Making Sense of Gender and Social Inequality

This essay discusses the themes of gender and social inequality in the life of Tarana Burke and their impact on society. It explores the concept of gender socialization and the need for equality. The essay also highlights the laws and regulations developed to address these issues.

Making Sense of a
Society
(Essay)

Table of Content
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Tarana Burke is an activist, community organiser and an executive making impact over
the society and the developing herself everyday. She is the founder of the “me too” movement
which has been hashtag more than 19 million times just a single platform that is Twitter, social
media platforms are also flooded with the hashtag. Tarana Bukre was born in 1973 in the Bronx
New York. She had a difficult childhood while growing up as she was born in a low income
working class family in a housing project. She was raped and sexually assaulted as a child and as
a teenager. Her mother played a very important role in supporting her and for her recovery from
these violent acts and incidences to move on and involve herself in the community. These
horrible experiences were life changing and inspiring for Tarana Bukre as received her
motivation and lifelong passion to improve the lives of other girls who undergo such gender and
social inequalities facing extreme hardships in their lives. Book restart in her professional career
in Alabama where she worked upon a 21st century youth leadership movement, with the national
voting rights museum and institute as well as the Black belt arts and cultural centre. The essay
will be focusing upon discussing about two themes that are gender inequality and social
inequality. The essay will be discussing numerous aspect and beginning with explain in the exact
meaning of both the themes. The revolving around identified several theories and practices that
were part of the society and still exist (Chambliss and Schutt, 2018).
MAIN BODY
The two themes on which the entire essay will be focusing upon our gender and social
inequalities that are being faced by Tarana Bukre in her life and through which the society is still
suffering involving other people in the world. Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment
which is provided by the society to certain individuals the basis of their gender. The term also
refers to the perceptions of individuals based on their gender and their lies preferences. The
major reason behind it increasing the issue of gender inequality within the society is due to
differences in socially constructed gender roles. The concept of gender inequality stems from
distinctions which are either and physically grounded or socially constructed. In simple words,
gender inequality exist due to two major reasons one is the hierarchical inheritance of the
concept and another is developed and constructed by the society itself.

Social inequality refers to the disparities in the distinction of economic assets and income
as well as differences between the overall quality and luxury enjoyed by each person existing
within a respective society. Social inequality is different economic inequality because the first
one exist due to the lack of wealth on the other hand the second one exist or caused because of
the an equal accumulation of wealth. Social inequality is also an area of study within sociology
which actually focuses on the distribution of goods and burdens in a respective society in
different words the study focuses upon the ways in which distribution of benefits and liabilities
are done in a particular area or a society.
Tarana Bukre suffered from both of the issues that is gender inequality and social
inequality as bond in a low income earning family as well as was assaulted as a child and as a
teenager and even raped by elder men. This ruthless experience of Buker made her and inspired
her to work for others and to protect other girls in the society by working as an activist (Nandy,
2020).
Gender socialization is a process which is developed for children and allows them to
learn about the social expectations attitudes and behaviours typically associated with girls and
boys. In simple words it is a process which is developed for fighting with gender and social
inequalities that are still existing in the world and different societies due to both the reasons that
is self constructed and driven from past generations. Through general socialization process it has
become easy e to make children understand a sense of their own gender identity that relates to
them knowing whether they are a girl or a boy. The phenomena of gender socialization keep it’s
heightened attention to information related with gender and especially same gender models.
The process is a gender awareness approach which is combined with an early exposure to
children's about gender from multiple sources of socialization like siblings, peer and parents. It
has immediate outcomes and consequences on attitudes and behaviours of children’s towards the
member of respective gender either their own or other gender group. Through socialization it is
determined that growth and providing better opportunities to children to be mixed with and play
with mix gender group it is easy tend to learn about genders and enable them to develop positive
interpersonal relationship with one another in different settings where they will be going or
where they exactly are. This makes the process of gender socialization is very important as it is
useful in creating awareness amongst children’s making them understand the importance of
respecting each and every gender and treating everyone equally (Suissa and Drazen, 2018).

According to a functionalist theorist, society is seen as a complex system in which
different parts work together in order to promote a solitary and stability. In different words it is
stated that this approach looks at society through a macro level view which is required to be
focused broadly on the social structures that shape a society and makes it a whole operation
while looking at different structures and different functions. On the other hand the view of
conflict theory and theorist, society is seen and defined as a a struggle through which people
goes by in order to receive dominance amongst the entire social group which is competing for
scares resources. As per this theory when gender is considered it is stated that gender is
understood as when attempting and maintaining all power and privilege in comparison to
women. It clearly states that according to this prospective theory in in is seen on the dominant
side of the group and woman is the subordinate member of the group.
There are several forms of gender inequality which exist in different society such as
ownership inequality, gender bias in distribution of education and health, gender inequality in
freedom expression, unequal pay at organisations and inequality in employment and earnings.
These are provided examples are the common form of inequality which is safe to buy every
women in their lives belonging to any society and being part of any situation at the working or
being at home. Gender plays a role in society which refers to the expectations of how an
individual should act speak dress groom and conduct themselves based upon their sex. General
expectations related to gender and behaviours of individuals exist in every society, group and
culture. This may be different from one another depending upon the group and the society but
they are actually existed and they are very common. Sometimes these expectations and roles
expected from a particular gender changes over time in the society taking towards a better and
developing approach or maybe deteriorating (Truog, 2018).
There are several laws and regulations developed in in the world and in different societies
for fighting with negative aspects and prospectus of gender differentiation and expectations.
These laws and regulations are helpful and has played a very important role in the past as well as
in the present for bringing a balance in the society and looking over gender and society
differences as anon ethical practice. These laws and regulations will also be impact in a pond
future as the new generations can be e built with a better gender socialization process where
knowing each others gender and treating one another equally is an important factor for everyone

to consider in order to live in a society which is respectful and helpful for everyone (van der
Heide, Grus and Nouwens, 2017).
CONCLUSION
The entire essay and the discussion conducted in it concludes the value and importance of
the gender socialization process along with the need for regular update and improvements needs
to be implemented in the society around the world of different regions. Gender biasness and
societal differences amongst people of any age caste or religion only brings stress and this
respect within the society for each other and increases the negative aspects and environment in
the communities. Treating everyone equally and offering everyone the same respect as well as
position in the society is very important for people to understand in the world in order to lead a
happy, safe and mutual life. Tarana Bukre has involved her entire life in making a difference an
bringing change within the society. She is working as an activist for safeguarding other girls
from the bitter experiences she has as a girl child and as a teenager with less money and financial
stability. Thus, gender and social biasness and inequality needs to be vanished from the world
which is still a long journey to cover but everyone needs to play a respective part as being a
prominent member of their societies and the world as a whole.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chambliss, D. F. and Schutt, R. K., 2018. Making sense of the social world: Methods of
investigation. Sage Publications.
Nandy, D., 2020. Making Sense of Civil Society: The Experience of Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Nepal. In Building Sustainable Communities (pp. 521-546). Palgrave Macmillan,
Singapore.
Suissa, S. and Drazen, J. M., 2018. Making sense of triple inhaled therapy for COPD.
Truog, R.D., 2018. Defining death—Making sense of the case of Jahi McMath. Jama, 319(18),
pp.1859-1860.
van der Heide, J. J., Grus, M. M. and Nouwens, J. C. A. J., 2017. Making Sense for
Society. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing & Spatial
Information Sciences, 42.
Online:
Sociological Perspectives on Gender Stratification, 2021. [Online] Available Through:
<https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/sociological-
perspectives-on-gender-stratification//>
Tarana Burke, 2018. [Online] Available Through: <https://www.biography.com/activist/tarana-
burke/>
Tarana Burke, 2020. [Online] Available Through: <https://www.womenshistory.org/education-
resources/biographies/tarana-burke/>