Gender And Sexuality Flashcards
What are some characteristics of hegemonic masculinity?
- Rational
- Aggressive
- Dominant
- Independent
- Ambitious
- Strong
What are some characteristics of hegemonic femininity?
- Emotional
- Compassionate
- Passive
- Dependent
- Non-competitive
- Weak
What are the four ways children are socialised into gendered behaviours? (Oakley)
- Manipulation - Rewarding or discouraging behaviour
- Canalisation - Directing interest
- Domestic Activities - Modelling typical home life
- Verbal Appellations - Speaking to and about boys and girls differently
What are the five gender codes?
- Colour
- Appearance
- Toy
- Play
- Control
What did Statham find out about gender identity?
That, by the age of 5, most children have a clear understanding of their gender identity and what behaviours are appropriate for that gender.
What are some ways that schools reinforce gender roles?
- They encourage boys and girls to take different subjects
- They give more attention to male students
- They offer different career advice for each gender
- They treat disruptive behaviour in boys and girls differently
What are some theories on how mass media reinforces gender roles?
Billington et al - Media typically portrays masculinity as dominant and femininity as subordinate
Wolf - Media promotes the beauty myth:
the idea that a particular physical image is normal or ideal even if it is unattainable for most people
Berger - Media sexualises female bodies and focuses on how women look rather than what they can do
What are some theories on how peer groups reinforce gender roles?
Lees - Women conform to expectations in order to protect their reputation and avoid the spoiled identity of slut or slag
Willis - Working class ‘lads’ categorise women based on their perceived sexual activity
What are some theories on how religion reinforces gender roles?
El Saadawi - Religion has been dominated and interpreted by men
Holm and Bowker - Religions developed for women were the forerunners of the modern women’s movement
What are some theories on how work reinforces gender roles?
Charles and Davies - Many workplaces have a masculine culture in which women feel threatened and excluded
Blackaby - Men created this masculine culture by displaying objectified images of women, such as page 3 pin-ups, and by engaging in conversations about masculine topics
What are some theories on changing feminine gender identities?
Connell - There is no single version of masculinity or femininity in modern Britain
Wilkinson - Women are now more aspirational and ambitious than their mothers and grandmothers (genderquake)
Sharpe - Working class girls in 1976 aspired to get married and have children, whereas in 1994 they aspired to have a career
Jackson - Some women have become tougher and more sexually aggressive (ladettes)
What are some theories on changing masculine gender identities?
Mac an Ghaill - Men have been left searching for a new gender identity (crisis of masculinity)
Mort - The emergence of heterosexual men who care about their appearance so use designer cosmetics and have refined taste in clothing
Also New Man, New Lad, New Bloke
What were some aspects of the homosexual identity in the past?
- Seen as deviant and dangerous
- Criminalised
- Treated as a mental illness
- Stigmatised
What are some aspects of the homosexual identity now?
- A distinct gay subculture
- The pink pound
- Politicised
- More common and accepted
- Focus on pride and equal rights
What are some aspects of the heterosexual identity?
- Hegemonic masculinity and femininity
- Hypersexualised (Mulvey - Male gaze)
- Treated differently in men and women (Lees - Double standard of sexual morality)
