Research Blog #8: Case

The case my research paper is making is that gender segregation is deeply rooted in, and reinforced by, our society. The different socialization processes male and female students experience, influences both their interests and perceptions of personal ability, directing them towards different subject areas. This manifests itself in college, where an evident unequal distribution of male and female students across college majors has been discovered. This trend projects into the labor force, which also remains segregated by gender. Why are men socialized in a way that habituates them to be more competitive, more prone to take risks, whereas women are socialized in a way that encourages them to be organized, helpful, get goof grades, and be largely more submissive. When we look at issues today, such as the gender gap in earnings, we can attribute them to the socialization process. Men are more likely than women to negotiate higher salaries, to pursue more challenging careers with higher income levels, and to take greater risks that sometimes bring about greater rewards. In regard to the gender gap in college majors, a variety of studies have concluded that while male students are more likely to chose majors in fields based on income level and opportunity for career advancement, female students are more likely to chose majors based on aptitude in the subject area. This is also a reflection of the socialization process. Women pursue college majors and careers with a mentality that they need to avoid risk and failure, and this greatly limits their opportunities for career advancement and higher income levels. This form of socialization speaks greatly to the fact that women are still largely underrepresented in STEM fields today. The case my research paper is making is that gender segregation in college majors and the workforce, and the consequential gender wage gap, is a societal level issue of socialization. 


(youtube video on a TedTalk)
"Teach girls bravery, not perfection | Reshma Saujani"
https://youtu.be/fC9da6eqaqg