Chapter 9 Flashcards
Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
Sex
refers to the biological traits that societies use to categorize people, often as either male or female
Gender:
refers to the cultural meaning of societies attach to sex categories. it consists of the behaviours that society considers “normal” for a person of a particular sex
A.K.A the roles and characteristics society assigns to men and women
Ann Oakley
British Sociologist and was one of the first to formally distinguish sex from gender in a sociological way (b. 1944)
Gender Role
Set of attitudes and expectations concerning behaviour that relates to the sex we were assigned at birth
Intersex
refers to anyone born with both “male” and “female” sexual characteristics (non-conforming and non-binary)
Transgender
A trans person is someone whose lived identity does not conform with the gender role associated with their assigned sex
Biological Sex
a socially constructed binary, consisting of male and female sex categories assigned at birth
Sexual Attraction
means you find a specific person sexually appealing and want to have sex with them
Asexual
(umbrella term) anyone who experiences little to no sexual attraction toward other people of any gender
Transsexual:
someone with the physical characteristics of one sex category and a persistent desire to belong to another
Cisgender
someone who feels affinity with the socially constructed sex category they were assigned at birth
2-Spirit People
umbrella term to describe those who identify with one of the many gender roles beyond male and female
Beatrice Kachuck
(2003) divides the diverse range of feminist theories into the 4 categories
the 4 feminist theory categories
- Liberal feminism
- Essentialist feminism
- Socialist feminism
- Postmodernist feminism
Liberal Feminism
seeks to secure equal rights for women in all phases (e.g. education, jobs, and pay)
Essentialist Feminism
argues that women and men are essentially different in the way they think
(Kachucks 3 main criticisms of essential feminism)
Kachuck: 3 main criticisms of Essential Feminism
- it universalizes women
- it confuses natural instincts with strategies that women used to cope with the demands of a patriarchal society
- it encourages us to see women as social housekeepers in worlds that men build
Socialist Feminism
looks at intersections of oppression between class and gender
Postmodernist Feminism
argues that there is no natural basis for identities based on gender, ethnicity, race, etc (queer theory)
Queer Theory
rejects the idea that male and female genders are natural binary opposites (gender is a continuum)
Feminization of work
when a particular job, profession, or industry comes to be dominated by or predominantly associated with women (ex. makeup industry, nurses, etc)
Connell’s (1995) 4 performances of masculinity:
- Hegemonic Masculinity
- Subordinate Masculinity
- Marginalized Masculinity
- Complicit Masculinity
Hegemonic Masculinity (Connell’s 4 performances of masculinity):
Practices that normalize and naturalize men’s dominance and women’s subordination (ex. mansplaining)
Subordinate Masculinity (Connell’s 4 performances of masculinity):
Practices that could threaten the legitimacy of hegemonic masculinity (ex. stay-at-home dads
Marginalized Masculinity (Connell’s 4 performances of masculinity):
Adaption of masculinities to issues such as race and class
Complicit Masculinity (Connell’s 4 performances of masculinity):
practices that do not necessarily embody hegemonic processes, but benefit from them and includes those who are aware of the traits and characteristics (+ & -) of hegemonic masculinity and how it influences society but do not challenge its presence or advocate any form of social change
How are Visible minority women stereotyped into 2 extremes (examples)
- Eastern Asian Women: Lotus Blossom Baby (shy, beautiful girl) us. Dragon Lady (prostitute)
- Black women: Aunt Jemima figure (submissive and content) vs. sexually objectified black women
- Indigenous women: the Indian princess (the heroine) vs. the uncivilized woman
examples of particular ethnic groups that were encouraged to immigrate (men or women)
- Chinese head tax (exclusion of women)
- Foreign domestic & live-in caregiver program in Canada (they had to live with employers- women were vulnerable to exploitation and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse)
Sexuality
refers to feelings of sexual desire and attraction and how these are expresses (sexuality is fluid and can change over time)
heterosexual:
sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex
Homosexual:
queer or gay is also accepted: sexually attracted to the same sex
Lesbian
Sexually attracted to other women (gay can also be applied to both male and females but is most often used for males attracted to males)
Bisexual
sexually attracted (either equally or unequally) to both sexes
LGBTQI2S+
an all-encompassing term for anyone who does not identify as heterosexual and/cisgender (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, 2-spirit, etc)
Nonbinary:
describes someone who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. (may define their gender identity and experience outside of these binary terms)
