8 : gender and health Flashcards
feminism
theories and movements for women’s rights and liberation
-response to previous theories that mainstream sociology is “male-stream”
-inequities and unequal power relations are shaped by gender/gendered understandings
-gender informs how one experiences the world
-many perspectives, voices and paradigms house within the feminist theory umbrella eg. liberal, radical, marxists,
society is gendered such that women and men have…
different access to power, opportunities and decision making. These differences are SOCIALLY constructed
assumptions of feminist theories
a. concerned with power inequity stemming from gender relations
b. concerned also with redressing* gender inequity
c. power can be
-structural : systemic privileging of one gender over another through formal structures and institutions in society (laws, income)
relational : one gender may experience more privilege in relationships or interactions with others (who is heard, who makes decisions
sociocultural : how genders are valued (preference for a son over a daughter)
first wave (late 19th century - early 20th century)***
-dont need to know key dates
-right to vote (“suffrage”) granted provincially to some women beginning in 1916 (Alberta, saskatchewan & manitoba)
-> asian men and women - 1948
-> inuit men and women - 1950s
-> first nations men an women - 1960s
BNAA amended to recognize women as persons (1929)
-> the famous five : person include female persons
-> supreme court of canada -> privy council of england
-led by educated upper-middle class white women
second wave : key concepts **
-patriarchy
a system of power, including social institutions, which functions to subordinate women and children and privilege men
eg. hiring system that excludes women
sexual division of labour
nature of work performed as a result of gender roles (men = breadwinner; women = homemaker)
socialization
process of learning the culture of a society (e.g. its language and customs), which shows us how to behave and communicate -> gender role socialization
gender role/norm
role or behaviour considered to be appropriate to a particular gender as determined by prevailing cultural norms
second wave (1960s - 1970s) ***
- prominent inequities challenged : gender role socialization, control of body, reproductive rights, access to opportunities
-“the problem that has no name” = assumption that women’s destiny = housewives
- outcomes : domestic violence shelters, women’s health clinics, contraceptives, legal abortions
-critiqued for being white-, hetero, upper-middle class centric
third wave (1990s-present) ***
key words and key figure
diversity, individualism
Kimberle Crenshaw
Intersectionality **
a term coined by american critical race scholar, kimberle crenshaw in 1989 to examine how race and sex/gender were mutually constituted
-how various biological, cultural, and social categories interact on multiple (and often simultaneous) levels that lead to oppression and inequality
-has expanded over time to include other social positions and forms of oppression beyond gender, class and race
fourth wav (2010-present)
-#metoo movement
-harvey weinstein case, isla vista shooting, slutwalks, pussyhat project
-trans-inclusive, queer-inclusive, sed-positive, body-positive, online and offline
four waves : summary
weaving thread : gender as an organizing principle of society
-some waves focus on gender socialization and gender roles; other waves have highlighted how gender intersects with other forms of exlusion like racism, or homophobia and transphobia
equality
everyone should be treated the same
1st wave : right to vote
2nd wave : equal pay for equal work
equity
equity : everyone should be treated fairly and according to their own needs
3rd wave : diversity and individualism
4th wave : social justice, allyship, gender inclusive
Sex
a multidimensional biological construct that encompasses anatomy, physiology, genes and hormones which together affect how we are treated in the world
-> DO use sex to refer to the classification of male and female . this is a medical and legal assignment made at birth, based largely on the external genitals of newborn infants
gender
the socially constructed categories of feminine and masculine (cultural values of how men and women should behave)
-> DO use gender to refer to the social meaning ascribed to sexed differences. This includes gender norms, roles, stereotypes, as well as gender identity, expression and gender conformity or non-conformity
gender identity
your “sense of self as a woman, a man, both, in between or neither. Only you can determine your gender identity”
-cis-gender : umbrella term for al people whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth
trans-gender : umbrella term for all people whose gender identity and the sex assigned at birth do not align
gender identity : implications for health
-assumptions that sex will align with gender seriously limits access to certain services and treatments
-access to quality care with dignity is a significant concern for people who are trans
gender expresssion
-how a person demonstrates or performs their gender identity
-> use of pronouns, dressing in ways that are understood to be masculine, feminine, non-binary, participating in spaces that are gendered
gender expression - implications for health
-safety in public spaces and health spaces
-access to appropriate care and services
-psycho-social impacts on ongoing microaggressions and violence
hegemonic femininity and masculinity
-refer to the qualities conventionally deemed “manly” or “womanly”
-“hegemonic” = ruling/dominant in a political or social context, dominance of one group/set of ideas over another, often supported by socially constructed norms and ideas legimated over time
-qualities that a man or woman is believed to have or shold have in order to be perceived as a man or a woman (in a given society)
hegemonic feminity
-chracteristics and body ideals
characteristics : docile, submissive, sexy/sweet, emotional
body ideals : thin, toned, youthful
hegemonic masculinity
-chracteristics and body ideals
chrac : stoic, aggressive, control of emotions, sexual prowess
body ideals : strong, muscular, machine-like, invulnerable, able-bodied
