Gender & Power (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Patriarchy & the distribution of power

• Patriarchy is a system in which men hold more power, authority, and influence than women in most areas of life — politics, work, and the family

• Sylvia Walby (1990) identified six patriarchal structures that reinforce male dominance:

  1. Paid work – men dominate better-paid and higher-status jobs

  2. Household – women perform most domestic and caring labour

  3. State – political and legal systems are male-dominated

  4. Violence – women face threats and control through domestic and sexual violence

  5. Sexuality – women’s sexual behaviour is judged by double standards

  6. Culture – media and religion promote gender stereotypes

• Walby argued patriarchy has shifted from private to public:

  • Women are now in the workforce but still face barriers like low pay and limited promotion

Sexism and power

• Sexism involves unfair treatment or attitudes toward someone because of their gender, e.g.:

  • women being overlooked for promotion because they might have children

  • girls being discouraged from pursuing science or technology

  • male managers assuming women are too emotional for leadership roles

• Sexism operates:

  • formally: through pay and hiring practices

  • informally: through attitudes, jokes, and exclusion from networks

The glass ceiling

• The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier that prevents women from reaching top positions in their careers

  • Women may also experience the glass cliff – being promoted into high-risk leadership roles, e.g., during times of crisis, where failure is the most likely outcome

• Even in female-dominated professions like teaching and nursing, men often hold more senior roles

• Only a small proportion of CEOs in the UK’s top 100 companies are women, despite equal qualifications and experience

Gender and power in politics and the judiciary

• Women remain under-represented in decision-making roles:

  • After the 2024 General Election, only 40.5% MPs were women

  • In April 2016, women made up 21% of High Court judges, though this has increased slightly since

• While progress has been made, political and legal power remains unequal

The crisis of masculinity

• Sociologists like Bob Connell argue that men face a crisis of masculinity in modern society

• Masculinity is changing, showing that gender inequality affects men and women differently

• Traditional male roles, e.g., breadwinner, provider, and protector, have weakened due to:

  • deindustrialisation and loss of manual jobs

  • the feminist movement and women’s independence

  • shifting expectations for men to be emotionally open

• Some men respond with anxiety and resentment, while others embrace the 'new man' – a man who is supportive, carries out domestic tasks, and is emotionally expressive