PPD: Social Construction of Gender Flashcards
What is sex?
Biological Fact I.e. Penis or Vagina.
.
What is gender?
Social and Cultural Characteristics associated with “Sex Differences”
What is a gendered social practice/construction?
shape women’s and men’s bodies in ways that reinforce particular cultural images of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’.
What can constructed gender identities cause?
Result in a negation or distortion of biology.
Give examples of gendered social practice
- Young Children have “Gender Identities” given to them before they can reproduce or do any other tasks - associated with sex of baby- assigned sex category based on external genitalia
- Continues as Child Grows: name, dressing child
- Child speaks about Themselves as being Male or Female.
- Child’s Gender is Established Socially so they are Treated Differently from the Other Gender.
- Parenting of Children is also Gendered with Different Expectations. E.g. Mothers (Cooking, Wash Child), Fathers (working).
- Work Roles = reflect Gender Differences E.g. Females (Primary School Teachers, Nurses), Males (STEM Subjects)
What is transcendence?
Way in which Biology can be transformed by Gendered Social Practices.
• Results from Suppression of Body Similarities and Exaggeration of Body Differences.
• i.e. At a Younger Age, Girls are Portrayed as Physically Weaker than Males (Not True as Girls are taller at this age). This causes Boys to Engage More in Physical Activity and become Stronger.
• This is all because Average Differences are converted to Absolute Differences.
What factors affect a child’s activity level?
Parental Activity has Limited Influence on the Child’s Activity Level (More of a Difference for Boys than Girls).
Social- Cultural Factors influence Physical Activity Levels in Girls more than Parental Influence & Social Cultural Difference.
Women are expected to Live Longer in Poor Health than Men.
What is the recommendation for exercise time?
Adults= 90 mins per week of physical activity but this changes
3 hours per week in primary school
5 hours per fortnight in high school
What is the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) measure?
There are 60 questions in the BSRI; for each the individual grades themselves. The BSRI is based on gender stereotypes, so what it actually measures is how well the individual fits into their traditional sex role. i.e. you are a man and score highly masculine in the test, thus you have a traditionally masculine personality
What causes death, gender or sex?
In a study by Lawlor, Ebrahim and Davey Smith (2001) which examined trends in sex differences in mortality from coronary heart disease, it was concluded that the fact that men have much higher rates of heart disease than women may be nothing to do with biological sex, but something to do with gender. The study suggested that it was gender differences in dietary habits which may be responsible for why death rates from heart disease differ so significantly between men and women.
What does BSRI do?
Assumes “Sex” and “Gender” are Not Coincidental.
- Requires Participants to have a Series of Characteristics which have been Stereotyped of Men & Women.
- From these characteristics, we derive 2 Separate Masculinity & Femininity Scores for Each Individual Participant.
- High “Masculinity” Scores were Associated with Better Health and Conversely High “Femininity” Scores with Poorer Health for both Men and Women.
- Results showed that High Social Value and Related Benefits that Arise from a More “Masculine” Gender Role Orientation.
Explain morbidity and mortality comparison between males and females:
in UK
women = lower mortality than men
women = higher morbidity than men
What is essence?
Philosophical Position that Objects have certain Natural and Unchanging Properties which make them one kind of a thing rather than any other.
• Human Behaviour Fails to Account for the Complexities of the Social Context of Behaviour Which Varies Across Cultures and Over Time.
• Should Not Concieve All Behaviour as Biologically Determined or Say Sexuality or Gender Differences is Not in any way Natural because Sexuality Presupposes Biological Powers.
