Lecture 14: Gender Flashcards
gender norms
differ radically in time and space
physical characteristics that define a person as male/female
gender roles
how boys and girls learn to express their masculinity or femininity varies across and within cultures
sex
biological distinctions b/w m/f
male/female
gender
cultural constructions of male and female characteristics
man/woman
-costume we all must wear
-set of roles, assumptions, practices, and stereotypes we use to give shape to m&f characteristics, both social and biological
WHY can someone guess gender identity? gendered clothing, bodies, and hairstyles vary predictably and consistently
gender stereotypes
inform our expectations of (normal) appropriate behavior, dress, and temperament for US men and women
toys growing up: barbie/hot wheels
Women in the Mine
Jessica Rolston
women working in mines in Wyoming take on different identities to succeed
3 gendered identities: tomboys, ladies, bitches(overly masculine)
some of these had more long term value(tomboys)
Margaret Mead
“Sex and Temperament”
showed how masculinity and femininity varied across cultures
1) Arapesh: men and women behaved as Americans expect women to act– mild, nurturing
2) Mundugumor: men and women both act as Americans expect men to act–fierce, aggressive
3) Tchambuli: men act as we stereotype women as acting–“catty”, overly concerned with appearance,
women act as we stereotype men to act
Rosie the Riveter
WW2
demonstrated that women can do traditionally men’s work
gender roles/norms can change according to societal needs
Third Sexes/Genders
two-sex/gender system may be the norm, it is neither a cultural nor biological…
Intersex
Klinefelter Syndrome, Triple X Syndrome, Turner Syndrome(one X/Y instead of 2)
Transgender
person’s identity differs with what they were assigned at birth
does not have its roots in biology
cultural exceptions to the 2 gender system
people wear gendered wardrobes that run counter to their anatomical sex
Two-Spirit: common among great plains American groups; believed to have the spirit of a female
Hijras: Indian males who become neither m/f through castration/right of passage
gender equality
- public domestic dichotomy
- -when domestic and public spheres are clearly separated, public activities tend to have greater prestige compared to domestic ones
gender stratification
unequal distribution of rewards b/w women and men
- among the !Kung: little distinction b/w public and domestic figures
- among Auburnites: clear distinction, constantly becoming more fluid
patriarchy
male dominance and greater male prestige are associated with the masculinization of the public sphere and fem
foragers
-little gender stratification
simple division of labor(hunt/gather)
less of a public-domestic dichotomy
horticulturalists
more complex division of labor and more gender distinction
status of men is higher when women contribute
agriculturalists
-more gender stratification
-more complex division of labor and political control
women are considered an economic drain/risk, hence -they are controlled and access to resources is limited
industrialists
- gender stratification persists
- division of labor is complex but not inherently dependent on gender differences–flexible
- status of men/women is higher when they contribute more to the household and general economies
kinks/consequences of the model
- If a person is to succeed in the public sphere, today, must he/she be more like a “man,” or must men be less like “traditional” men in engaging with women who enter the public sphere?
- And what about the domestic sphere?
- How is it affected by the changes in the public sphere?
- Who performs the roles once associated with males and females in this sphere?
- Is the feminization of poverty (the increasing representation of women and their children among America’s poorest people) related to the “collapse” of the domestic sphere?
- How do wealthy, successful, publicly-engaged people (male and female) handle domestic life and its demands?
recent shifts in gender norms/roles
- Changing attitudes toward homosexuality and “gender transgression”
- Changing attitudes toward male sexuality/violence
- Changing attitudes toward female sexuality/ passivity
- Use of new gender models as forms of postcolonial social control and ethnocentric cultural critique of non-Western populations
