Chapter 12 and 13, gender, sex and sexuality; Aging and the Elderly

Question 1

differences between men and women - are they “natural” or socially constructed?

Answer 1

some have claimed that the differences are natural and they have been used to justify unequal opportunity in education, employment, politics and more.

Question 2

sex

Answer 2

a term that denotes the presence of physical or physiological differences between males and females (biological).

Question 3

Gender

Answer 3

a term that refers to social or cultural distinctions of behaviors that are considered male or female (masculine or feminine)

Question 4

Gender varies across time and place

Answer 4

We “socially construct” gender by attaching social and cultural significance to the presumed biological differences between sexes.

Question 5

sexual orientation

Answer 5

a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to a particular sex (male or female)

Question 6

heteronormative society

Answer 6

assumes sexual orientation is biologically determined and unambiguous

Question 7

heterosexism

Answer 7

an ideology and a set of institutional practices that privilege heterosexuals and heterosexuality over other sexual orientations.

Question 8

homophobia

Answer 8

an extreme or irrational aversion to homosexuals.

Question 9

gender roles

Answer 9

society’s concept of how men and women should behave.

Question 10

gender identity

Answer 10

a person’s deeply held internal perception of his or her gender.

Question 11

gender dysphoria

Answer 11

people whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with (DSM-V).

Question 12

transgender

Answer 12

an adjective that describes individuals who identify with the behaviors and characteristics that are other than their biological sex.

Question 13

transsexuals

Answer 13

transgender individuals who attempt to alter their bodies through medical interventions such as surgery and hormonal therapy.

Question 14

gender-role socialization

Answer 14

the process by which children learn the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that society deems as masculine or feminine.

Question 15

sexism

Answer 15

the prejudiced belief that one sex should be valued over the other.

Question 16

In Gender-role socialization who contributes:

Answer 16

Family: is the primary socializer
education: schools socialize us
peer groups: whip you into shape quicker than family, plays a bigger role.
mass media: very stereotypical; gender stereotypes

Question 17

stratification

Answer 17

a system in which groups of people experience unequal access to basic, yet highly valuable, social resources.

Question 18

all major institutions of our society

Answer 18

including the government, the armed forces, large corporations, the media, universities and medical establishment - are controlled by men.

Question 19

glass ceiling

Answer 19

an invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified individual in a work environment because of the individual’s gender, race or ethnicity.

Question 20

glass escalator

Answer 20

although male nurses, grade school teachers, and librarians may experience some scorn in the large society- they get paid more than women in those jobs, and they are more likely to be encouraged to become administrators.

Question 21

home and work

Answer 21

the gender gap in the performance of housework still exists, but is narrowing.

Question 22

Second shift

Answer 22

workload women have above and beyond men.

in households where both work full time, wives do on average 15.7 hours of housework while husbands 9.4

Question 23

Labor force participation

Answer 23

2013- 57.2 % of women were in labor force (compared to 43% in 1970) 69.7% of men were in the labor force (compared to 80% in 1970) obstacles -“women’s jobs” -often in service roles-
2011- 98% off all dental hygienists, 22% of dentists 69% of professional women are in health care or education
2013-women held 15% of board of directors seats of the 1500 largest corporations and 20% had no female board members at all.

Question 24

2015- of the 535 members of Congress

Answer 24

only 84 females in the House and 20 females in the Senate

Question 25

Feminism

Answer 25

The belief in social, economic and political equality for women.

Question 26

The First Wave

Answer 26

feminist movement was born in upstate NY- Seneca Falls on July 19, 1848 - first women’s rights convention attended by Elizabeth Cady Stranton, Lucretia Mott and others.
victory=right to vote in national elections beginning in 1920.

Question 27

The Second Wave

Answer 27

-emerged in the 1960s and came into full force in the 1970s-the political activisim of the 1960s (many of whom were working for Black civil rights or against the war in Vietnam)-caused them to reexamine their own powerlessness. 1966, Betty Friedan-pioneer of the second wave movement, found the National Organization for Women (NOW) -fought political and legal battles and created “consciousness-raising groups” - choice was a core value. the question of whether women should have control over their reproductive rights and their bodies has also played a significant role in the movement.

Question 28

Intersectionality

Answer 28

gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class must not be studied in isolation, because they have intermingled effects on our identity, knowledge, and outcomes.

Question 29

As of 2013, the US Census Bureau

Answer 29

reports that 14.1 percent of the total US population is 65 years old or older.

Question 30

“Old”

Answer 30

is a socially defined concept, and the way we think about aging is likely to change as the population changes. The US government typically classifies people aged 65 as elderly, at which point citizens are eligible for federal benefits such as social security and Medicare.

Question 31

Elderly

Answer 31

The experience of the elderly has greatly changed over the century. The median age is about forty and has been increasing, indicating the population as a whole is growing older

Question 32

“the graying of America”

Answer 32

baby boomers - born between 1946 -1964; the aging of the population has significant ramifications:
business: focused on the anti-aging, paying attention to the driving business market who did not want to age
economy: they did not save enough, spending less hurting the economy.
education: a lot of retraining (not retiring), need new skills
Social Security: fewer putting in and more taking out, being drained
healthcare: increasing costs, huge burden, lots of nursing homes, no on caring for elderly
family: squeezed generation( family, children and aging parents) being seen as a burden on family

Question 33

senescence

Answer 33

the aging process, including biological, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual changes.

Question 34

Income, poverty and the Standard of Living

Answer 34

• the typical elderly person enjoys a standard of living that is much higher now than at any point in the nation’s past.
• overall improved stand of living is due in part to a greater accumulation of wealth- home ownership, private pensions and other financial assets- but much of the improvement is due to the more generous Social Security benefits- SS provides 37% of all income received by older people in the US.

Question 35

2010- the national poverty rate

Answer 35

2010- the national poverty rate among the elderly is 14 percent. Poverty impacts women and minorities more; women age 65 and older - poverty rate is 11.6% as compared to 6.2% rate for men, and the poverty rate for elderly African American’s and Hispanics = 18%

Question 36

Competition n the Labor Force

Answer 36

2009 - 26% of those age 65-74 participated in the paid labor force (full or part time) - many work because they want to (70%) and others work for financial reasons - “bridge jobs” = jobs they get after retirement (bridge to death)
“experienced workers” vs “job stealers”
- can’t fire someone simply because they are old, but can lay off older workers for economic reason - critics contend that, later, the same firms hire young, cheaper workers to replace experienced older workers.
-retired people are often actively recruited due to their comparatively lower turnover rate and often superior work performance.

Question 37

ageism

Answer 37

discrimination based on age
-when ageism is reflected in the workplace, in healthcare, and in assisted-living facilities, the effects of discrimination can be more severe. Ageism can make older people fear losing a job, feel dismissed by a doctor, or feel a lack of power and control in their daily living situations.

Question 38

Industrialization contributed to the diminished social standing of the elderly

Answer 38

1. Economy - wealth, power and prestige -trend us that younger age brackets are ‘taking over”. rapid advancement in technology and media require new skills.
2. changes at home: who is going to care for the elderly?

Question 39

Elder abuse

Answer 39

the act of a caretaker intentionally depriving an older person of care or harming the person in their chargeq

Question 40

Physical, sexual, emotional/psychological, neglect, financial, self-neglect

Answer 40

roughly 1 in 10 elderly people surveyed suffered at least one form of elder abuse.