Module 1 Sex & Gender Flashcards
Sex
refers to biological make-up that determines “male” or “female (ex. chromosomal, hormonal, anatomical characteristics)
Gender
refers to social behaviors that mark us as the social constructs of masculine or feminine
Sexuality
the ways we deploy our genital autonomy, in accordance with gender roles we observe or resist
Sexuality Scripts
defines how, where, with whom and under what conditions one is to behave as a sexual being
Heterosexism
used to describe discrimination on the basis of sexuality, rather than homophobia
Social construction of Sexuality
how cultures make their own restrictions on sexuality
Performing Gender Roles
is constantly subjected to evaluation and because performances sustain the heteronormative social order; consequences for those who do not perform as expected
Rules about Sex
-(only) 2 sexes
-mutually exclusive categories
-predicts your gender
-predicts sexuality (presumed heterosexual)
-natural, incontestable facts
Rules of Gender
-recognized as gendered differences
-socially constructed
-predict what we ‘do’ in specific times, places, and relationships which make gender ‘real’
-reinforced by social interactions with others and institutions
-Intersects race, class, ability, and sexuality
Servers the needs of the powerful
Sexuality Scripts
Society vs Culture
People vs What People Create
Popular Culture (Mass Culture)
is created for and/or by the masses of ordinary people in society (ex. porn, paintings, novels, ads)
Women’s Studies
Primary focus of class; focuses on resisting/dismantling the idea of females as producers of humans and men as the producers of art and culture.
Patriarchy (Rule of Fathers)
Idea that not all men are fathers but only men can be fathers meaning women, who are unable to be father, cannot rule
Media Studies
the study of information and entertainment communications
Pop Culture
Globally, mainstream pop culture is AMERICAN and is primarily VISUAL and exclusively middle-class, white, male, hetero point of view
Monoculture of Pop Culture
the imagery and view of the working class, race, female, gay, and other characteristics are framed almost exclusively from the white, male, heterosexual viewpoint.
Pop Culture Simultaneousness
denies the heterosexual viewpoint while reinforcing it.
Eating chocolate without getting fat
Consuming Pop Culture without ingesting Patriarchal Ideology
Interpreting Pop Culture
No one true interpretation however there are plenty of false ones
5 Important Scientific Discoveries of Gender
- Link Between Feminine/Nature/Machine
- Two Sexes
- 5 Biological Races
- 4 Categories of Culture
- 2 Sexualities
Binary Thought
Hierarchical; item on left of / is more superior to the item on the right (ex. CULTURE/nature)
Link between Feminine/Nature/Machine
During Renaissance, Mother Earth was thought of as mysterious/powerful figure of benevolence and destructiveness but needed a masculine touch. Mother Nature became mother of nature and Earth became the machine of man.
Two sexes
In 1670s, the microscope allowed for two distinct entities of sperm and ovum. Women were seen as disformed versions of men and therefore lesser and this discovery made the MALE/female binary scientific “fact”.
