Sociology Race Class Gender Power

American society does view identity and social belonging through intersecting lenses of race, class, and gender. The lenses through which people view society and themselves determine everything from self-concept to worldview and values. According to Lareau, lenses of gender and class are persistent because they are consciously and unconsciously transmitted through generations (747). The persistence of sociological lenses creates the illusion that race, class, and gender are deterministic, that they actually serve as legitimate means of classification, stratification, and judgment. The problem with lenses of all types is that they can too easily distort reality, making it seem like race, class, and gender are immutable when in fact they are socially constructed categories.
Gender roles and norms are so persistent that even as society professes to have become more egalitarian, in fact the discourse on gender equity “did very little to change straight people’s perspectives on gender,” (Truscheit 1). Lip service to equality is qualitatively different from actual, meaningful means of deconstructing institutionalized racism, sexism, and classism. Cognitive biases persist, even through widespread campaigns to raise awareness. The recent movement to expose entrenched sexism, for example, focuses on the phenomenon of harassment. Harassment, when viewed through the lens of gender shows how patriarchal power structures have been solidified in the society to the point where changing patterns of behavior seems difficult, if not impossible (Gramlich 1). Most Americans can agree there are problems with the lenses of race, class, and gender, but beyond talking about these problems, experience powerlessness to change.
The consequences of viewing the self and others through the lens of gender include the entrenchment of inequitable power distributions, wealth inequality, and also unequal access to even the most basic of social services like healthcare. As Garcia points out, the health care system has been shown to discriminate against women, with treatments, diagnoses, and other systems being designed by and for the male population. The same can be said for the lens of class; social, economic, and political systems perpetuate class-based power inequities with the result that socioeconomic class as well as gender determines health outcomes (Garcia 1). Lenses make it seem that factors like gender, race, and class are salient rather than situational, and that the features ascribed to race, class, and gender should determine one’s status in the society.
The United States prides itself on equal opportunity and yet marginalized groups and subordinate classes have continually struggled for parity. Women have only been able to vote for a hundred years. People of color continue to experience discrimination in their daily lives. The need to dismantle social institutions is overshadowed by trust in the status quo. As Lareau points out, individuals internalize the beliefs about themselves, which also impedes change. It becomes difficult to envision pathways to change, when the lenses are attached to one’s sense of self and identity. Self-concept can become as rigid as one’s attitude and outlook on the social world, making change nearly impossible.
Genuine equality can only come from correcting distortions in the sociological lenses through which people view identity construction and social norms. To recognize that socioeconomic class, race, and gender are all socially constructed rather than mechanical realities that determine status, opportunity, and even aptitude, it is important to question assumptions, biases, and beliefs. Social movements like #metoo and #blacklivesmatter help, but it is also critical to take personal responsibility for how one perpetuates stereotypes in one’s daily life. Cognitive biases that cause one to gravitate towards specific career paths, hobbies, or social circles can be corrected as if one were correcting one’s physical vision: by taking an honest analysis and removing lenses that do not fit.






Works Cited

Garcia, Kelli. “Ending Discrimination in Health Care.” The Latest. 13 Nov, 2015. https://nwlc.org/blog/ending-sex-discrimination-health-care/
Gramlich, John. “10 things we learned about gender issues in the U.S. in 2017.” Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/28/10-things-we-learned-about-gender-issues-in-the-u-s-in-2017/
Lareau, Annette. “Invisible Inequality.” American Sociological Review 67(5): 747.
Truscheit, Tori. “How Can The Queerest Generation (Ever) Still Believe In Gender Roles?” HuffPost. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-can-the-queerest-generation-ever-still-believe_us_5956c1eae4b0f078efd989ca