SOC101

POINTS :

Gender Roles and Statuses

Division of Labor by Gender. Women traditionally are in charge of household affairs and are
not encouraged to move outside the immediate neighborhood unaccompanied. Thus, most
women's economic and social lives revolve around the home, children, and family. Islamic
practice reserves prayer inside the mosque for males only; women practice religion within the
home. Bangladesh has had two female prime ministers since 1991, both elected with
widespread popular support, but women are not generally publicly active in politics.
Men are expected to be the heads of their households and to work outside the home. Men
often do the majority of the shopping, since that requires interaction in crowded markets. Men
spend a lot of time socializing with other men outside the home.
The Relative Status of Women and Men. The society is patriarchal in nearly every area of life,
although some women have achieved significant positions of political power at the national
level. For ordinary women, movement is confined, education is stressed less than it is for men,
and authority is reserved for a woman's father, older brother, and husband.

REF:: http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Bangladesh.html#ixzz567vX4TxB

6. Relation between Individual and Society Human cannot survive without society and societies
cannot exist without members. Still there may be conflicts between the individual and society;
one can imagine that social systems function better when they have considerable control over
their individual members, but that this is a mixed blessing for the system’s members. Likewise
can competition with other societies strengthen the social system, while wearing out its
constituent members? This idea was voiced by Rousseau (1769) who believed that we lived
better in the original state of nature than under civilization, and who was for that reason less
positive about classic Greek civilization than his contemporaries. The relation between
individual and society has been an interesting and a complex problem at the same time. It can
be stated more or less that it has defied all solutions so far. No sociologist has been able to
givea solution of the relation between the two that will be fully satisfactory and convincing by
reducing the conflict between the two to the minimum and by showing a way in which both
will tend to bring about a healthy growth of each other. Aristotle has treated of the individual
only from the point of view of the state and he wants the individual to fit in the mechanism of
the state and the society. It is very clear that relation between individual and society are very
close. So we will discuss here Rawls three models of the relation between the individual and
society
7. Conclusion The wellbeing of nations can occur at the cost of the well-being of their citizens,
and this seems to have happened in the past. Yet in present day conditions, there is no such
conflict. Society and individual are made mutually dependent and responsible and mutually
complementary. The result is that society progresses well with the minimum possible
restrictions on the individual. A very wide scope is given to the natural development of the
energies of the individual in such a manner that in the end. Society will benefit the best by it.
While society reaps the best advantage of the properly utilized and developed energies of the
individuals, an attempt is made to see that the normal and sometimes even the abnormal
weaknesses of the individuals have the least possible effect on the society. Spirit of service and
duty to the society is the ideal of the individual and spirit of tolerance, broadmindedness and
security of the individual is the worry of the society. There is no rigid rule to develop the
individual in a particular pattern suitable to the rules of the society. Society demands greater
sacrifices from its greater individuals while the fruits of the works of all are meant equally for
all. The general rule is: the higher the status and culture of the individual are, the lesser his
rights are and the greater his duties are. A sincere attempt is made by the sociologists to bring
to the minimum the clash between the individual and the society, so that there will be few
psychological problems for the individual and the society both. The inherent capacities,
energies and weaknesses of the individual are properly taken into account and the evolution of
the relation between the two is made as natural as possible. Human values and idealism being
given due respect, the development of the relation between the two is more or less
philosophical.

REF: https://file.scirp.org/pdf/JSS_2014082714583000.pdf

ABSTRACT
The relation between individual and society is very close. Essentially, “society” is the
regularities, customs and ground rules of antihuman behavior. These practices are
tremendously important to know how humans act and interact with each other. Society does
not exist independently without individual. The individual lives and acts within society but
society is nothing, in spite of the combination of individuals for cooperative effort. On the other
hand, society exists to serve individuals—not the other way around. Human life and society
almost go together. Man is biologically and psychologically equipped to live in groups, in
society. Society has become an essential condition for human life to arise and to continue. The
relationship between individual and society is ultimately one of the profound of all the
problems of social philosophy. It is more philosophical rather than sociological because it
involves the question of values. Man depends on society. It is in the society that an individual is
surrounded and encompassed by culture, as a societal force. It is in the society again that he
has to conform to the norms, occupy statuses and become members of groups. The question of
the relationship between the individual and the society is the starting point of many
discussions. It is closely connected with the question of the relationship of man and society. The
relation between the two depends upon one fact that the individual and the society are
mutually dependent, one grows with the help of the other. The aim of this paper is to show the
questions: how a man is a social animal and how individual and society affect each other?

REF: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=49227

A dictionary defines sociology as the systematic study of society and social interaction. The
word “sociology” is derived from the Latin word socius (companion) and the Greek word logos
(speech or reason), which together mean “reasoned speech about companionship”.

Durkheim on Women

“Further we have seen that in all countries of the world women commit suicide much less than
men. They are also much less educated. Fundamentally traditionalist by nature, they govern
their conduct by fixed beliefs and have no great intellectual needs.” (Suicide, 166) [Emphasis
added]

“When a widow is seen to endure her condition much better than a widower and desires
marriage less passionately, one is led to consider this ease in dispensing with the family a mark
of superiority; it is said that woman’s affective faculties, being very intense, are easily employed
outside the domestic circle, while her devotion is indispensable to man to help him endure life.
Actually, if this is here privilege it is because her sensibility is rudimentary rather than highly
developed. As she lives outside of community existence more than man, she is less penetrated
by it; society is less necessary to her because she is less impregnated with sociability. She has
few needs in this direction and satisfies them very easily. (215) [Emphasis added]

“Woman’s sexual needs have less of a mental character because, generally speaking, her
mental life is less developed....Being a more instinctive creature than man, woman has only to
follow her instincts to find calmness and peace.” (272) [Emphasis added]
Health[edit]

In 2011, 24% of births were attended by a professional health physician.[1] Sex selective health
care and infanticide suggest a correlation between the number of females to males in
Bangladesh. In Europe where men and women are given similar health care and nutrition,
women outnumber men 105:100. In Bangladesh, that ratio is 95:100. In terms of the
population, that ratio accounts for approximately 5 million missing women.[7] Economist
Amartya Sen argues that this low ratio is primarily due to insufficient health care provided for
young girls but nowadays NGOs are encouraging equal health care.[13] He reported that men,
followed by boys, is the largest group of people admitted into hospitals. Women family
members are less likely to receive modern medical care and are generally recipients of
traditional remedies.

The health situation for urban women is worse than that for rural women, especially those
living in slums. The urban population living in the slum areas do not have adequate sanitation,
water and health facilities which results in poor health.[3]

Education[edit]

In 2011, the population with at least a secondary education was 30.8% for women and 39.3%
for men.[1] Due to poverty, literacy rates have remained low. In the span of 30 years (1970 to
2000), the female-male literacy ratio has more than doubled, from 0.30 to 0.61.[2] While levels
remain low, there is a more rapid increase of educational attainment for women than men.
Girls enrolments are rising. However, due to financial constraints and the lack of earning
opportunities for educated women, the rationale in the Bangladesh family to educate a boy
over a girl still persists. Other impediments to educational attainment for women include early
marriage, cultural norms, and religious orthodoxy. Participation in technical disciplines
(regarded as men's domain) in areas such as engineering and agriculture is unequal as well. The
student population at technical universities is only 9% female.[3]

Employment[edit]

Labor force participation for females has been driven primarily by the growth of approved
export industry jobs in textiles and the spread of micro financing operations by NGOs including
the Grameen Bank. Women's participation in high skill, managerial, and government executive
positions have increased only to a limited extent.[2] Income inequalities between women and
men are still existent in Bangladesh. The 2012 Human Development Report shows that in the
small business sector, for every dollar earned by a male, women make 12 cents in comparison.
[14] However, overtime gender earning gaps have decreased in favour of women

Garment industry[edit]

The garment sector in Bangladesh accounts for 77% of total exports, as well as being the
country's largest industry.[19] Low wages and poor commitment to Bangladesh's labour laws
have provided the basis for extremely competitive labour costs.[20] Unmarried women from
rural areas are the preferred garment factory workers, and correspondingly make up the
majority of the labour force. Women are preferred over men primarily because its deemed a)
women are more patient and nimble b) women are more controllable than men c) women are
less mobile and less likely to join a trade union d) women can do better in sewing because it
coincides with domestic jobs.[21]

Garment workers experience several violations of worker rights which are supposedly
protected in Bangladesh's labour codes. Among these violations are long working hours, illegal
pay deductions, lack of safe and sanitary working conditions and denial of freedom to associate
and bargain collectively. Harassment and abuse against workers is also extremely prevalent in
Bangladesh.[20]

Working conditions are different for women than men because they work different jobs.
Generally, women suffer the worst working conditions because they hold low skill jobs where
occupational hazards are greater. Health is adversely affected by long working hours and poor
ventilation. Garment workers also often suffer from the absence of a lunchroom and clean
drinking water.[21] Safety and fire hazards are issues as well; in April 2013, a factory collapse on
the outskirts of Dhaka killed 1,021 people.[22]

Female workers deal with other issues male workers don't need to. Female garment workers
can face an uncongenial work environment, unsafe transportation, and housing. These factors
generally don't affect male workers. Sexual harassment and violence in the workplace are also
common. In 1998, 161 rape cases in and around garment factories were reported by the
Department of Metropolitan Police in Dhaka.[21]

Despite these negative aspects, the garment industry to many Bangladeshi women represents
one of few options to work with dignity. The industry allows for women, in many cases, to
become the bread winners for their families as well as having elevation in social status. In the
International People's Health Assembly held in Bangladesh in 2000, voices of women spoke out
against the threat of imposing international labour standards threatening their garment
industry jobs.[23]

REF : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_inequality_in_Bangladesh

Gender discrimination costs lives. Close to 100 million women in Asia are estimated to be
'missing' because of discriminatory treatment in access to health and nutrition, pure neglect, or
pre-birth sex selection. Here are 12 things to know about gender equality in Asia and the
Pacific.

In South Asia, more women die in childbirth - 500 for every 100,000 live births - than in any
other part of the world except Sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of deliveries attended by
skilled birth attendants is as low as 18% in Bangladesh, 19% in Nepal, and 20% in the Lao PDR.

Source: ADB. 2010. Paths to 2015: MDG Priorities in Asia and the Pacific
Many Asian women report experiencing physical violence from their intimate partners - 30% of
women in Viet Nam; more than 40% in Bangladesh, Samoa, and Timor-Leste; and more than
60% in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

Source: Government of India: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) Volume III

An extra year of primary school encourages girls to marry later in ilfe and have fewer children. It
also makes them less likely to experience violence and increases their eventual wages by 10-20
percent.

Source: Council of Foreign Relations. 2004. What Works in Girls' Education: Evidence and
Policies from the Developing World

In Pakistan a half kilometer increase in the distance to school will decrease girls' enrolment by
20%. In Afghanistan, Indonesia and several other countries, building local schools in rural
communities has led to increases in girls' enrolment rates.

Source: UN Women. 2012. Facts and Figures

Only 30% of women in Asia and the Pacific are in non-agriculture wage employment, with only
20% in South Asia - the lowest among the world's regions.

Source: ADB. 2010. Paths to 2015: MDG Priorities in Asia and the Pacific FAO. 2010. Gender
Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways out of Poverty

Nearly 50% of women in South Asia and over 60% in the Pacific Islands are still concentrated in
agriculture. Unpaid work on family agricultural enterprises accounts for 34% of informal
employment for women in India.

Source: ADB. 2010. Paths to 2015: MDG Priorities in Asia and the Pacific FAO. 2010. Gender
Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways out of Poverty

Gender inequality in wage differentials remains entrenched, with women typically earning 70%-
90% less of the male wage (50% in Bangladesh and 80% in Mongolia).

Source: ADB. 2011. Women and Labour Markets in Asia: Rebalancing for Gender Equality

In the East Asia and Pacific region, output per worker could be 7-18% higher if female
entrepreneurs and workers were in the same sectors, types of jobs and activities as men, and
had the same access to productive resources.

Source: World Bank. 2012. Toward Gender Equality in East Asia and the Pacific: A Companion to
the World Development Report
Across the East Asia and Pacific region, female-headed households own less land than male-
headed households. Few women own farms despite the fact that 40% of the region's women
are employed in agriculture.

Source: World Bank. 2012. Toward Gender Equality in East Asia and the Pacific: A Companion to
the World Development Report FAO. 2011. The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011

If women had the same access to productive resources as men in agriculture, they could
increase yields on their farms by 20 - 30 percent. This could raise total agricultural output in
developing countries by 2.5 - 4 percent, which could in turn reduce the number of hungry
people in the world by 12 - 17 percent.

Source: The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011

Many food insecure countries also exhibit low Gender Inequality Index rankings - Afghanistan
(135), Bangladesh (116), and PNG (133), Cambodia (88) and the Lao PDR (95).

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2010

A study of women elected to local government in India found that female leadership positively
affected the provision of services for both men and women. Of the 22 countries where women
constitute more than 30 percent of the national legislature, 18 have some form of quota for
addressing gender gaps.

Source: World Bank. 2012. Toward Gender Equality in East Asia and the Pacific: A Companion to
the World Development Report UN Women. 2008. Progress of the World’s Women 2008/2009:
Who Answers to Women?

REF : https://www.adb.org/features/12-things-know-2012-gender-equality