1. Summary of Issue As a woman, I was drawn to digging deeper into the models of women’s development, focusing on Gilligan, Bem, and Shame Resilience Theory. While looking at this section, I found myself comparing what I was reading to the issue of equal pay for men and women. Currently, women make less than 80 cents for every dollar men make, and that can cause a lot of psychological, as well as physical, ramifications for women. Women can be made to feel inferior to men, “tricked” into thinking they belong at home taking care of children since they do not receive as much pay as men do, feel shame for not being able to contribue as much to the family economy, being unable to afford health care and proper nutrition for themselves and other
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Ogranizationally, by looking at Bem’s studies, the male’s emphasis on heiracrchy and dominance, especially compared to women, can explain why men tend to be “valued” over women in general. Bem also points out how when discussing differences between males and females in social science, it is focused on social aspects (socialization and situatinoal constraint), psychodynamic conflict, and identity construction. Social aspects are something the culture, or meso/macro level, does to the individual. Shame resiliance theory states that the shame a woman feels is a product of social and cultural expectations, which are mostly impossible to meet. All of this can be tied into my example of the wage gap, while at the same time discussing how women’s developmental models can be seen by economic forces as well. As a social worker, it is imporant that we do not blame all men as the source of the problem for wage inquality based on gender, even though we must validate the feelings of our client if she is feeling that way. It could make it difficult to work with a women who’s worried about wage inequality, thus feeling shame, stress, as well as physical consequences, because the resources to help with the problem are really limited, since society as a whole sometimes likes to forget that the wage gap is a thing, and actually interferes with the quality of life for many women. In reality, all of the male-dominated ideals that society possesses, and often implements, can wreck havoc on the well-being of women, with or without the example of the wage
Ogranizationally, by looking at Bem’s studies, the male’s emphasis on heiracrchy and dominance, especially compared to women, can explain why men tend to be “valued” over women in general. Bem also points out how when discussing differences between males and females in social science, it is focused on social aspects (socialization and situatinoal constraint), psychodynamic conflict, and identity construction. Social aspects are something the culture, or meso/macro level, does to the individual. Shame resiliance theory states that the shame a woman feels is a product of social and cultural expectations, which are mostly impossible to meet. All of this can be tied into my example of the wage gap, while at the same time discussing how women’s developmental models can be seen by economic forces as well. As a social worker, it is imporant that we do not blame all men as the source of the problem for wage inquality based on gender, even though we must validate the feelings of our client if she is feeling that way. It could make it difficult to work with a women who’s worried about wage inequality, thus feeling shame, stress, as well as physical consequences, because the resources to help with the problem are really limited, since society as a whole sometimes likes to forget that the wage gap is a thing, and actually interferes with the quality of life for many women. In reality, all of the male-dominated ideals that society possesses, and often implements, can wreck havoc on the well-being of women, with or without the example of the wage