Why men have more money and power: 4 perspectives.

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Why do men hold the most powerful economic and political positions across the globe? What social policies could serve as mechanisms to make this situation more gender equitable?

Functionalism:

In a basic sense, functionalism states that every individual in society has a role (function) and that by societal consensus this is the way society should function, or at least this is the way society has functioned successfully in the past. Traditionally, the function of men has been to serve as the breadwinners and defenders of society. They typically are the head of the family and are responsible for the well-being of the family unit. They have been the warriors who have sacrificed their lives in order to ensure that the society was not overrun by an enemy. The fact that men hold the most powerful economic and political positions across the globe is simply a continuation of a common historical theme brought about by necessity and tradition. It should be noted that the role of women in society is not necessarily devalued in this perspective. The role of homemaker and the nurturing of children is vital to the continuation of society. One could argue that the modern phenomenon of abandoned, abused and neglected children is a result of women refusing to serve in their historical roles and insist on having roles traditionally played by men.

Functionalism is not concerned with who plays out vital functions within society as long as important functions are completed by someone. Functionalism would encourage policies that support equal pay for identical service regardless of the gender of the employee. They would allow women to work from home via the Internet ...