Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Gender and Sexuality
In this chapter, it talks about how race , ethnicity , sex , gender , and sexuality all affect inequality in society. Race is the idea that people can be grouped based on physical traits like skin color or facial features, but scientists and sociologists say these differences don’t have a real biological meaning. Instead, race is a social construction , which means it’s something society created and gave meaning to, not something that actually defines who people are. Ethnicity is more about shared culture, history, and traditions that make groups unique, like language or social customs/norms. The chapter also explains it through the three main sociological perspectives. Functionalism sees inequality as dysfunctional because it stops society from reaching its full potential. Conflict theory says inequality happens because groups fight over power and resources , and the dominant group tries to stay in control. Symbolic interactionism focuses on how labels and mean...