Theorists whose focus was on gender emerged as a result of the inequalities between men and women that still persists up to now. Women have, for a long time, been disproportionately represented among the low-wage service workers. They make the largest portion of this group of workers, a factor that has significantly contributed to their historical low financial power. According to Dillon (2009, p.8), “feminist standpoint theorists (e.g. Dorothy Smith; Patricia Hill Collins; see chapter 10) coming out of a tradition that focuses on women’s inequality in society have much to say about these matters.” Dillon (2009, p.8) says “Feminist theorists also underscore that women chores, experiences, and opportunities are typical than men’s, and when similar, women’s work is rewarded very differently than men’s work (at home and at work).” Taking into account the unique situation that women find themselves in, C. Wright Mills suggests that “women have remained on the margins of the decision-making power elites in the society (Dillon 2009, p.8).”
Dillon (2009, p.9) states that “Feminist theorists (e.g. Collins) along with race theorists (see chapter 12) and globalization scholars (see chapter 14) would also highlight that it is not just women but particular types of women that tend to be employed in the low-wage service sector.” Overrepresentation of particular groups of women in low-wage employment in the service sector is reported to have led many feminist scholars to focus on examining how different experiences of inequality affects women (Dillon 2009, p.9). These groups of women largely include those of minority racial and ethnic background. According to Dillon (2009, p.9) “Many feminist scholars, therefore, focus on exploring how the multiple intersecting experiences of inequality- of gender, race, class, immigration, sexuality among others, shape the life chances and experiences of women (e.g. Collins).” This essentially marks the point where theories of gender intersect with theories of race and colonization. Dillon (2009, p.9) mentions Paul Gilroy as an example of a feminist and race theorist, stating that they “further attention to how advertising and mass media promote particular cultures of femininity and masculinity that invariably entwine contradictory gender-and race-based messages that perpetuate social inequality.”
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References
Dillon, M. (2009). Introduction to sociological theory: Theorists, concepts, and their applicability to the twenty-first century . New York: John Wiley & Sons.
