Psychology and gender

Question 1

The “men are to culture as women are to nature” motif assumes:

Answer 1

1. The differences between men and women are are due to essentialism i.e. intrinsic, inherent and biological differences or an essence that people are born with that makes them a man or women.
2. Men are naturally publicly oriented, rational and thinking beings, masculine, uncomplicated and straightforward.
3. Women are naturally privately oriented, irrational and feeling beings, sensitive, complicated and complex.

Question 2

essentialism promotes

Answer 2

1. Stereotypes related to gender, sex and sexuality.

2. The idea that gender, sex and sexuality are fixed as opposed to static.

Question 3

essentialism

Answer 3

Essentialism subscribes to notions of romanticism.

Romanticism invokes cultural ideals that we all internalize and aspire towards.

Cultural ideals related to masculinity and femininity.

The culturally ideal woman and man.

These ideals do not go questioned nor unchallenged for the most part.

Culturally valued masculine and feminine ideals continue to be recycled and rehashed in different forms, especially through popular culture such as music, film, television, fashion etc.

Question 4

anti-essentialism

Answer 4

Anti-essentialism is fuelled understandings of gender, sex and sexuality as socially constructed.

In other words, anti-essentialism argues for the social constructionism of gender, sex and sexuality.

Question 5

social constructionism

Answer 5

Social constructionism maintains that gender differences are NOT the result of biological, intrinsic and inherent factors nor due to some kind of natural essence or quality.

RATHER, gender differences are constructed by societal norms, values, beliefs, attitudes, through which people actively take on and perform with one another in interactional settings, which end up reproducing/sustaining particular power relations.

The social constructionism of gender is a powerful movement because it argues that the point of gender differences is to maintain particular unequal power relations related to gender.

Social constructionism argues that categories such as men and women are politically motivated, in order to facilitate relations between people that are motivated by gender.

In other words, gender keeps people locked in relationships with each other that are bound to societal ideas around what it means to man and woman.

Social constructionism is essentially arguing that the term men and women are too rigid, they are not flexible enough to welcome differences etc.

This is an idea that feminism has taken up very strongly.

Feminism is interested in addressing the unequal power relations, violence, and various inequalities that women endure.

However, in the efforts of feminism to address the inequalities that women endure, there is one question that has fragmented and challenged feminism from within its own movement.

Question 6

feminism

Answer 6

However, in the efforts of feminism to address the inequalities that women endure, there is one question that has fragmented and challenged feminism from within its own movement.

What does it mean to be a woman?

The question of what is means to be a women has splintered feminism into several strands and movements.

What would it be important to define what it means to be a women?

And, why would this fragment the feminist movement?

Question 7

types of feminism

Answer 7

Gynocentric feminism 
Liberal feminism
Radical feminism
Marxist feminism
Black feminism 
Lesbian feminism 
Postmodern feminism
Eco-feminism 
Hip-hop feminism
Post-feminism 
Multiple stand point feminism
Difference feminism

Question 8

liberal vs radical feminism

Answer 8

For example, there is often arguments about what are differences between liberal feminism and radical feminism?

Liberal feminism is solely concerned with women having equal rights as men, to be able to do everything that men do.

For example, women should have the same sexual freedom as men.

Whereas, radical feminism argues that it is precisely because of patriarchy that women have been oppressed by men.

Patriarchy has dictated what and how women should be long before women defined themselves in the first place.

For example, women need to abandon, challenge and resist everything that makes them women such as burning their bras, not shaving etc. which will eventually lead to their freedom.