Gender Stratification

Gender stratification refers to the unequal distribution of wealth, power, prestige, and opportunities between women and men, and among different gender groups, arising from the social ranking of gender categories. It is visible in occupational segregation, the gender pay gap, unequal domestic labor, underrepresentation in political and corporate leadership, and differential exposure to violence. Friedrich Engels linked women's subordination to private property and the rise of the patriarchal family, while Max Weber's multidimensional view of inequality allows gender to be examined alongside class and status. Feminist theorists such as Christine Delphy and Sylvia Walby developed concepts of patriarchy, with Walby identifying structures in paid work, the household, the state, violence, sexuality, and culture. Joan Acker argued that organizations are gendered, with supposedly neutral jobs built around male norms, and Barbara Reskin analyzed how sex segregation reproduces inequality. Kimberle Crenshaw's intersectionality shows that gender stratification interacts with race, class, and sexuality, producing varied forms of disadvantage. Debates continue over the relative importance of discrimination, choice, and structural constraint. Gender stratification remains central to research on inequality, labor markets, welfare, and social change.