. It could also be incorporated into self-concept through role taking. For example, how the media may influence gender socialization through advertisements, books, films and how they reinforce values and beliefs concerning gender.

Race and gender are two factors in society that can be used for or against you. For instance in corporate America, people are discriminated against based on their race and or gender; this also stands true in our society. African Americans have a poverty rate of 29%. This is twice as high as that of Caucasians. An African American has an average income level that is 61% of that of a Caucasian. Only 35% of African Americans men are employed in professional, managerial, technical, and administrative occupations. Still, 20% of African Americans have incomes below $10,000 compared to 6% for Caucasians. Therefore, African Americans are less likely to obtain a loan from a financial institute to start a new business or buy a home for their family.