Gender & Sexualities - Week 4 Flashcards
What is Sex? What are the primary sex characteristics and secondary ?
Sex is the biological makeup of a male or female
Primary sex characteristics: biological factors, such as chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive organs, that distinguish males from females
Secondary sex characteristics: physical differences between males and females, including facial and body hair, musculature, and bone structure, that are unrelated to reproduction
What is Gender? Gender identity? Gender roles?
Gender is the personal traits and position in society connected with being a male, female, trans, or gender non-conforming
Gender Identity is our perception of ourselves as male, female, trans, or gender non-conforming. The process of gender identity starts taking place during childhood. Children and adults are socialized to see differences rather than similarities in the genders
Gender roles are society’s expectations of how gender, specifically males and females, should act and think. ex toys go from socialization to gender roles in our society. however, are not fixed but in a constant state of flux.
Essentialists vs. Constructionists
Essentialists see gender as biological or genetic and believe that gender is:
a simple, two-category (binary) system
determined by your chromosomes, hormones, and genitalia
permanent and unchanging
Constructionists believe that gender is constructed, or created, through our interactions with other members of society. In the United States we tend to classify people as being male or female, but other societies have different classification systems and people are treated differently based on the norms associated with that other system.
Most sociologists use a constructionist approach and see sex, gender, and sexuality as social constructs.
queer theorists emphasize the importance of difference and rejects ideas of innate identities or restrictive categories of gender and sexual identity
The Fluidity of Gender Roles? Exploring the Bugis in Indonesia ? What are the three major classifications beyond male and female:
Other cultures like the Bugis in Indonesia have a different view of gender and gender roles. With the Bugis, the pronouns of ‘he’ and ‘she’ do not exist in their language
Calalai are anatomical females in Bugis society who assume the characteristics of men
Calabai are anatomical males in Bugis society who adhere to some of the responsibilities of women
Bissu are androgynous members of Bugis society who embody the perfect mixture of male and female
Gender socialization and how it’s influenced by socializing agents: Family, peers, education, community, and media.
Family influences our gender socialization as our primary agent of socialization—our first experience in the world. This influence extends to the toys we buy our children, the expectations and biases we have about gender, and gendered patterns in parenting.
Peers are influential as our first experiences with independence. Peers reinforce and apply sanctions to our behaviors, reinforcing and teaching gendered norms.
Education plays both an informal and formal role in what we learn about gender. From who is included in the textbooks, what perspectives are emphasized and validated, to the interactions we have with others.
The community one lives in plays a significant role in reinforcing gender expectations. ex. small town driven by high school football
We share in media in a way we don’t any other socializing agent. The impact is wide.
Gender and the Impact of Media
Media often reinforces gender roles in the society. Media plays an important role in our culture so people of all genders, from the time they are young, are often affected by the things they see on TV and in other media.
What are masculine scripts ?
No sissy-stuff - men are expected to distance themselves from anything feminine.
Big wheel - men should be occupationally or financially successful.
Sturdy oak - men should be confident and self-reliant.
Give ‘em hell -men should do what is necessary to “make it”.
What are feminine scripts ?
Sexuality is destiny
Women should offer emotional support.
Ideal woman is attractive, not too competitive, a good listener and adaptable.
Women are expected to be good mothers and put the needs of others first.
Superwoman - successful at a career and a good wife/mother.
What are Patriarchy, Matriarchy , Sexism, & Gender Inequality?
Patriarchy is a social system in which the father serves as head of the family, and men have authority over women and children. results in sexism or the belief system that one sex is superior to the other.
Matriarchy is a social system in which women are the main authority but in practice, this doesn’t usually result in the same power dynamic and abuse we see in patriarchy.
Gender Inequality manifests in many ways, not the least of which is social, legal, and constitutional.
What is the feminization of poverty? What is a second shift among married working women
feminization of poverty is the reality that women are more likely to live in poverty than their male counterparts. This is due to pay inequity, fragmented work histories, child/family care responsibility, a lack of self-advocacy in salary negotiations (part of gender socialization and sexism), and the second shift
second shift when they get home from work. They are expected to cook, do laundry and take care of the children as well as working full time.
inequity in education
In the U.S. women are now earning degrees in greater numbers than men, however, there is still a stratification by income and degree, in other words, even with higher degrees, women are making less money.
What are the four models that attempt to explain differences in attainment of educational and financial success? Human capital model, choice model, patriarchy model, glass ceiling model
Human capital model assumes that men and women bring different natural skills to the workplace
Choice Model explains the income gap by analyzing the kinds of jobs women choose
Patriarchy model assumes that we have a male dominated society that doesn’t allow women to hold upper-tier jobs
Glass ceiling model says an invisible barrier preventing women from reaching executive-level positions in the workplace exists
What is feminism?
Feminism is a vast collection of social movements and theories about gender differences, proposing social equality for all people.
What are the feminist theories ? What are the 4 general beliefs ?
Feminist theories study how gender affects the experiences and opportunities of men and women. In general feminists agree on four general beliefs
Increasing equality in work and education
Expanding human choice for outcomes
Eliminating gender stratification
Ending sexual violence
What is the difference b/t liberal feminists and radical feminists ?
Liberal feminists tend to be primarily dedicated to women’s equality in the workplace, education, politics and to the reduction of violence toward women.
Radical feminists go further in their ideas and focus on capitalism and patriarchy and men’s control over women
