Power and Privilege Socialization and Career Essay

Power and Privilege Socialization and Career - Essay Example The presence of gender bias, whichever direction it cuts, impacts the use of power and privilege to an unfair degree. Gender bias in schools. It has long been believed that one reason there is a gender-based social bias in our country is founded in the different gender expectations placed on children. For example, little boys are given guns and trucks as toys and told not to cry. Conversely, girls are presented with dolls and allowed to express emotions more readily. In schools, there tends to be a preference given to boys, sending a message of higher worth and power. "Giving the boys more time and attention is not uncommon according to research on gender bias in classrooms and it has been documented that this behavior sends a message to both boys and girls that one sex is more worthy of teachers' time and attention" (Wellhousen and Yin 38). This type of early socialization can negatively impact the self-image and choices made by girls, as well as diminish their interests in certain career fields. In fact, teachers themselves have been conditioned to project, even in very subtle ways, particular ca reer preferences based on gender. "From parents and counselors, books and television, and myriad societal institutions, teachers have been taught that one set of jobs and behaviors is appropriate for girls and another, different, set is appropriate for boys" (Erekson, et al. 67). It is unconscionable that a teacher would intentionally foist a stereotype on his classroom, but the understated message of gender inequality-or at least predisposition for one career field over another-still gets absorbed by young minds. This connotes that power and privilege both travel along the lines of gender expectations, and girls are disadvantaged from the start. That said, the notion of career-oriented gender bias is not exclusively applied to women; men have felt the disadvantage of role expectations as well. Gender bias is always unfair. In the case of Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan, there was a non-typical application of career stereotyping where women were in the place of power and given a gender-biased privilege. In that case, Mr. Hogan applied to the university's nursing program and, though he was qualified in every way, was denied admission. The stated reason was because he was not a woman and the university was open exclusively to women. The practice of admitting only women was defended by the organization as a method of educational affirmative action, an argument the court refused. This illustrates the fundamental unfairness of gender bias, regardless of the direction in which it is applied, and gives support to negative gender stereotypes. Nursing is not a profession designed exclusively for women, just as being a doctor is not an occupation solely for men. Yet, even as children, these gender roles are most often assumed during play time; reinforcing an inappropriate a ttitude towards both individuals and career choices. When an otherwise qualified candidate is refused the opportunity to participate in any opportunity, program, or career solely on the basis of gender, it is a flagrant exercise of the abuse of power by those privileged to have it. Unfortunately, this unfairness is a learned behavior that stems

Facebook & Myspace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Facebook & Myspace - Essay Example Both the communities have a somewhat different target audience. As FaceBook was originally offered only to the Harvard Business Students and later they became public therefore an average person on the website is a either a college student or a recently passed college graduate. However MySpace has a much broader audience with a diverse array of users. As far as comparing the essential features of both the websites, MySpace has got a hand over FaceBook in terms of personalization and customization of user profiles. MySpace is potentially flexible as it allows its user to express them in a broader way and users can incorporate a diverse range of colours, personal photos and flash applications to their pages. We know that the most of the revenue generated by these types of web communities is through advertisement therefore it has a profound implication. In the future the businesses would be targeting to individual needs and preferences therefore MySpace would be considered as a better source of partnering and placing your ads. One of the research firm predicted that MySpace will sell $525 million worth of advertising, whereas FaceBook will be able to sell only $125 million (Kirkpatrick, 2007). This financial impact shows that the personalization of content has provided a greater leverage to MySpace. When it comes to customer privacy, FaceBook does ensure maximum security and protects the privacy of the users better than the MySpace. The reason is that the FaceBook was first launched for private community (Harvard Students) therefore it is relatively secure. Whereas MySpace was initially targeted to a much larger group therefore it is open to many and different kind of users. One of the critical issues faced by MySpace is of spamming as the users are inundated with spam and pornographic comments. Every other day you would find that you are being requested by tons of anonymous users. It is socially acceptable to request a random person via