Topic > Analysis of The Gendered Society by Michael Kimmel

In excerpts from The Gendered Society, Michael Kimmel discusses biological and socially constructed views of gender and its effect on the sexes. Kimmel mentions the findings of anthropologist Margaret Mead, who studied three different tribes. Two of which were equal in relation to genders, however one is described as passive and the other aggressive in nature. The third culture, the Tchambuli, was very different from the previous two. There were differences between the sexes, differences that are not familiar to the first two cultures, nor to many countries and societies around the world, including the United States. In the Tchambuli, men were passive and placed great importance on wearing jewelry and curls, while women were passive. In our society in the United States, men are considered the dominant sex and receive differential treatment regarding the division of labor. Although there have been various advances by the Women's Movement, which historically have granted women the right to vote, to work in their field of choice and to leave the home, but also recently, to join the military. (p. 301) continue to seek total equality in our society, but equality cannot be achieved as long as they are constantly considered sexual objects and symbols. All of this can be traced back to the introduction of the market economy and primordial warfare, when men went out to hunt while women stayed behind as reapers and herders. (p. 302) Theorists such as Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox use this separation to explain why men perpetuate patrilineal aspects, since men are out "hunting", they do not form bonds with children as the mother does, so to compensate this connection lost between generations, they form with other men in the hunting group. (p. (p. 326) He begins by pointing out why so little is said in our society about the obvious institutions created and dominated by men, and his response is thus, "it was so obvious that no debate was necessary." (p. 326) p. 326) Joan Acker refers to Moss Kanter when talking about women and their positioning in organizations Kanter explains that women in structural positioning are crowded into dead-end jobs at the bottom, or used and displayed as symbols at the top (p. 327 ) This statement is very true in relation to institutions where women tend to occupy the lower level jobs such as assistants and secretaries acquire higher level positions in this type of institutions, they are often regarded as those who use male-type approaches to achieve their position and are referred to in very demeaning terms