sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

, feminization is the shift in

gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cen ...

s and sex roles in a society, group, or organization towards a focus upon the

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered fe ...

. It can also mean the incorporation of women into a group or a profession that was once dominated by men. Ann Douglas (1977). ''The Feminization of American Culture''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Examples of feminization in society

* Feminization of education – Majority female teachers, a female majority of students in higher education and a curriculum which is better suited to the learning process of women. * Feminization of the workplace – Lower paying female-dominated occupations such as (1) food preparation, food-serving and other food-related occupations, and (2) personal care and service.Snarr, C. Melissa. “Women's Working Poverty: Feminist and Religious Alliances in the Living Wage Movement.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, vol. 27, no. 1, 2011, pp. 75–93. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/jfemistudreli.27.1.75. * Feminization of smoking – The phrase

torches of freedom "Torches of Freedom" was a phrase used to encourage women's smoking by exploiting women's aspirations for a better life during the early twentieth century first-wave feminism in the United States. Cigarettes were described as symbols of emancipati ...

is emblematic of the phenomenon of tobacco shifting from being seen as a male activity to also a feminine one. See women and smoking for a comprehensive treatment of this topic.

Definition of feminization

Feminization has two basic meanings. The first concerns a person who was not initially feminine but becomes feminine later in their life through the perceptions of both the individual and those around them. According to gender theorist

Judith Butler Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In 1993, Butler b ...

, a person's gender is not solely an act of will or self-description, as it is also shaped by the people who describe, categorize, and treat the person according to their own perceptions of their gender. The second meaning of the term feminization describes when a person who originally had feminine qualities begins to incorporate more feminine attributes into their personality in some way, shape, or form. The term has often been used to describe females, however over time it shifted to where the term can be used to describe the process of someone or something becoming more feminine by adopting feminine qualities. Women's suit (2)

Feminization of poverty

Women are more likely than men to live below the poverty line, a phenomenon known as the feminization of poverty. The 2015 poverty rates for men and women in the U.S. were 10% and 15% respectively. Women are less likely to pursue advanced degrees and tend to have low paying jobs. There is a

gender pay gap The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: non-adjusted ...

: even with the same level of education and occupational role, women earn much less than men, whether due to discrimination or to differences in choices.

Feminization of the labor force

Feminization of the labor force in present-day associations is inescapable in that females make up half of the labor force and the revelation of them as a potential profitable asset. Post-war, there have been considerable advances in balancing the workforce when comparing women and men's job status and pay rates in the North America and Europe economies.

References

{{reflist Gender roles Sociology of culture Cultural trends Sociological terminology Femininity