Women and the Birth of Sociology

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Having read Patricia Madoo Lengermann, and Jill Niebrugge-Brantley’s “Women and the Birth Of Sociology,” I really don’t understand why women were written out of the history of sociology. I suppose such a thing could have happened at the time when women wanted to move out of the home and get jobs in order to discourage such ventures, trying to show that women haven’t done much, or hide the fact that they have. The women talked about in the essay wrote about important things, mostly based in feminist ideals. The things most of the women had in common were, again, writing during the various feminist movements throughout the world and mostly writing about female-centric topics like motherhood and and how most professions at the time were occupied by men. It is important today to talk about the woman founders in Sociology because they made huge contributions. Harriet Martineau alone not only translated Comte, but also wrote plenty of her own findings. Women made a big impact in the early days of sociology not only in the field of feminism, but everywhere else.

BY KATHRYN

Invisible Privilege

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Privilege is often invisible because, some people don’t realize that some people have less than they do.People in society who have more then others do,don’t notice that some people actually have to work hard to earn there stuff.The lower class of society are more likely to be aware of privilege.Due to the fact that they didn’t grow up with alot and there kids don’t have alot.So when they work hard and earn newer and better things,they are grateful for what they earn.Andrea was so uncomfortable in Julie’s home because she and her mom were the only white people there.Also because they only had one light bulb turned on in each room,on such a dark day.There a was a second bathroom that Andrea had to use,it scared her because it was a toilet that has four walls that were made out of cabinets.There were no electric lights in the cabinet,the only light there was,was coming from a little space between the cabinet and the ceiling.In my own opinion I do think that people could overcome these social differences if the really tried.Race should not matter when it comes to where families live and their kids go to schools.Colors of your skin shouldn’t have to determine the way your life is.If people could just realize this then maybe we would be able to overcome the social differences.Funding for schools is a form of invisible privilege because the upper class can go to good schools(private schools).Some middle class people if they are lucky can get some type of funding to school to a good school and get a good education.Lower class have to use a family members address to go to a good school so that is a good privilege.Instead of going to school where nothing works and the education isn’t that good they get a good education and if they are lucky and do well they could earn scholarships to a good college and really succeed in life.

CHALOTTE

Women and the Birth of Sociology

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First: I had technical difficulties! Sorry this post is a bit late!

What does it mean to say that women have been ‘written out’ of sociology’s history? Why did this happen? What issue or ideas did sociology’s women founders have in common? What is the importance of recognizing the contribution of sociology women founders?

Being “written out of history” is different from being invisible. When something or someone is invisible, it is never seen at all. According to author’s Patricia Madoo Lengermann and Jill Niebrugge-Brantley (Ch. 3, Seeing Ourselves), many of the contributors to the developing field of sociology, in the 19th and early 20th century were women: Harriet Martineau in England, Jane Addams and Anna Julia Cooper in the U.S., were all widely recognized as living, breathing, writing and working sociologists, in their day. However, even in our own class text book, when you turn to the chapter on the birth and history of sociology…. all the authors cited are men.

What’s going on? Patriarchy (privileging if not enshrining male bias) is almost certainly a big part of it. However, it seems possible to me that the tendency of the early women sociologists, to have been more interested in what we might call social activism (Anna Julia Cooper and her anti lynching and anti racism campaigns; Jane Addams’ Hull House, providing services to immigrant women and children) may also have had something to do with this “writing out of history” of the women sociologists. Whereas Comte, Durkheim and Marx were concerned with theoretical ideas, pertaining often to groups of men and their more public roles in life, a common thread can be found, in the work of the women sociologists, having to do with domestic and everyday living concerns of women and children. Theory seems to have been privileged, over the “work a day” concerns of how and where women, children, and “minority” groups like African Americans, were actually living their lives. The women sociologists seem to have been more concerned with activism, over theoretical predictions.

Why recognize women’s contribution to the field? In order to realize that there were several branches, if you will, on the growing tree of sociology. In order to realize that there were in fact more than just a few (mostly white) men, there at the beginning of the very field.

I find myself wondering: If these important early sociologists were “written out” of the history of the field, who or what other work might now be missing?

BY LAURA

Population Growth

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Holding the population to zero population growth would never be enough  because the global population would continue its rapid rate of expansion. Also you need to realize that implementing a no population growth may be quite limited with a time window that is so little. The plan for zero population growth still doesn’t cover everything because it still leaves the depletion of the earths resources. As  far resources are concerned, whether there renewable or non renewable  its becoming apparent that an era of inexpensive energy, unlimited food supplies, readily extractable materials( from wood to minerals), fresh water, and accessible open space is rapidly coming to a close, almost certainly within the next half-century. Therefore a plan to keep the population from growing is simply undesirable because it’s almost asking to much in such a little time.

Do we have a responsibility to control the population growth of other species has we continually grow are selves?  I would say no we wouldn’t have to change the way we do things to limit the animal population but most certainly we would have to make and effort to maintain the animal population because their necessary for life. As are population grows and the animals do simultaneously I believe that we would still be able to continue doing what we normally do to maintain animal population which could be hunting etc. My real concern would have to do with maintaining the animal population. As we expand were using up space that millions of species use as habitats. The human is always going to win the battle over territory with an animal because these animals have no way to defend them selfs from being driven out of their homes. We need the animal species because there what allows this world to run and with out the animal species it would throw the balance of  the world off and disrupt everything.

Furthermore I would have to say that I do agree with Smail and we do need to make an effort to control the population growth. We already know the consequences that will come forth if we don’t control the population and by all means that may be a human apocalypse. So I believe that its easily understandable that if the population keeps growing rapidly that their will definitely be problems but the problem is coming up with a plan, policy, efforts to control the population and how to enforce these new regulations to control population growth.

Blog B Religious Vs. Secular school rules

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Blog B

Religious colleges tend to have students who get into less trouble than secular college students because the students at a religious school have faith to help keep them out of trouble. Their faith allows them a way of associating with their peers which is healthy and innocent. In secular schools students are more likely to pick up bad habits like drinking and drug use to form bonds with their peers. Also, most students who go to a religious school have chosen to do so because they want to be in an atmosphere which has less pressure to perform immoral and unintelligible acts. In secular schools peer pressure tends to involve drinking, drugs and sex; while in religious schools peer pressure is to do things that are morally correct. Also according to an article titled Secular Vs. Christian College written by Andrew Call “Christian colleges tend to have smaller student bodies, decreasing the chance of a student simply becoming lost in the crowd. A smaller college also offers a greater chance to participate in extracurricular activities, providing more opportunities to meet others and expand one’s circle of friends.”

The disciplinary differences between secular and religious schools contribute to religious school students being less likely to be involved in trouble. The rules at a religious college tend to be stricter than those at a secular school. There is more emphasis on not allowing immoral activity of any kind for both disciplinary reasons and religious reasons.  Students not only feel pressure from their peers, but also have many mentors available to them such as pastors, rabbis, or their teachers who they do not want to disappoint. Think about being a student in a secular school and having sex, would you be worried about your teacher finding out? Chances are probably not. Although, that is different for students who attend religious schools, they would fear their teacher knowing that they were unfaithful and their teacher is also more of a mentor. The teacher at a religious school would probably feel the need to confront the student and would offer counseling to them, while at a secular school a teacher would think it none of their business to be involved in a students’ sexual affairs. Students at religious schools over all have much more counseling available to them and participate in it much more than students at secular schools do.

From the reading How Student life is Different at Religious Colleges by Naomi Schaefer Riley in Seeing Ourselves, at Bob Jones University women and men are not allowed any kind of physical contact. The school’s rules may be strict enough to minimize such incidents, but as most administrators will tell you where there’s a will there’s a way. They also require that students have chaperones for all dates.

Another school from the reading is Magdalen. Magdalen is a small catholic school where seats are assigned differently each day at meal periods to avoid cliques. Their rooms must be kept neat with no mess on the dressers or desks and no art work or decorations on the walls.  They must always carry with them a clean pair of shoes so each time they enter a building they can put them on and avoid getting the floors dirty. They say the students follow the rule well because they are the ones who do most of the cleaning on campus. They have a 10:30 pm lights out policy.  At Magdalen they also have a no dating rule called a rule against “steady companion keeping”.  One student there said that the rule made it easier for her to be friends with other male students because she could sit next to them and not have other people think that they were dating or have the male feel like she is trying to be possessive of him.  Some students there feel it makes it easier to get to know someone. Many of the students from Magdalen do get married shortly after graduation. A senior student Nancy Carlin says she believes that not dating gives people a better chance of having a solid marriage by not having a relationship based on self-gratification.

Another school from the reading is Patrick Henry College. There they have a strict rule that students must get their parents’ permission before dating someone. All of the schools the author visited have rules against public displays of affection. At one school, Thomas Aquinas, the administration says that publicly displaying affection is harmful to the formation of a community.  One of the former students from Magdalen who is now a professor there said that all the organization he experienced as a student helped to build character. All of the rules that religious schools have that secular schools don’t may help students learn to live a more organized and disciplined life style. With all the rules against dating and public displays of affection you would think that religious schools would not have the latent function of most colleges where students are finding their mates. Just like in secular schools students still find mates, they just usually get married after school instead of dating while in school.

Resources:

Article written by Andrew Call   Secular Vs. Christian College www.mbbc.edu/page.aspx?m=3103

Seeing Ourselves. Reading 56. How Student Life is Different at Religious Colleges, by Naomi Schaefer Riley. P 345- 350

Population Growth

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According to Ken Smail,in his writing titled, “Let’s Reduce Global Population!”, it is quite possible that the population growth on earth has already surpassed its limits. He also suggests that the planets “carrying capapacity” may only be half the number of people we already have and our time to reverse this is running out fast. Today, there are over 6 billion people on earth and this number is predicted to grow to 8-9 billion by the year 2050. The majority of this growth consisting of people living in conditions ranging from mild deprivation to severe deficiency. Currently, only 20% of the world population is living at an adaquate standard, while a extremely concerning 80% are living in poverty. I find all of this information to be very alarming. I often wonder how the earth can continue to accomodate a continually growing population. I feel that people need to start taking this issue much more seriously; there are only so many natural resources on this planet and the effects of excessive reproduction and overconsumption of resources is undoubtably going to catch up with us. Smail suggests, that to ensure the earths conservation and possibly reverse the damage already done, the population would need to dramatically decrease its population to 2-3 billion within the next two centuries. I believe most of us can agree that this seems almost impossible to achieve. So what does the future hold regarding this frightening issue? I am not sure but to begin to tackle it I agree with Smail who states that, “If we can collectively come to regard ourselves more as the Earth’s long-term stewards than its absolute masters,” maybe we can resolve this more effectively.

By: Melissa

Domestic Violence

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In chapter 41, Leeder discusses domestic violence in India, Japan, Vietnam, and Africa. In India many forms of domestic violence occur as a result of rising industrialization and moderization. Families have rising economic expectations, and the problems are acted out at home. Mild forms of wife beating are commonplace, and many men and women admit freely in interviews that t s justified if the woman does not “behave herself”. In rural india, women believe that alcohol and inadequate dowries provoke the abuse. Some drunken husbands beat thei wives without provocation, and women who are beaten complain that the problem is exacerbated by the drunken fits of their husbands. Abuse is tolerated under certain circumstances in india, which include dowry problems, a wife’s infidelity, her neglect of household duties, or her disobedience to her husbands dictates. Abuse is also tolerated if a husband beats his wife when he is drunk but is otherwise a good husband. Female infanticide and child neglect are also major child abuse issues in India, particulary in rural villages. There is a strong preference for sons. Boys are needed as economic assets, for farming and for the money they send home if they move away. They are more likely to stay with their families after marriage and maintan their parents in old age. Girls move away when they marry and cannot contribute to the family upkeep.
In Japan, they have no specific laws against wife battering as a crime, and there is no governmental funding for services that address the problem. Domestic violence in Japan is still an unrecognized problem. There is not even a word for it in Japanese.
In Vietnam, men act as kings in their homes even whie the women in the workforce make more money than their husbands. Women are employed in the labor market in great numbers, but still do the “second shift” thats commone in the United States. After work in the factory, Vietnamese women spend five to six hours a night on housework at hom. This has been called “invisible violence” of Vietnam, because while there may not be physical violence between men and women, intimidation and fear drive the relationships. Then there is the “visable violence” that recently has led to a large number of divorces in Vietnam. In Vietnamese law, men and women are considered equal. Violence toward wives and children is specifically prohibited and is considered a violation of human rights, and the government has established a series of local and state programs for intervention.
In Africa, violence against ones wife is accepted as legitimate; when it is mentioned, most men just shrug ad say, “It’s our culture”. If a woman attacks her husband, the violence is considered criminal. There is no specific laws against wife battering, although a law passed in 1997 provides protection for families, including wives ad children. But it is hard to implement the law since law enforcement officials view the problem the way the police does, as not a problem.

BY Alyssa

POPULATION GROWTH

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Smail’s belief that a fully effective program of zero population growth would not be enough to reduce the world’s population is supported by the fact that much of the world’s population is under 15 and has yet to reproduce. Smail’s also states that the world’s long term carrying capacity is finite because the earth can only recycle renewable resources so fast and if your consumption of a resource passes the rate at which the earth can replenish it goes from being an infinite resource to a finite resource that will run out as some point. He sees the solution to this problem as putting in place aggressive conservation policies. With his statement “. . .come to regard ourselves more as the Earth’s long-term stewards than its absolute masters.” means that we are not alone on the planet and need to be aware of the fact the we are killing of lots of spices every day because of our habits. The view that Smail’s has on population growth does make it appear like more of the problem than most people see it and it is a problem, but Smails may very well be underestimating human ingenuity because many of the thing we have now were unthinkable to have even just 50 years ago.

Thinness

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1.The biomedical, psychological, and feminist mondels differ in explaining eating disorders. The biomedical model offers important scientific research about possible physiological causes of eating problems and the physiological dangers of purging and starvation. However, this model adopts medical treatment strategies that may disempower and traumatize women. The pychological model identifies eating problems as “multidimesional disorders”, that are influenced by biological, psyhological, and cultural factors. The feminist model asserts that eating problems are gendered. This model explains why the vast majority of people with eating problems are women.

2. Attributing the etiology of eating problems primarily to a womans striving to attain a certai beauty ideal is also problematic because it labels common way that women cope with pain as estentially appearance-based disorders. One blatant example of sexism is the notion that women’s foremost worry is about their appearance. By focusing on the emphasis on slenderness, the eating problems literature falls into the same trap of assuming that the problem reflect women’s “obsession” with appearance. Sexual ause was the most common trauma that the women related to the origins of their eating problems. Results of a number of incidence studies indicate that between one-third and two-thirds of women who have eating problems have been abused.

3. Tomas Silber (1986) asserts that many well-trained professionals have either misdiagnosed or delayed their diagnoses of eating problems mong Afrian American and Latina women due to stereotypical thinking that these problems are restricted to white women . When African American women or Latinas are diagnosed, their eating problems tend to be more severe due to extended processes of starvation prior to intervention. Retha Powers (1989), an african american women, desribes being told not to worry about her eating problems since “fat is more acceptable in the black community”.

BY ALLYSA

Domestic Violence:

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In Chapter 41 of Seeing Ourselves by John J. Macionis and Nijole V. Benokraitis, Elaine Leeder discusses how Domestic Violence is a Global Problem and how it reflects structural inequality.

 

1) Domestic Violence is similar in India, Japan, Vietnam, and Africa in that it is a common occurance. While Vietnam considers men and woman as equals by law, the rest of these locations treat domestic violence (especially toward spouses) as justified. The extent and degree to which it is permitted does differ per society however. In the reading, Leeder notes that rising industrialization and modernization increase likelihood of family violence. Why then is wife battering prevalent in industrialized societies like Japan and the U.S.? In Japan there are no services provided to help address the issue, and it is considered a part of family life in Japanese Society as there are no laws against it at the moment. As far as the United States is concerned, I feel that no matter what class a person is, how much money they make, or even the fact that there are laws against Domestic Violence, that it comes down to the abuser (wife batterer) as feeling that they are in control, while treating their wife as just an object. Once this cycle occurs, the abused wife or child fear for their safety, but are too afraid to report the issue to outside help due to fear of repercussions from the abuser.

2) There are several reasons why most of the women in the above mentioned countries never complain about domestic violence. Starting with India; it’s an everyday occurrence there, and even the women admit justification of it to a degree, referring to it as ok when “not behaved”. In severe cases or abuse that isn’t “justified”, they’ll send an elder to try and take care of the problem. As mentioned before women in Japan are most likely to stay silent about Domestic Violence because it is not considered an issue and there are no laws passed against it or services provided for victims of Domestic Violence. I found it interesting in the reading that many times these victims end up at shelters for prostitutes just to get away from it. In Vietnam, while there are laws that state equality between men and women, I think the old Confucius ideology still contributes to those that stay quiet. The basic idea is that a woman will leave a family behind with nothing, while a son will provide for and take care of a family and its aging elders. This would indicate that favoritism of males over females still occurs as many people still believe in that ideology. Luckily, they have the Vietnamese Woman’s Union that watches out for Women’s Rights. In Africa (Uganda), violence towards women is culture wide and is quoted as legitimate, viewed not as a problem due to the fact that it is “their culture”… At the same time however, if a woman attacks a husband it is criminally wrong. So in Retrospect, women are prisoners to males in that society.

3) When Leeder urged us as readers to suspend ethnocentric value judgments, she wanted us to keep in thought the sociological perspective and an open mind. While this is tough to do since in our Society, (U.S) it is wrongful to harm women and children, we might miss cultural clues as to why it is permitted in other societies, and how one might be able to remedy the issue especially if it is a culturally engrained thing. This does not mean that we turn a blind eye to the problem and say that it is an issue to be dealt with per culture, but instead make use of this information to take educated steps towards helping women and children globally.

BY BRANDON