Exam 2 Flashcards
Gender Studies
Research into understanding how gender identities and expressions are shaped by and affect one’s life
Sex
The culturally agreed upon physical differences between male and female, especially biological differences related to human reproduction
-Observable physical traits
-Sexual behaviors does not mean sexual identity
Gender
The expression of thought and behavior that each culture assigns to people of different sexes
-Learned
Sexual Dimorphism
The phenotypic differences between males and females of the same species
Cultural Construction of Gender
The ways humans learn to perform and recognize behaviors as masculine or feminine within their cultural contexts
Transgender
People whose gender identity and performance do not correspond with the biological sex category assigned at birth
Cisgender
People whose gender identity and performance correspond with their birth sex
Masculinity
The ideas and practices associated with manhood
Feminity
The ideas and practices associated with womanhood
Gender Performance
The way gender identity is expressed through action
Intersex
The state of being born with a combination of male and female genitalia, gonads, and/or chromosomes
Gender Stratification
An unequal distribution of power in which gender shapes who has access to a group’s resources, opportunities, rights, and privilages
Gender Stereotypes
Widely held preconceived notions about the attributes of differences between, and proper roles for men and women in a culture
Gender Ideology
A set of cultural ideas, usually stereotypical, about the essential character of different genders that functions to promote and justify gender stratification
Sexuality
The complex range of desires, beliefs, and behaviors that are related to erotic physical contact and the cultural arena within which people debate about which kinds of physical desires and behaviors are right, appropriate, and natural
Heterosexuality
Attraction to and sexual relations between individuals of the opposite sex
Homosexuality
Attraction to and sexual relations between individuals of the same sex
Bisexuality
Attraction to and sexual relations with members of both sexes
Asexuality
A lack of erotic attraction to others
Kinship
The system of meaning and power that cultures create to determine who is related to whom and to define their mutual expectations, rights, and responsibilities
Nuclear Family
The kinship unit of mother, father, and children
Descent Group
A kinship group in which primary relationships are traced through certain blood relatives
Patrilineal Descent Group
A kinship group in which membership passes to the next generation from father to son
Lineage
A type of descent group that traces genealogical connection through generations by linking persons to a founding ancestor
Clan
A type of descent group based on a claim to a founding ancestor but lacking genealogical documentation
Affinal Relationship
A kinship relationship established through marriage and/or alliance, not through biology or common descent
Marriage
A socially recognized relationship that may involve physical and emotional intimacy as well as legal rights to property and inheritance
Arranged Marriage
Marriage orchestrated by the families of the involved parties
Companionate Marriage
Marriage built on love, intimacy, and personal choice rather than social obligation
Polygyny
Marriage between one man and 2+ women
Polyandry
Marriage between one women and 2+ men
Monogamy
A relationship between only 2 partners
Incest Taboo
Cultural rules that forbid sexual relations with certain close relatives
Exogamy
Marriage to someone outside the kinship group
Endogamy
Marriage to someone within the kinship group
Bridewealth
The gift of goods or money from the groom’s family to the bride’s family as part of the marriage proccess
Dowry
The gift of goods or money from the bride’s family to the groom’s family as part of the marriage process
Family of Orientation
The family group in which one is born, grows up, and develops life skills
Family of Procreation
The family group created when one reproduces and within which one rears children
Intersectionality
Interconnectedness of race, class, gender, and sexuality
