Chapter 7; Sex, gender, and sexuality Flashcards
elite discourse
there are multiple ways of understanding any social phenomenon those understandings emerge from different locations of powers, and when they emerge from positions of authority they become elite discourses and are widely accepted
sex
biology
dualism
a contrast between 2 opposing categories
gender
the social world, behavioural, cultural, or psychological traits associated with a particular sex
gender identity
our personal understandings of our own gender
gender expression
aspects of gender exhibited through outward appearance and actions
gender binary
the assumption that there are 2 genders (feminine/masculine) associated with the 2 biological sexes
Intersex
a person whose physical sex characteristics fall outside the boundaries of the male/female dualism, aka DSD: disorders of sexual development/ difference in sexual development, 0.05-1.7 of the population is intersex
what is the recognition of only 2 sexes
a social construct: emerged from social processes, not just biology
gender non-conforming
individuals whose gender identities fall outside of elite, dualistic discourses that equate sex and gender
Industrialization and gender roles
the female role became that of the nurturing parent and homemaker (private sphere) and the male role became paid employment (public sphere)
hypermasculinity
traditional masculinity in an extreme and exaggerated form
cultures of honour
cultures where traditional masculinity must be protected from disrespect and male dominance over women is emphasized
Connel
traditional masculinity: hegemonic masculinity: traits ascribe men in a position of dominance over other men and especially women
traditional femininity: emphasized femininity: traits ascribe women in a position of subordination and service to others
What studies highlight how sexuality is socially constructed
cross-cultural studies; Sambian culture doesn’t have words for sexualities rather concepts that refer to times in life when varied types of sexual relationships are considered appropriate/inappropriate
Alfred Kinsey; scale that reflects a continuum of sexuality
heteronormative
the view that heterosexuality is the expected sexual orientation
the implications of having been born a particular sex and elite discourses that equate sex with gender and sexualities extend through 4 key ares
- different educational experiences
- different occupational experiences
- Different economic experiences
- different family experiences
official curriculum
science, social studies
hidden curriculum
learning what being a male or female means in our society, boys are at the forefront of the classroom and learn problem solving skill while girls are in the background and learn they can rely on others when they are having difficulties
gendering of education in post-secondary
women are over represented in BHASE programs; business, humantites, health, arts, social sciences. education while men are over represented in STEM programs; science, technology, engineering, and math
explicit stereotypes
people are aware of holding
Implict stereotypes
unconscious stereotype
stereotype threat
individuals become so anxious about confirming stereotypes about a group of people they belong to, and their performance suffers
Top 3 female dominated industries
- Health
- education
- business finance, and administration
glass ceiling
women are less likely to rise to the top of their fields and hold positions of authority
glass escalator
men are more likely to attain positions of authority or leadership
wage gaps between men and women
women make 88 cents for every dollar a man makes
women in the trades make 60 cents for every dollar a man makes
how long will it take to close the wages gap in canada
164 years, declining by 0.2 % per year
variables accountable for 35% of the wage gap
- human capital (education, job tenure)
- job attributes (part-time public sector union, form state)
- occupation and industry
- demographics (age, province, children, marital status)
second shift
women put in a full day at work and then come home to put in another shift of domestic work, for every 3.6 hours of hosehold work women do, men do 2.4
what is the domestic allocation of household work like in LGBTQ relationships
egalitarian
in which context did the earliest sociological theories primarily address gender?
families
Functionalist perspective and the responsibilities of men and women
2 key functions of the family: socialization of children and stabilization of adult personalities which are in part fulfilled by heterosexuality and traditional gender roles; males are responsible for instrumental tasks(connect the family to the outside world) and females are responsible for expressive tasks(nessecairy for the internal world of the family, ex. nurturing kids)
Conflict perspective
gender inequality/ patriarchy is a byproduct of capitalism
women are subordinated to adult males
subordination will end with female employment
conflict in the family through gendered intimate violence
Interactionist perspective
how we come to understand sex, gender, sexuality and develop our own identities is through interactions with significant others, development of generalized other, and the looking glass self. thats how we come to know if we are m/f. through childhood experience we come to understand m/f are supposed to have cerain gender identities, expression, and sexuality.
Goffman
gender differentiation is reproduced in social interactions through gender displays: makeup, hair, facial expressions, use of appropriate bathrooms ect. which are based on codes of gender: the norms governing the acceptable appearance and behaviours for males and females. Maintain male dominance/independence, and female passivity/subordination
Feminist perspective
diverse
germain greer
we must embrace gender differences
sheila jefferys
we must seek a genderless society
intersectionality
the way that our array of multiple identities (based on gender, sexualities, class, and race) combine to create a distinctive whole, ex. the experience of a working class black woman will differ from the experience of middle class white woman
matrix of domination
intersecting systems of oppression in society
post colonial feminism
proposes that the experiences of women living in colonized cultures are distinct from those from the colonizing cultures
indigenous feminism
colonizing is a racist and patriarchal project, criticises mainstream feminism as a movement for priviledged white women
gender inequality if intertwind with sovereignty for indigenous peoples
Postmodern perspective
question the very notions of sex, gender, and sexualities themselves
Judith butler: gender is not an internal essence but only a set of repeated behaviours governed by elite discourses
critique of most sociological knowledge because it is structured by dualisms of sex, gender and sexualities
queer theory
sexual identities and practices are open, fluid, and non-fixed
