Men Build Houses. Women Clean Houses.

     I went browsing through the books at the FCS, and it did not take long for me to notice the difference in books designated for men and women. The photo above shows three books from the men's section and three books from the women's section. In the column of books to the right: women are portrayed as being consumed with their outer appearance (top), the juggler of home duties including cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and pet sitting (middle), and as "bad" with a hint of sexual seduction as the backside of a woman is shown with her finger lingering the letter "s" in the title (bottom). On the other hand, the books to the left appeal to men: they are portrayed as strong, fighters, and concerned about "man stuff". According to the outer appearance of the book, this  "man stuff" is in no need of explanation.

     These photos not only represent the social constructions of gender and patriarchy, but they also depict gender inequality. Gender inequality is when women are devalued and men are in positions of control and domination (Lorber 282). Sexism is a mechanism of gender inequality in which women are stereotyped and discriminated against. In these photos, women are reduced to the stereotypical housewife, concerned about her appearance, while men are the manly game changers. While the photos show that there is value in the work that women do, it also shows that it pales in comparison to what a man can do.