Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? Charlotta Stern Department of Sociology, Stockholm University The Ratio Institute
Agenda Background Political ideology of Academics I. I. Invitation to write about consequences of ideological homogeneity The Second Darwinian Revolution II. I. Gender differences in ”new” light III. Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
I. Political Ideology of US academics
I. Political Ideology of Swe. Acad. (left wing)
I. 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
I. Politics in Psychology, ratio 16 Ra#o of Democrat:Republicans or Liberal s:Conserva#ves 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1920 1945 1970 1995 2020 Year 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
“I believe that university life requires that people with diverse viewpoints and perspectives encounter each other in an environment where they feel free to speak up and challenge each other. I am concerned that many academic fields and universities currently lack sufficient viewpoint diversity—particularly political diversity. I will support viewpoint diversity in my academic field, my university, my department, and my classroom.” http://heterodoxacademy.org/ ● 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
I. Jussim and Crawford (ed) The politics of social psychology ● Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Agenda Background to the study Political ideology of Academics I. I. Invitation to write about consequences of ideological homogeneity The Second Darwinian Revolution II. I. Gender differences in ”new” light III. Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
II. The second Darwinian revolution 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
II. Evolutionary social sciences 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
II. New insights in the market place of ideas Gender differences ● Life priorities – People/Thing – Risk, competition, aggression – Variability – Biological-difference ideas ● Sex hormones – Universal – Stable – Present in other mammals – 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
II. My presupposition of Gender Sociology Sacred ideas ● Biological differences between the – sexes are minor Cultural differences are a result of – social processes having little basis in biological differencees Doing gender as societal trap – Sacred cause to reduce ● gender differences Biological-difference ideas are not – engaged
II. Small study of ”Doing gender” Classic article published in ● Gender & Society in 1987 23 most highly cited articles ● who cite ”Doing Gender” in 2004-2014. Are biological-difference ideas – acknowledged, discussed, or evaluated? 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
II. Steven Pinker’s Blank Slate Book from 2002 ● International best-seller ● Nominated to 2003 Aventis ● Prize Finalist for a Pulitzer Prize ● Challenge social constructivist ● notions of human beings 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
II. Results Bio N N N N 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Agenda Background to the study Political ideology of Academics I. I. Invitation to write about consequences of ideological homogeneity The Second Darwinian Revolution II. I. Gender differences in ”new” light III. Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
III. Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? ● Domination of ”left-feminists” – Marxist, socialist, critical, and post-modern feminists ● Left-feminists defines an equal society as a society characterized by small differences between men and women ● Ideological reason why social constructivist thinking is locked-in – Gender-difference ideas threaten ”equality”
Lock-in method: ”Essentialist ideology” ● Biological-difference ideas are described as essentialist ideology ● Essentialist Ideology … stereotypes about natural male and female characteristics are disseminated and perpetuated through popular culture and media, through social interaction in which significant others (parents, peers teachers) …” (Charles and Grusky 2007, 333)
Gender segregation in the labor market Argues that norms of ”self-fulfillment” and individual choice are scripted differently for women and men, resulting in gendered occupational choices.
2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Biological-differences and choice? ● How to explain occupational segregation when traditional values are eroded – Are individuals unable to discern their own preferences from ”traditional” expectations surrounding them? ● Maybe women and men have different preferences? ● Can we learn more by exploring these preferences?
Investigating gender differences ● Learning more will demand asking ”difficult” questions – Investigating the underlying assumption of slim- differences ● Positions of power and the glass ceiling – Risk taking, status seeking and competitiveness is likely to make a difference ● Productivity differences and the gender wage gap – The above, plus women’s greater responsibility for household 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Status quo ● Limits creative theorizing – Tools to understand gender-difference are limited to stereotypes, socialization, doing-gender ● Lowers the quality of research – Alternative explanations are not considered – Hypotheses are not tested 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? Yes, I hypothesize that the domination of left-feminists’, sharing a sacred beliefs in equality as slim-outcome differences fosters a taboo towards exploring gender differences. Had there been other ideas on equality present (classical liberal feminist ideas), I believe we had come further in understanding both gender and labor markets.
Agenda Background to the study Political ideology of Academics I. I. Invitation to write about consequences of ideological homogeneity The Second Darwinian Revolution II. I. Gender differences in ”new” light III. Does ideology hinder insights on gender and labor markets? 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Moving forward. . . ● It is time to work out improved attitudes about gender, attitudes that accept that differences between the genders may continue to exist even in settings where individuals are freer to express themselves and lead their own lives.
2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Alternative explanations There are alternative explanations: ● Small gender differences cannot explain large differences in outcomes – Well, see Schelling’s tippingmodels ● Simplify to tear down patriarchal structures – Incompatible with scientific norms ● ”Social constructivism is my perspective” – Damages the credibility of sociology 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
EEA – environment of evolutionary adaptation/ adaptedness Människan uppstod mellan 1.5 och 2.5 miljoner år sedan, runt ● Pleistocen som avslutades ungefär för 12,000 år sedan Under eran antas att evolutionära krafter (adaptation och ● selektion) kring reproduktionen formar en majoritet av de psykologiska mekanismer vi fortsatt uppbär – artens tillväxt, utveckling, partnerval, föräldraskap och sociala relationer Beteenden och egenskaper som är universella – evolutionärt ● anpassade – Exempel är språk, kognition, sociala roller, könsroller . . .
I. Political Ideology of Sw. Acad. (Right wing) 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Gender wage gap 5% in 2007 2018-01-10 Lotta Stern, Sociologiska institutionen
Människan ● Levde i små samhällen ● Med sammanhållna kulturer (cohesion) ● Stabila och rika kontext för identitet och mening
Missmatchning ● Rädsla för ormar och spindlar ● Fett, salt och söt mat ● Stor byst och blankt hår
● Psychologist Mark van Vugt recently argued that modern organizational leadership is a mismatch. [47] His argument is that humans are not adapted to work in large, anonymous bureaucratic structures with formal hierarchies. The human mind still responds to personalized, charismatic leadership primarily in the context of informal, egalitarian settings. Hence the dissatisfaction and alienation that many employees experience. Salaries, bonuses and other privileges exploit instincts for relative status, which attract particularly males to senior executive positions. [48]
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