Gender Identitiy

Question 1

Mead

Answer 1

Studied gender roles in 3 New Guinea tribes:

Arapesh - no distinction between male and female roles- male were gentle/placid and shared responsibility

Mundugamor- aggressive tribe of head hunter- men obtained wives by kidnapping them
- women showed little maternal affection

Tchambuli- women more assertive (dealer with trade and made the first move) - men more concerned with make up

Question 2

McRobbie

Answer 2

Family created and reinforced gender identity by using official rules - encouraged girls to stay indoors.

Investigated absence of girls in youth subcultures ( research ignored them and described them in terms of their physical attractiveness
‘Culture of femininity’ - friendship and a shared culture with other girls- to have a best friend
- stepping stone to marriage.
Believes that this cult of femininity is often missed by researchers as it takes places in private space (bedroom) - ‘bedroom culture’

Question 3

Lincoln

Answer 3

Studied Mancunian girls in 1990s and noticed that bedroom culture still existed as they bedroom is still a place where girls cultivate friendships
HOWEVER
it is no longer a private space as they have access to internet and males are no long excluded from bedrooms

Question 4

Ferguson

Answer 4

(Media)
Conducted a content analysis of women’s magazines and counted up the number of times a certain topic was covered.
- concluded that women’s magazines were based around a ‘cult of femininity’ - promoted the idea that excellence is achieved through caring for others, the family, marriage and appearance

Question 5

Willis

Answer 5

(Education)
- lads knew they would end up in manual labour jobs so formed anti- school subcultures based on ‘having a laff’

The anti school subcultures was responsible for teaching lads how to be manual workers, not the school curriculum

Question 6

Kelly

Answer 6

(Education)
Suggested 2 reasons why science is seen as a more masculine subject
1) textbooks containing pictures of boys and examples that would interest boys (cars/football)
2) boys dominate classroom - shouting out - “invisible women”

Question 7

Colley

Answer 7

(Education)

• argues that school subject choices are affected by 3 things
  1) perception of gender roles (depends on the extent to which they have been socialised into a male/female identity
  2) subject roles (girls out off IT and attracted to sociology)
  3) learning environment (whether school is mixed or same sex)

Question 8

Adkins

Answer 8

(Workplace)
- looks at employers of theme parks and suggested that males and females given different roles

• attractive females= bar staff
• males = ride operators

Question 9

Connel

Answer 9

(GENDER IDENTITIES CHANGING)
- new masculinities
Hegemonic - traditional form (heterosexual masculinity)- dominant now

Complicit - men who believe that men and women should share roles within families (the new man)

Subordinate - masculinities which are less powerful (Carry a lower status - homosexual)

Marginalised - traditionally did masculine jobs but these are now under threat

These masculinises can change over time

Question 10

Nixon and Mort

Answer 10

Gender identities changing
Nixon - believes that the concept of the ‘new man’ can be traced back to the release of the Levi’s advert ‘Launderette. The advert implies that it is ‘cool’ and ‘acceptable’ for men to take care of their appearance (women attracted to made in advert - men thought they could look like the model)

Mort - Argued that the changes in style which ‘new man’ fashions encouraged were reflecting significant changes in male identity in contemporary culture
Mid 80s - rise in men’s fashion magazines sales/ large quantities of aftershave bought - change in masculinity

Question 11

Jackson

Answer 11

(Change in female identities)
Interviewed 153 students (13-14 yrs) an 30 teachers
- believed in term ‘ladette’- term created by media in mid 90s
Ladette behaviour - acting hard, swearing, drinking
Argues that gender identities are socially constructed - can change over time
Found that there were double standards for boys and girls - teachers tolerate boys - ‘harmless fun’ but girls don’t have the same endearing quality.
- Ladettes portrayed negatively in the media- blamed for risking cancer levels

Question 12

Wilkinson

Answer 12

Gender identities changing

• values of young generation different from their parents
• young people are more assertive and confident (difficult decisions if they take for granted that they can control their own lives)
• women more likely to live life on the ‘edge’