Gender Identity Flashcards
Difference between sex and gender?
Sex: Refers to a biological concept an means the physical differences between males and females that are determined before birth
Gender: Refers to the socially constructed ideas of how the different sexes should behave in social terms
Difference between masculinity and femininity?
Masculinity: the expected behaviours of men
Femininity: the expected behaviours of women
What is social constructionism?
An approach which means behaviours are socially created (constructed) through socialisation and this approach argues that gender is based on nurture
Each society creates their own set of gender expectations
Explain the study: Margaret Mead (1935)-sex and temperament in 3 primitive societies
•she studied male and female behaviour and gender role
•In Arapesh both male and female were gentle an cooperative
•In the Mundugumor tribe they were violent and aggressive
•In Tchambuli (Chambri) both genders were opposite of those expected in the UK/US. Women were dominant/aggressive and men were timid/emotionally dependent.
Traditional forms of masculinity and femininity:
Explain Hegemonic masculinity
•Term Created by Raewyn Connell (1995), hegemonic masculinity describes the form of male identity
•Hegemonic masculinity is the ‘traditional’ version which has given men dominance and power in all public and private spheres.
•Conell argues, until recently, most British men were socialised into this form of masculinity
•They are seen as breadwinners and work is central to their identity and role
•They’re expected to be financial providers, authority figures in the home dispensing wisdom and discipline to wives and children.
Traditional forms of masculinity and femininity:
Explain normative (hegemonic) femininity
•Traditional gender behaviour for a women is defined by hegemonic masculinity
•Ideas about female beauty, ‘sexiness’, ideal shape and behaviours were shaped by men; women were either sexual objects or housewife figures
•Normative femininity is the idea that women’s roles are defined and restricted by men’s interests and needs
How are gender identities created and reinforced?:
Agent-Family
Explain Anne Oakleys study
•She is a feminist who argues that gender roles are socially constructed though socialisations. Children are socialised into gender roles by family in four ways:
1)manipulation: encouraging/discouraging what is stereotypically acceptable for child’s gender
2)canalisation: parents channeling child’s interests into toys, games and activities considered for their gender
3)verbal appellation: giving child nicknames to reinforce gender expectations
4)different activities: parents reinforce stereotypes through activities around the home
How are gender identities created and reinforced?:
Agent-Peer groups
Explain Sue Lees’s study
•Sue Less (1997) looked at pressure put on teenage girls’ peers
•double standards applied to girls’ and boys sexual behaviour
•Includes how the term ‘slag’ is used to control girls’ behaviour but teenage boys’ sexual behaviour isn’t policed the same way
How are gender identities created and reinforced?:
Agent-Media
Explain Billington’s study
Billington et al (1998) argue that mass media has traditionally portrayed masculinity as dominant and femininity as subordinate
Men performed a huge range of social and occupational roles; women were rarely shown in high status roles and were over represented in domestic settings or were represented as sexual objects
How are gender identities created and reinforced?:
Agent-Religion
explain Mary Daly: God beyond the father theory
Mary Daly argues women are pat of a ‘planetary sexual caste system’- a sexist world in which religion maintains and that religion has socially controlled women into accepting patriarchy.
Two examples of this are:
1. Women’s inferiority as Gods will
2. God is masculine- ‘one sex symbol’
How are gender identities changing?:
changing femininities
Explain just like a girl: how girls learn to be women from 70s to 90s- Sue Sharp
Sue Sharp interviewed young women to find out about their priorities. Sharp conducted the research in a school in Ealing in the 70s then revisited in the 90s and did the same study with a different group of girls then compared the findings. She found:
education: In 70s girls wanted to leave school at 16, In 90s girls wanted to leave school at 18
work: In 70s girls ambition was limited to office work, In 90s there had been widening aspirations
Marriage: In 90s girls wanted to marry later and saw work/independence as more important. They expected husbands to help with housework and childcare.
How are gender identities changing?:
Explain Hypersexual femininity- Griffin
Hyper sexuality is defined as “exhibiting excessive concern with or indulgence in sexual activity”
Arguably a rise in ladette (religious and non conformist attitude) has led to rise in hyper sexuality.
Griffin 2012 and her colleagues argue expectations to he “hyper sexual” present difficulties and contradictions for young women:
They’re encouraged to be sassy and independent- but not feminine
to be ‘up for it’ - drink and get drunk alongside men but not like men
called to look and act sexy but distance themselves from the troubling figure .
This hypersexual femininity presents problems of whether women who act this way are empowered or victims of patriarchy.
How are gender identities changing?:
Explain the media and femininity- always ‘run like a girl’ campaign
The phrase ‘you run like a girl’ ‘you throw like a girl’ are usually compliments.
Procter and Gambles always brand produced a campaign and aimed to turn these phrases into positive ones and challenge the stereotypes.
Their research showed more than half of girls experience a drop in confidence around puberty and most considered ‘like a girl’ to be an insult.
How are gender identities changing?:
Explain ban bossy
An American campaign recognised the knock to girls’ confidence based around the word ‘bossy’. When a little boy asserts himself he is called a leader but when a girl does she is at risk of being called ‘bossy’
Words like bossy send the message: don’t raise your hand or speak up
This campaign developed a slogan ‘ I’m not bossy I’m the boss’ to encourage leadership qualities in young girls (had support from Beyonce and others)
Changing masculinities:
Explain the new man- Connell
In 1980s so called ‘new man’ emerged describing those men willing to redefine their gender identity in relation to women
Connell’s term for this version of male identity is complicit masculinity meaning these men have complied/accepted social changes in gender identity
These men are non aggressive, considerate and exhibit feminine characteristics
