Gender (Feminism) Flashcards
what is the difference of sex and gender?
sex:
the anatomy and physiology of an individual’s reproductive system and secondary sex chracteristics
ex: body/facial hair, muscle mass, voice
Gender:
the social roles based on the sex of the person and the personal identification of one’s own gender based on interal awareness
what is gender binary?
socially constructed distinctions between a “man” or “woman” based on norms of masculinity or femininity
ex: blue for boys, pink for girls
what does society suggest men and women are different with gender binary?
- different roles in society
- different sexual preferences
- should have different expectations
what does it mean when evert aspect of our lives is ‘generdered’?
we are bombarded with messages that construct understandings of what it means to be masculine of feminine, and direct our behaviour accordingly
ex: clothing, hairstyles, manerisms
why were most sports created for men ?
showcase “manly qualities” like:
- bravery, courage, overcoming adversity, leadership, etc.
Little room for femininity among men
what is a patriarchal society?
- male dominated
- male centered
- male privileged but often enforced in subtle ways
what is feminism?
both a social movement and a theoretical framework
- openly political
- critical practice
had 3 waves all surrounded around:
1) gender was the central category of analysis
2) all human experiences are ‘gendred’
3) women are oppressed by ‘patriarchy’
what did the first wave of feminism consist of?
late 1800s- early 1900s
1) pressing for greater rights and freedom:
- self-determination
- sufferage (right ot vote)
- greater education and employment oppurtunities
2) the status of women in the family:
- marriage and reproductive rights
- freedom from parents and chaperones
what was the role in women in 1940s/50s in north america
- during the second world war, women were encouraged to replace men (farming, mining, manufactoring)
- still expected to return home after war
Who is Betty Friedan?
- wrote the feminine mystique which criticized the dominant images of women “at home”?
- limited their possibilities, and wasted talent and potential
- this kick-started the second wave of feminism
what is liberal feminist thinking ?
when the solution is to transform the institutions so that membership and power is equal, and artificial barries are removed
AKA: females working with the source
- improve opportunies for women to gain access to positions of power
- legislate for change toward equality, giving equal access and resources
what is radical feminist thinking?
- destroy the existing institutions and replace it with a more equitable one
- to establish seperate spaces for women:
- founded by women
- led by women
- often exclusive of men
what are some critiques the the 2nd wave of feminism?
- media stereotyped feminism in a bad way
- women are still oppressed simply because we are allowing it happen
- 2nd wave only represented the narrow interests of the white, heterosexual, middle-class, liberal, protestant majority
- women’s experiences were homogenized
what is the concept of the birth of 3rd wave feminism?
- cultural hegemony- male hegemony
- 3rd wave feminist have utilized various theoretical perspectives to better understand the ways that men subtly dominate in society.
what is male hegemony?
The manipulation of societal culture so that ideologies that favour men are imposed and accepted as the societal norm and also, cruicially presented as beneficial to women.
