Anna is interested in studying the gender wage gap in the labour market and believes that, to fully understand this phenomenon, she needs to look at the interactions between female employees and male employers and at the overarching ideology of society. Which theoretical framework is likely to shape her research?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When approaching a question about studying the gender wage gap with attention to interactions between female employees and male employers as well as the broader ideology of society, we can evaluate each theoretical framework.
Option 1: Mesostructural theory. This approach focuses on the organization of social structures and institutions at a meso level, such as specific workplaces or industries. While it can be relevant for understanding patterns in the labor market, it does not inherently foreground gendered power relations or ideological systems to the same extent as feminist theory, which directly centers on gender as a primary axis of analysis.
Option 2: Feminist theory. This framework is explicitly concerned with gender inequalities and how social, economic, and political structures reproduce those inequalities. It examines power dynamics between women and men, the role of gender ideologies in shaping labor market outcomes, and how interaction in workplaces reflects and reinforces broader societal norms. Given Anna’s interest in both interpersonal interactions (female employees and male employers) and the overarching ideology of society, feminist theory provides the most coherent lens.
Option 3: Symbolic interactionism. This micro-level perspective focuses on day-to-day social interactions and the meanings individuals attach to those interactions. While it can illuminate how gendered expectations are enacted in the workplace, it tends to emphasize micro-interactions rather than the macro-level ideology and structural inequalities that underpin the wage gap across the labor market.
Option 4: Structural functionalism. This theory analyzes society in terms of interdependent parts that contribute to social stability. Although it can be used to discuss roles and norms, it often emphasizes equilibrium and functionality rather than the conflict, power, and inequality central to gendered wage disparities and ideological critique. It is therefore less aligned with an inquiry focused on gendered power and systemic ideology.
In summary, the option that most directly aligns with examining both interpersonal dynamics in the workplace and the wider ideological context shaping gender equality in the labor market is the one that foregrounds gender as a central category of analysis, power relations, and structural inequality. The remaining options offer useful insights in certain contexts but do not comprehensively address the combination of micro-level interactions and macro-level ideology that Anna intends to study.

SOC100H5 F LEC0101 Test 1

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Which is one of the characteristics that women who self-identify as feminists seem to possess according to bell hooks?

Peminism is meant to assert a specifically Filipina American subjectivity that repudiates what?

What term describes a pinay-centered theory that acknowledges and transcends the limitations of mainstream feminist theory?

According to one of the assigned sources, the concluding argument regarding feminist paradoxes is…

Which of the following is the best description of the feminist theory theme "social reform"?

Feminist theorists always see work and leisure and paid and unpaid domestic work as two separate spheres.

According to Carol Adams

Which theoretical analysis views families in terms of patterns of gender inequality?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler