Gender & Sexuality Flashcards
1
Q
sex
A
- Biological (nature)
- Anatomy, hormones, fertility
- Ascribed
2
Q
gender
A
- Cultural and social (nurture)
- Norms and values
- Achieved
3
Q
gender socialization
A
- Socialization is the process by which an individual learns to integrate into their culture
- Most of our social behaviour in society doesn’t operate on the differences of biological sex
- Rather, our social behaviour is mostly guided by gender which guides our basic social identities as either men and women, both of which are socially constructed
- Social expectations that are guided by these identities are called gender roles
4
Q
gender roles
A
- The social definition of men and women
- Expectations regarding the proper behaviour, attitudes, and activities of men and women
- They guide our everyday behaviour and interaction with others - “doing gender”
- Gender roles are achieved through socialization
5
Q
agents of gender socialization
A
- Family: gendered clothes (blue for boys, pink for girls); gendered toys (boys get trucks = power, strength; girls get dolls = self-preservation, nurturing) -> encourage different types of behaviour
- School: children’s books encourage gender roles (ie. Doctor characters are male, nurse characters are female); more male school sports teams (especially at college level)
- Peer group: doing gendered activities with friends (ie. Shopping for girls, playing video games for guy)
- Mass media: movies and TV - stereotypical female roles, female happiness dependent on men
- Workplace: “female” caregiver-style jobs vs. “male” non-emotional jobs
- State: most countries only have maternity leave
6
Q
consequences of living in a gendered world
A
- Men and women have different opportunities and access to resources
- In most societies, men enjoy a higher social position and economic power
- Contributes and maintains a patriarchal system
7
Q
patriarchy
A
A male-controlled system of power in which the males processes superior power and economic privilege
8
Q
gender inequality women experience
A
- Women have lower levels of education
- Women have lower earnings (wage gap) - women make 75 cents for every dollar a male makes
- Women are more likely to experience violence
- Women have less power in society
9
Q
why do women make less money than men?
A
- More men enter higher-paying STEM fields
- Females have less job opportunity, so lose any negotiation leverage; men are more likely to have mentors
- More men work full-time or run their own business
10
Q
why is it untrue that women experience inequality because “they’re biologically inferior”?
A
- Women live longer than men
- No difference has been shown in IQ
- Men and women can perform the same tasks
- Biological differences cannot account for social differences
11
Q
functionalist perspective on gender differences
A
- Gender differentiation contributes to social stability
- Men take on the instrumental role goal oriented task, concerns for external relationship between one’s family and other social institutions
- Women take on the expressive role emotional oriented task, concern mostly for internal affairs within the family i.e. maintenance of harmony
12
Q
conflict perspective on gender differences
A
- Gender differentiation contributes to social inequality
- Instrumental and expressive roles are not equally rewarded; the relationship between men and women is therefore one of unequal power
- Men are in a dominant position over women; men are like the capitalists (with resources) while women are like the proletariat who are exploited for their labour (little paid for work done)
13
Q
historical advancements of gender equality
A
- World wars: women joined the labour force due to a shortage of men in the country
- Expansion of the university system: women were also pursuing higher education
- Contraceptive technology: women have more control over fertility
14
Q
Canadian women in the workforce today
A
- Majority of women over 16 have jobs
- A third of women 18-24 are in university (there are more women going to university than men)
- Over a quarter of women are senior managers
15
Q
Women in Canada today
A
- Women still experience oppression as a group
- Under-represented in positions of power
- Under-represented in high-paying jobs
- Expected to perform domestic labour
- Continue to be seen as sex objects
- The prevalence of rape culture
16
Q
rape culture
A
where sexual violence or violence against women is normalized
17
Q
glass ceiling
A
- Invisible barrier that blocks promotion of qualified individuals in work environment because of a person’s gender, race, or ethnicity
- Has a maximum earning capacity; not unlimited
18
Q
second shift
A
- Double burden that working women face
- Work outside the home followed by childcare and housework
- Few men share this equitably
19
Q
status of women worldwide
A
- Gender disparities exist in access to education, work opportunities, health, personal security, and leisure time
- Fewer girls attend school than boys in the developing world
- Feminization of labour has become a global phenomenon (ie. Nannies and live-in caregivers)
- Women usually work in occupations with lower status and pay than men; female proletarianization
- Women are continuously being exploited in other areas, including the sex industry
20
Q
how gender equality affects social change
A
- Change in family structure (less people getting married, cohabitation increasing, divorce more common, decreased fertility)
- Consumption habits: more power within the household (women are more likely to buy new cars than men)
- Criminal behaviour: proportion of female offenders is increasing
21
Q
gender identity
A
the extent to which one identifies as masculine or feminine based on how much they associate with gender roles
22
Q
dichotomous view of gender
A
- notion that one is either male or female
- not universal -> some cultures have multiple genders
23
Q
sexual orientation
A
- one’s emotional and sexual attraction to a particular sex
- typically divided into 4 categories: heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality (no attraction to either sex)
- We live in a heteronormative society
24
Q
Kinsey Scale
A
created by Alfred Kinsey to conceptualize sexuality as a continuum rather than a dichotomy
25
Q
homosocial
A
- non-sexual same-sex relations (ie. hugging, holding hands, closeness, etc.)
- women experience more fluidity and freedom to express homosocial feelings than men
26
Q
Legal milestones for LGBT community in Canada
A
- Civil Marriage Act (2005): Legalized same-sex marriage by describing marriage in gender-neutral terms
- Canadian Human Rights Act amendment (1996): Explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation
27
Q
transgender vs. transexual
A
- transgender: identify with the gender role that is the opposite of their biological sex
- transexual: transgender people who alter their bodies so they’re aligned with their gender identity
28
Q
institutional discrimination
A
discrimination that is built into the social structure
29
Q
feminist theory
A
- type of critical sociology that examines inequalities in gender-related issues
- uses the critical approach to examine the maintenance of gender roles and inequalities
30
Q
bifurcated consciousness
A
when women perceive a disconnect between their personal experiences and the way the world is represented by society as a whole (ie. they experience the world one way but they’re also forced to see it through the way of the dominant group - men)
31
Q
“doing gender”
A
- when people perform tasks or possess characteristics based on the gender role assigned to them
- gender is something we do or perform, not something we are
32
Q
influence on sexual behaviour
A
- historically, religion has been the greatest influence on sexual behavior in most societies
- in more recent years, peers and the media have emerged as two of the strongest influences
33
Q
double-standard of sex (men vs. women)
A
- belief that men have more sexual urges, and that it’s more acceptable for men than for women
- prohibiting premarital sexual intercourse for women but allowing it for men
- allowing women to engage in premarital sex only within committed love relationships, but allowing men to engage in sexual relationships with as many partners as they wish
34
Q
dominant gender schema ideology
A
- serves to perpetuate inequalities in power and status -
- states that people can be only male or female, and you can’t change gender without medical intervention (ie. gender is a social expression of sex)
35
Q
queer theory
A
- a perspective that examines the way we’ve been taught to think about sexual orientation
- rejects the dichotomization of sexual orientations into either homosexual or heterosexual
- highlights the need for a more flexible and fluid conceptualization of sexuality—one that allows for change, negotiation, and freedom
