INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY-SOC 100

Racial and Gender Discrimination

Most people have experienced racial and gender discrimination, perhaps through generations of their family. In spite of our shared vision, the concept of social equity could sometimes feel exclusionary, especially to those that are not used to the lingo. In particular, intersectionality is a concept that many organizations and people use to conceptualize a social problem or group of people affected by different types of discrimination. In this case, it makes me understand that intersectionality asserts that people can often be disadvantaged by various sources of oppression such as gender identity, class, and race (Griffin). Such oppression can be portrayed through unequal distribution of various resources among groups or individuals, based on different dimensions of stratification. Rather than solely being defined by race or gender, we should embrace the worldview that every individual is a complex human being and should be influenced or defined by various identifying factors.

     Global stratification points out the existence of inequality and social division, whereby different societies are treated based on the class system. Many people today consider the United States a class system that creates room for social mobility, where individuals could work to improve their class and economic status. Moreover, I think we can contemplate that the United States is a land of opportunity where individuals have the opportunity to pursue “the American Dream.” However, upon analysing the average wage for workers and America’s average wage, one can easily associate global stratification with economic inequality in the United States (Conerly et. al., 266). This makes us understand how economic inequality is aggravated and created by discrimination and prejudice, whether against a particular religion, ethnicity, gender, or religion. Despite what most people would believe, I think such inequalities effectively demonstrate how stratified and divided our society is.

People born into vulnerable and minority populations find it hard to achieve certain goals compared to more advantaged members of society. I discovered that people make inferences that this stratification is perpetuated by labor division. However, addressing all factors that perpetuate and influence stratification is essential. For instance, a higher socioeconomic status gives certain people the privilege to access and control products and opportunities, which the disadvantaged groups cannot (Griffin). Throughout the history of the United States, there have been various unfair opportunities and laws, which have segregated the race and gender within Americans. In the past, only straight white men were allowed to hold power in the United States. However, the law is slowly changing to grant each gender and race equality and society has started readjusting to ensure each sexuality, gender, and race gets equal opportunity. Overall, I think social inequality and stratification is a challenge that society has been facing for many years but is gradually being addressed to create a fair and balanced structure (Cornerly et. al., 267).

Every society constructs differences and similarities between women and men by assigning them gender status. It makes us believe that the gendering process involves dressing, naming, and other gender markers that shape how girls and boys should act (Griffin). This concept is very important to me because I believe my sexuality and gender have been shaped by various societal norms. For instance, the American culture considers wearing a skirt or dress feminine while in African, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures skirts and dresses such as gowns, robs and sarongs are considered masculine (Cornerly et. al., 331). I think American culture has shaped my gender development because it strongly encourages and supports the aspect of heteronormativity. Consequently, this idea has enabled me to identify myself as a heterosexual individual hence eliminating the discrepancies I might have concerning my gender identity and the sex I might have been assigned at birth.

When considering the societal influences that shape an individual’s perspective about gender, the idea of gender roles has been occurring since ancient times because it is used to express our respective position or place in society. As we grow in different environments, we learn the code of conduct by observing other people, and through this socialization process, we are introduced to specific roles based on our biological sex (Conerly et. al., 334). Growing up, everything from the clothes I wore to the toys I played with was meant to signify the socially constructed concept of gender. As a 9-year-old, I remember admiring some of the games played by the opposite sex. Moreover, I was taught to differentiate between female-oriented and male-oriented physical behaviors. Although I have been trying to interact with people from other types of sexuality, I must admit that changing the perspectives I have held since childhood and accepting a new set of ideas and beliefs is rather challenging.

     The concept of racism is deeply tragic in our world as its effects still trickle into professional and personal lives. While the U.S society has been viewed by many as a multi-ethnic, multiracial, and multicultural one, with people from different origins, I think people still associate themselves with their racial mixture such as identifying themselves as “White” or “American Indian” to escape racial discrimination (Conerly et. al., 305). Over the years, I have observed how people of color find it difficult to live among other residents in the United States. Most people with a yellow-skin complexion are isolated and develop low self-esteem due to racial discrimination. Consequently, it tends to make me believe how low self-esteem affects the quality of life for such individuals due to the various experiences they have to go through.

The people that have experienced racism can agree that its effects cause human suffering and pain. In modern society, racism has attracted the creation of racial justice movements that protest against racially-motivated violence and police brutality such as the recent Black Lives Matter Movement (Conerly et. al., 310). While racism has enveloped our world in many forms, I realized that an individual’s social standing also determines greatly how the person will be treated. Among various branches of racism, modern society has embraced cultural racism whereby one is treated based on the cultural differences between racial and ethnic groups. It makes us understand that racism does not only depend on skin color but also on societal norms. Unfortunately, this new perspective has made it difficult to eliminate racism as a social construct.

To sum up, I think the spirit of intersectionality encourages us to acknowledge that people have their unique and individual experiences of oppression and discrimination. In this case, we must consider anything and everything that could marginalize people, including sexual orientation, class, race, and gender. In this study, it is evident that inequalities exist in our modern society as vulnerable and minority populations have fewer opportunities to attain their goals as compared to those from a higher socioeconomic status who have the privilege to access and control products and opportunities. Additionally, societal norms shape an individual’s perspective on gender and sexuality hence changing this viewpoint to a new set of ideas and beliefs becomes challenging. In general, I think racial discrimination makes it difficult for people of color to live among other residents and lowers their self-esteem hence further affecting the quality of their lives. Therefore, if we do not view these aspects from the lens of intersectionality, our efforts to fight inequalities towards the less privileged and disadvantaged groups might end up perpetuating more systems of inequalities.

 Works Cited

Conerly, Tonja R., Kathleen Holmes, and Asha Lal Tamang. Introduction to Sociology 3e. OpenStax, 2021.

Griffin, Nora. Gender Lecture, 6 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnF2TCQUW1s.

Griffin, Nora. Race Lecture, 18 July 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNNtd4_NZcg.

Griffin Nora. Social Inequalities Lecture, 18 July 2021, https://youtu.be/hSnZKtFWPr