Chapter 13: Comparative Politics: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

Question 1

Race

Answer 1

An idea that human beings are divided into different groups, usually based in biological categories, ie: color of skin
*Characteristics of race are socially constructed (stereotypes for instance)

Question 2

Ethnicity

Answer 2

Quality that someone has by identifying with an ethnic group
Characteristics: has to have cultural commonality and shared sense of long history
It is possible to have multiple affiliations, ie: Korean American

Question 3

Gender

Answer 3

Socially constructed identities, including:
Roles assigned to males and females
Social variation in what it means to be a man or woman
Not everyone identifies with the binary of gender (ie: transgender, agender, gender fluid, nonbinary)

Question 4

Racial and Ethnic Discrimination

Answer 4

Affects economic and social prospects, such as income, education, and other resources (healthcare)
It can happen even in the absence of overt racism (still happens now, even though this period of time isn’t as bad as the Jim Crow Era)

Question 5

Gender Discrimination

Answer 5

Women: cultural expectations across the board sees women as the homemaker, the one who are expected to raise children
Stereotyped in their ability to gain knowledge in STEM fields
Skills that are usually thought to be feminine are valued less than those that are thought to be masculine (example she gave in class were the women who were paid less to sow than men who were paid to cut cloth)
Parents invest less human capital in girls than boys

Question 6

What are factors influencing political representation of women and minority groups?

Answer 6

Social Movements/Mobilization and Political Parties

Question 7

Social movement/mobilization

Answer 7

Social movements spurs change in political culture and public opinion, such as Civil Rights movement, LGBT movement and women’s rights movement

Question 8

Political Parties

Answer 8

Important for ethnic group changes, mostly irrelevant for women
Demographics shape changes of ethnic group
Social factors can contribute to the formation
Parliamentary system more likely to have ethnic parties –> proportional representation in parliamentary system
–> electoral system in which decisions in electorate are reflected proportionally, such as 30% votes = 30% seats