3: gender & sexual identities Flashcards
PARSONS
traditional gender identities
sociologist
Argues that…
* females have an** ‘expressive role’** in the family. This is natural and based on their childbearing role but is reinforced by socialisation.
* males have an ‘instrumental role’ in the family, the breadwinner and protector
These roles are functional for the family and society
OAKLEY (family)
traditional gender identitities
sociologist
Is a liberal feminist sociologist. She has done a significant study on gender socialisation in the family.
* Argues that gender role socialisation takes place in 4 main ways (manipulation, canalisation, verbal appellations & domestic activities) and that primary socialisation is key to developing a sense of gender identity
* she supports the argument that children are socialised into **hegemonic femininity/masculinity
**
MCROBBIE
traditional gender identities
sociologist
Is a** liberal feminist sociologist.**
* investigated the absence of the girls in the study of young subcultures. The research ignored the girls, often only described for physical attractiveness.
* It also was found that girls participate less in subcultures and play smaller parts than boys.
* ** culture of femininity: **friendships shared with girls makes life more bearable. Tendency to have a ‘best friend’ the friendship is seen as a stepping stone towards romance and marriage.
* bedroom culture
NAKUAMURA
traditional gender societies
sociologists
FEMINIST:
Found that although women are increasingly being used by women , from a range of different ethnic and class backgrounds, as a forum for support when they face discrimination and inequality.
BILLINGTON
traditional gender societies
sociologists
Argues that the media presents masculinity as dominant and femininity as subordinate.
FERGUSON
traditional gender societies
sociologist
Conducted a content analysis of women’s magazines and counted how many times a certain topic was covered.
Concluded that women’s magazines were based around a** ‘cult of femininity’ **which promotes the idea that excellence is through caring for others, family, marriage and appearance.
MITSOS AND BROWNE
traditional gender societies
sociologist
GCSE results show that boys do less well than girls in education.
- suggests that one reason is that teachers tended to be less strict with boys, giving them more leeway and allowing them to underachieve.
- teachers were more likely to label boys as disruptive and boys were more likely to have a ‘culture of masculinity’. They didn’t value educational achievement.
- these norms and values and anti-learning culture was reinforced by teachers and school socialised boys into gender roles
WILLIS
traditional gender societies
sociologist
SUPPORTS MITSOS AND BROWNE
- Anti school culture
- ‘Lads’ knew they were going into manual labor so forced anti school subcultures so they didn’t see the value of education
- Teachers expected the boys to fail
SKELTON
traditional gender society
sociologist
Argues that the ‘hidden curriculum’ (series of norms & values taught through schooling but is not on the national curriculum) is responsible for perpetuating gender role differences in subject choice.
- pupils may be persuaded that certain subjects are more suited to certain genders by the teachers
- teachers make assumptions about abilities/ interests of students & encourage them accordingly.
KELLY
traditional gender society
sociologist
Suggested 2 reasons why science is seen as a more masculine subject.
* textbooks are packaged as a boys subject, pictures of things that would interest boys (footballs or cars)
* boys dominate science classrooms by shouting out answers and grabbing equipment first. (‘invisible women’)
COLLEY
traditional gender society
sociologist
Argues that school subject choices are affected by 3 things…
1. perception of gender roles,
2. subject preferences
3. their learning environment.
MAC AN GHAIL
traditional gender society
sociologist
Study on manual labor workers and shift to feminised work is applied to gender identity by…
- macho lads lost their sense of masculinity due to closure of manual labour jobs
- crisis of masculinity as introduction of feminine work is available
ADKINS
traditional gender society
sociologist
Argued that the labour market had a gendered character- there are jobs for women and for men. She did research in hotels, bars and theme parks.
- evidence of vertical segregation (single males doing the same job but paid more, as women are paid to be useful and sexual attraction to boost sales)
- also found horizontal segregation (men and women are expected to do different types of jobs)
- females were often subject to **sexual harassment. **
CONNELL
changing identities
sociologist
Argues that rather than masculinity referring to one type of behavior, there are different forms of masculinity which emerge or change over time.
-
hegemonic masculinity:
Traditional/dominant form of masculinity within any society.
E.g. the masculinity Oakley explains boys are socialised into -
Complicit masculinity:
Men who believe that men and women should share roles within families
E.g. the ‘new man’ studied by Mort -
Subordinate masculinity:
Masculinities which are less powerful & carry lower status
E.g. homosexual masculinity as studied by McCormack -
marginalised masculinity
A masculine identity held by those men who did traditionally masculine jobs and now feel their masculinity is under threat as many of these jobs have been lost
E.g. Mac an Gail’s study on crisis of masculinity
SEWELL
changing identities
sociologist
Recognises a new hyper-masculinity
Displayed by black Afro-Caribbean males who adopt an exaggerated version of hegemonic traditional masculinity.
Explains that this is due to being from matriarchal backgrounds where they lack positive male role models.
MORT
changing societies
sociologist
‘Mort and the new man’
Influenced by post-structuralist views, mort argued that the changes in style which ‘new man’ fashions changes in male identity in contemporary culture.
He focused on the changes in the mid 1980s in the portrayal of men and masculinity in the media, through the rise in men’s magazines, and larger consumptions of toiletries.
He argued that these changes in mens consumption patterns were accompanied by a sexualisation of the male body.
NIXON
changing societies
sociologist
‘The invention of the new man’- the Levi’s laundrette advert.
Interpreted as showing that it could be ‘cool’ and acceptable for men to take the same amount of care over their appearance and clothes as women do.
It was an extremely seductive advert which was rarely involving men.
JACKSON
changing societies
sociologist
LADETTES
McCORMACK
sexual identities
sociologist
A sociologist of masculinities and sexuality.
Researches the effects of declining homophobia on heterosexual boys and LGBT youth in educational and sporting settings.
Did a study on ‘the softening of masculinity in English 6th forms’
