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AQA GCSE · Question 19 · Social Stratification

SOURCE TEXT:
Item D

Walby believed that the key to understanding patriarchy was to appreciate how ideas of femininity and masculinity have changed. It was her view that despite some changes over time, masculinity has always been valued more than femininity. This is not just in one area of life, but in a whole range of patriarchal structures:

• the household
• paid work
• the state
• sexuality
• male violence towards women
• cultural institutions.

Walby believed these patriarchal structures restricted women and helped to maintain male dominance in society.

Source: Walby, S, Theorizing Patriarchy, (1990)

QUESTION:
From Item D, identify and describe one patriarchal structure in society as identified by Walby, including what you know of her perspective of gender inequality.

How to approach this question

First, choose one of the patriarchal structures listed in Item D (e.g., paid work, the household). Then, describe how this structure operates to disadvantage women, using your own sociological knowledge. Finally, link this back to Walby's overall feminist perspective on how these structures maintain male dominance.

Full Answer

One patriarchal structure identified by Walby in Item D is 'paid work'. Walby, a feminist sociologist, argues that the workplace is a key site of male dominance. This is seen through the gender pay gap, where men on average earn more than women, and horizontal and vertical segregation, where women are concentrated in lower-paid, lower-status jobs ('pink-collar' jobs) and are under-represented in senior management positions (the 'glass ceiling'). These processes in paid work restrict women's economic power and reinforce their subordination to men in society.
Sylvia Walby is a key feminist sociologist who developed a theory of patriarchy based on six interconnected structures that maintain male dominance. These are listed in Item D. Her perspective is that patriarchy has changed from 'private patriarchy' (domination within the home) to 'public patriarchy' (domination in the workplace and the state), but it has not disappeared. Women may have more rights and opportunities in public life than in the past, but they still face systemic disadvantages across all these structures which combine to maintain gender inequality.

Common mistakes

Simply copying a bullet point from the item without any description or explanation. Not using any sociological concepts to describe how the structure works.
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