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SBA

Kevon Reynolds

SOCIOLOGY
UNIT 1
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The completion of this would not be possible without the help of my teacher a few friends and
family members. They were very instrumental in providing the advice, material necessary and
encouragement to complete such a task. Without such help I would not have been able to
provide the quality of this assignment.

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 BACKGROUND
Gender is an important issue across the world. From as early as the days of slavery gender has
been a determining factor in the roles a person would inherit for the tenure of his or her life.
From as early as the days of the bible we have been exposed to malestream sociology as we
would witness the presence of male figures ruling society. Pay keen attention to the following
quotation. “I will greatly multiply by thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children; and thy desire should be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee “ Genesis
3:16. The previous statement could be regarded as mythological justification for the position of
men and women in society.

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 DEFINITION OF PROBLEM
Female dominance is the superiority possessed by women in society especially within
the basic family unit. In a nutshell female dominance is the superior edge possessed by females.
This research seeks to examine the issue of female dominance within the households of the
2North community located in Portmore St. Catherine and its causes stemming from traditions
of culture.

Value of Research
The findings gathered from this research are of great value to society, the researcher
and the institution on a whole.

The researcher will gain or improve his/her understanding of the causes related to the issue.
This is possible through the analysis of data collected and the direct observation of female
counterparts in his/her community.

Society may become more aware of the causes and effects that female dominance has on the
socialization process within the households.

This institution being one particularly catering to male students will see the significance that
dominant females play in their development and socialization and may increase their drive for
learning in order to gain the academic dominance.

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 AIMS & OBJECTIVES
This research seeks to examine:

The contributing and resulting socio-economic factors of female dominance

Cultural historical accounts of female dominance in society

The main roles of males in society and a comparison given to that of the females in society.

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 Literature Review
In the book ‘Sociology for Caribbean Students’ Mustapha states that sex refers to biological
characteristics while gender refers to sociological characteristics. A notable feminist by the
name of S. Firestone stated that males are of the dominating class while women are more
inferior regardless of their economic situation.

In addition to this various sociological texts have displayed the roles of males versus the roles of
females in society. Sociological texts have also shown the difference that females display in
modern families compared to that of traditional family structures.

An article seeks to highlight a research paper ‘Examine the Radical Feminists’ View of Family’
the writer Lizzy Franks states many plausible arguments for women to have risen to a status of
dominance in some families. “Liberal Feminists seem to have a better outlook on the way things
have changed over the years and although it’s slow in it is progression many new laws have
been altered that defend women’s rights and now women are allowed to do the same jobs as
men and also receive the same pay.” With such equality and the new privileges gained, women
have begun to willingly and single handedly take care of families. This has led to an increase in
the power women have within households of Caribbean families. Franks further stated
“However it looks as though while changing the laws so women are equal has begun to cause a
shift in dominance…” The overall changes have granted women the level of dominance needed
to socialize younger family members in such a way that would be significantly different
compared to the cliché male dominant family structure seen in traditional nuclear families.

This book was a prime example as Mill highlighted the sexism that exists in basically all places in
the modern world. Many people may take immediate offense to such behavior while a few see
it as the way things naturally operate.

As far as efforts to fix such an issue are concerned, an article in the Jamaica Gleaner entitled
‘Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women’ Published on May 8, 2015, Lawrence the
author stated that in 2011 a national policy on gender equality has been adopted by the
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government. The policy has made provision, according to the PIOJ, for the use of Temporary
Special Measures to facilitate a gender balance. This is a solid example of the various measures
that have also stemmed to affect the lives of the inferior women within the community.
Lawrence further stated “We currently have 12.6 per cent female representation in our
national Parliament, meaning that men account for 87.4 per cent.” The issue of male
dominance has therefore stemmed from our communities and into the very hierarchy of local
government. But to the surprise of many the current leader of government is a female. This
might have not been possible in traditional set ups as women did not have feminists power
working efficiently on their sides.

Research Design

Quantitative methodology was used in the form of a survey to collect information and
research the previously stated objectives. Non-Participant observation was also used to collect
data. A total of 20 questionnaires were administered to families in the community mainly those
comprising of members belonging to both genders. Fifteen of the administered questionnaires
were returned and an account of the data was made. To maintain confidentiality the identity of
the participants were not documented as the questionnaire required no names to be stated.

Questionnaires are a simple and fairly quick method of administering the survey. Data
can be easily collected for presentation of results and a fairly large sample can be surveyed.

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 SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
The issue of female dominance and gender stratification is one focused on by various
sociological perspectives. These perspectives include that of the functionalist, symbolic
interactionist, feminist and conflict theory. The views of each each perspective may vary due to
the overall make up and beliefs of each perspective.

The functionalist perspective sees society as a complex system whose parts work together
to promote solidarity and stability. This approach looks at society through a macro-level
orientation and broadly focuses on the social structures that shape society as a whole.
According to the functionalist gender roles exist to provide an even division of labour in society.
The functionalist perspective of gender inequality was most robustly articulated in the 1940s
and 1950s, and largely developed by Talcott Parsons' model of the nuclear family. In the eyes of
a functionalist gender roles are viewed as complementary. The females are responsible for
taking care of the household and maintaining the living conditions. Men are seen as the
dominant members of the family as they provide the family as the main bread winners. This
however is no longer the case due to modern advances. Feminism shows the steps taken to
promote independence among females within society.

Conflict theory asserts that social problems occur when dominant groups mistreat
subordinate ones, and thus advocates for a balance of power between genders. Frederich
Engels compared the gender relationships in a family to that of the bourgeoisie and the
proletariat. This suggested that women hand less power than men in a typical family or
household. Men, like any other group with a power or wealth advantage in Conflict Theory,
fought to maintain their control over resources in this case, political and economic power. Such
fights for power have resulted in the women suffrage movement and further social change.

Interactionism study how individuals act within society and believe that meaning is
produced through interactions. according to interactionists, gender stratification exists because
people act toward each other on the basis of the meanings they have for each other, and that
these meanings are derived from social interaction. According to Cooley's concept of the

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"looking-glass self," an individual's understanding of their gender role is based on how society
perceives them

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 THE SAMPLE
The research sample consisted of fifteen households within the 2 North Community of
Portmore St. Catherine. The questionnaires were directly handed out to children or other non-
ruling members of the selected households. This was done to ensure a third person perspective
was given while answering the questions. These households were also observed over a period
of time. The main focus was on households of nuclear families and a few extended families
provided that they consisted of mothers and fathers. Age group of this sample covered no set
range as the questions were simply presented and age would not have any effect providing that
the person answering had basic comprehension skills.

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 QUESTIONNAIRE

1) Does your mother live in the same household as your father?

A) YES B) NO

2) If not which parent do you live with?

A) MOTHER B) FATHER

3) Do you have a good relationship with your parent(s)?

4) Do you consider your family to be financially stable?

A) YES B) NO

5) Do you think the absence of one parent has any effect on you?

A) NO EFFECT B) MAJOR EFFECT C) VERY LITTLE

6) Do you feel out of place being in such an unusual situation?

A) YES B) NO

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7) Does your mother have a fixed occupation?

A) YES B) NO

8) Do you have any sisters? If yes how many?

9) Are your sisters older?

A) YES B) NO

10) Do you have any brothers? If yes how many?

11) Are your brothers older?

A) YES B) NO C) SOME OF THEM

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 PRESENTATION OF DATA

PRESENCE OF FATHERS

SAME HOUSEHOLD VISITING COMPLETELY ABSENT

Figure 1. Shows that majority of the female dominated households are those where
the fathers are living in a separate households. This forms a total of 90%. To get into
detail it is evident that the visiting fathers (27%) would have more of an effect on the
socialization of children. Majority of the fathers however were totally absent
showing the capability of the mothers to single handedly take care of the children at
home.

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 TYPES OF FAMILIES
EXPERIENCING FEMALE DOMINANCE

12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Nuclear Families Singel Parent Families

Female dominance is more prevalent in the single parent families (12/20 of the
surveyed families) as females would have no male parent to compete with for such
dominance.

Observation has led to the discovery of the fact that the presence of females
with authority within the family has lead to some reverse in the gender roles within
some families. This has seen most female siblings, especially when older to be
adopting rolls that male children would traditionally adopt. For example; a family
with three girls and one male child, the youngest in the family, would end up being
placed behind the scenes participating in mainly household chores due to his lack of
experience with bigger and more masculine tasks.

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 Female dominance is more prevalent within single parent households. Where
many children have been abandoned by their fathers, some may still have a father
that seeks to visit and lend support. In the case that the mother of such children is
one that is educated and employed there is really less need for a visiting father. The
dominance is then gained due to the fact that the father figure becomes
insignificant. This explains the trends noticed in the single parent households as the
majority of the households within the sample.

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 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

The economic status of dominant females seems to have little variation if any, as
most dominant females are well educated and have gained status in the world of
work. This seems to contribute to their overall dominance in the household. The
overall saturation of females within the sample has led to male children being
socialized in a way that most girls would be socialized. We see that most male
children within the sample are not the outgoing, ruff and ragged males. The absence
of a male role model results in males becoming ‘softer’ and more household based.
These are not the traditional male children that go out to play and ‘get dirty’.
These boys are rather sheltered and more vulnerable to feeling out of place when
interacting with male counterparts at school and even in various social settings. In a
few significant cases we see male children readily bonding with their female
counterparts opposed to the males. This is the major effect being observed within
the household as a result of a lack of adult males in the household. This is the
shocking contrast between socialization in a nuclear setting rather than a female
single parent setting.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography
Clarke, E. (2000). My Mother Who Fathered Me.

Lawrence, J.-A. (2015, March 8). Promote Gender Equality And Empower Women. The Daily Gleaner.

Mill, J. S. (1986). The Subjection of Women.

N, M. (2009). Sociology For Caribbean Students.

Themes and Perspectives. (2013). In H. &. Holborn, Sociology Themes and Perspectives .

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