L&C Ch. 10. What Does Class Inequality Among Women Look Like?

For today’s reading, we have an interesting topic of gender. It’s interesting in that, instead of arguing the definition of class, and the effect of education on social positions, which we generally agree is a prominent factor in determining one’s class, the effect of gender on class is weakening by an uncertain degree, and it concerns everyone.

The traditional belief is that high income women are more difficult to find their husband because in a society where men do not prefer women earning more than themselves, high income women’s ‘market’ is more limited. However, table 10.3 shows that if we compare women between 1970 and 2000, the percentage drop of marriage rate is the least for women in the range of top ten percent income among other income groups. This evidence challenges what most of us believe. It may suggest that families, especially the husbands, care more about if they have a good life materially, and if they have enough resources for their offsprings’ well being and education, than their own pride.

Income inequality is also one of the main points that the authors point out. It is mentioned, in page 309, that ‘men at the top saw a 41.2 percent increase in their weekly earnings from 1970 to 2000, whereas men in the middle saw only a 9.5 percent increase, and men in the bottom group lost ground’. In other words, wealthy people earn more than before, and poor people earn about the same, or even less than before. The Gini coefficient has probably increased. If we embed this piece of information, or this trend, to the figure on page 102, which was discussed after today’s quiz, the points in the early 90s will move further to the left. It means that if we look at educational-based meritocracy not only by occupation, but also taking the income into account, the effect of education on one’s future may not be weakening, as the authors of chapter 3 suggest.