lec 1

Question 1

sex - gender - how have these definitions changed

Answer 1

both terms used to be used interchangeably

sex (biological maleness - femaleness - narrow term - sex chromosomes )
gender (non-physiological aspects of gender - social categories and human culture)

now:
sex (categories or groups of people - male female intersex - not purely intersex)
gender (meaning given to these categories)
- cisgender, transgender, agender

Question 2

differences vs. similarities perspective (minimalist vs. maximalist)

Answer 2

similarities perspective:
- minimalist approach
- emphasizes how SIMILAR women and men are
- social constructionism:
- we build our version of reality based on what we have experience - interacted with - what we believe (women drivers - beliefs that women are bad drivers comes from experience with bad women drivers)

differences perspective:
- maximalist approach
- mean and women differ intellectually and with their social skills
- gender as stable characteristic - all women the same - all men the same
- CRITICISM : BUT ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE NOT THE SAME

Question 3

PROBLEM WITH MAXIMALIST APPROACH - CHOOSING ONE APPROACH

Answer 3

-implications of relying on just one approach
- especially maximalist approach (differences approach)
- can perpetuate overgeneralized and exaggerated beliefs about sexes

Question 4

explain sexism as a social bias

Answer 4

social bias - prejudice against or in favour of one group over another

sexism - bias based on gender - can be culturally differentiated - against women or men (women drivers - men as kindergarten teachers)
-negative attitudes towards people based on their sex - combined with unequal cultural - institutional practices

Question 5

describes stereotypes (2 aspects)

Answer 5

set of beliefs about people in a social group - assigning them traits or qualities

pervasive:
- gender stereotypes universally held

generalization:
- defining feature - explain entire group

Question 6

gender stereotypes and personality traits

Answer 6

women - warm traits
men - competency - agency traits

Question 7

stereotypes - prejudice - discrimination - describe the cycle

Answer 7

belief - cognitive (stereotype)
prejudice (feelings - attitudes)
discrimination (behaviour)

belief women are poor drivers - neg attitude to women drivers - driving instructor makes sure to fail women drivers (less access to the world - independence)