Because they have suffered some of the same problems as minorities, women have been called America's "largest minority." In fact, they compose a slight majority of the population. Until recently, much of professional and popular opinion viewed the disadvantages of women as rooted in biology rather than in society. In other words, many Americans have accepted the ideas that women are less capable than men and that feminine and masculine traits result from biological differences. Freud argued that differences between men and women have a biological basis and that the differences are justification for women's subordinate position--but the bulk of evidence shows that sociocultural rather than biological factors account for most differences between men and women.

The effects of gender inequality have in some ways been similar to the effects of racial inequalities. Women have been denied the right to equal economic opportunities. Women compose an increasing proportion of the labor force, but there is considerable evidence of discrimination in career entry, advancement, and salary in all occupational categories. Women are less likely than men to hold desirable political positions. And various beliefs and patterns of interaction between men and women violate women's dignity as human beings.

The normative role of the female in American society is an important structural factor perpetuating women's problems. Parents who hold to a traditional, home-centered role for women are less likely to encourage their daughters to follow a career. Norms about the female role are so strong that women who go to work tend to continue to have major responsibility for the home.

Women accept the traditional role because of their socialization at home and school. They learn the traditional role at a very early age, and most aspects of the culture reinforce that learning. Men can easily accept the traditional role for women because it maximizes their economic advantages. Some religious groups also help maintain the subordination of women.

Among social psychological factors involved in gender inequalities, certain attitudes and values reflect the traditional stereotypes of the sexes. Both men and women have tended to believe that women are more emotional, less logical, more passive, more dependent, more fragile, and more interested in domestic affairs. Such attitudes justify discrimination against women in education and work.

Inequality also is perpetuated by the ideology that says women are more virtuous than men and therefore their high calling is to act as guardians of the nation's morality and social order. Women who choose to focus their activities outside the home are said to abdicate this responsibility, leading to inevitable damage to society. The evidence contradicts the ideology, showing that neither children nor the social order is damaged by working women; but the ideology inhibits women who accept it from participating in the economy and other outside activities.