gender identities Flashcards
femininity definition
characteristics associated with being a female
masculinity definition
characteristics associated with being a male
sex definition
biological differences between men and women
gender definition
sociological differences between men and women
hegemonic femininity
dominant/ traditional styles of femininity
hegemonic masculinity
dominant/ traditional styles of masculinity
what is anthropology?
study of human societies and their cultural development
what tribes did margaret mead study?
arapesh, mundagamor, tchambuli
what were the arapesh gender roles like?
no specific distinction between men and women, responsibility is shared between them
what were the mundagamor gender roles like?
men were aggressive and uninclined to marriage and paternity
what were the tchambuli gender roles like?
woman were more assertive than men
how did freeman criticise mead?
suggested that mead was misled by participants, and that perhaps they told her what she wanted to hear
how did murdock support mead?
suggested some activities eg hunting are universally allocated to one gender more (men)
how did oakley criticise mead/murdock?
stated that many tribes see no distinction between sexe. also referenced in some countries 1/4 of the workforce is female
social constructionism definition
when something is defined by sociological processes rather than biological or inherent processes
biological determinism definition
when something is defined by biological/ genetic processes
what did wilson say about gender roles?
that in order to reproduce successfully, men are naturally more promiscuous and women more nurturing
what terms did parsons come up with about gender roles?
instrumental role/ expressive role
instrumental role definition
men as breadwinners and providers
expressive role definition
women as carers of the home and children
what did oakley suggest the reason of womens lower status in the labour market to be?
social conditioning in order to maintain traditional gender roles of women in the home
what do feminists say is the key of maintaining traditional gender roles?
socialisation
what 4 ways did oakley say the family enforces gender roles by?
manipulation, canalisation, verbal appellations, different activities
manipulation (oakleys study) definition
encouraging or discouraging gender specific behaviour
canalisation definition
parents directing childrens interests into certain toys and play
verbal appellations definition
parents using stereotypical descriptions of their children (eg girls as pretty or boys as strong)
what term did mcrobbie coin?
‘bedroom culture’
bedroom culture definition
describes the way girls spend their leisure time in their bedrooms with other girls
what did mcrobbie find in her study?
boys were given more freedom to play outside whereas girls were kept at home more
how did lincoln update mcrobbies research?
1990 mancunian girls study. found that bedroom culture still existed, but the internet and boyfriends were let in
what did billington say about women in the media?
that men are dominant and woman are subordinate
what did nakuamara say about women in the media?
stated that although women are harmfully stereotyped in the media, they use it as a forum of support against discrimination
what did fergusons study of womens magazines conclude?
concluded that womens magazines were centred around a ‘cult of femininity’
content analysis definition
a method used by sociologists to research the media by counting the amount of reoccurring themes
what was the 1997 study by willis called?
learning to labour
how was ‘learning to labour’ successful?
high in validity and an interpretivist approach
how long did willis spend on his study?
18 months observing the boys in school, and a further 6 months observing the boys at work
what was the aim question to answer of the willis study?
‘why working class kids get working class jobs’
what did willis observe of the boys at school?
-no interest in learning
-aimed to do as little work but have as much fun as possible
-the working class boys saw education as something for middle class
what were some issues with the ‘learning to labour’ study?
-time consuming. 2 years of observing
-hard to repeat
what is the hidden curriculum?
things that are taught and learnt in school aside from the national curriculum eg punctuality/ stereotypes
what is the national curriculum?
core subjects to be studied, controlled by the state eg maths/ english
what did skelton argue?
that the hidden curriculum is responsible for gender differences within subject choices
what do feminists say about the hidden curriculum?
that it is patriarchal
what were the 2 ways kelly suggested why science is seen as masculine?
-textbooks are dominated with photos of boys/ masculine objects
-boys are more dominant in labs due to conditioning
what 3 things did colley argue affected subject choice?
-perception of gender roles
-subject preferences
-learning environment
define blue collar jobs
manual labour jobs typically associated with working class males, that receive an hourly wage
what did mac an ghaill say that men are currently facing?
‘a crisis of masculinity’
define ‘crisis of masculinity’
men who have lost manual labour jobs due to deindustrialisation that they associate with masculinity are unprepared for a traditional workplace, which they associate with femininity.
define horizontal segregation
where a work field is predominantly almost one gender
define vertical segregation
where opportunities are limited for one gender within a work field
what did adkins study and conclude in 1995?
-looked at employment within theme parks
-suggested job roles were allocated to one gender
-attractive females worked in bars
-males worked as ride operators
what do postmodernists say about gender identities?
society is reliant on choice and diversity, not on strict gender roles
define complicit masculinity
men who believe that men and women should share roles within a family
define marginalised masculinity
a masculine identity held by men who lost their traditionally masculine jobs
what type of masculinity did tony sewell identify?
‘hyper-masculinity’, displayed in afro-caribbean males
define matriarchal
female dominating environment, eg a home without a father figure
what did nixon state about masculinity?
that the 1985 levis advert in a laundrette was the origin of men finding it socially acceptable to take care of appearances
what did mort state about masculinity?
that the levis advert was the first time men were sexualised in the media
what participants were involved with the ‘policing ladettes’ study
-153 students aged 13/14
-30 teachers
define ladette behaviour
swearing, talking loudly and acting obnoxiously. related to the attempt to emulate male behaviour
