Soci final exam Flashcards
Sex
-the biological trait that societies use to categorize people, often as male or female
gender
-the cultural meaning that societies attach to sex categories
-consists of behaviours that society considers “normal” for a person of a particular sex
-characteristics society assigns to women and men
sexuality
-refers to feelings of desire and attraction and how these are expressed: like gender and sex, sexuality is fluid and changes over time
gender role
- set of attitudes and expectations concerning behaviour that relates to the sex we are assigned at birth
-gender is social construct , a framework humans have devised to make sense of the world
cisgender
-someone who feels affinity with the socially constructed sex category they were assigned at birth- typically male or female
transsexual
-someone with the physical characteristics of one sex with a drive to belong to another
two spirit people
-an umbrella term to describe those who identify with one of the many gender roles beyond male and female
feminism
-theoretical approach that advocates for the rights of women in society
-evolved in a series of “waves” each distinguished by a different set of objectives
-4 categories
-liberal feminism
-essentialist feminism
-socialist feminism
-postmodernist feminism
liberal feminism
-seeks to secure equal rights for women in all phases of public life
-ex. education, jobs, pay
-associated with the fight for equal pay for women in comparable professions as men
criticisms:
- reflects mainly the concerns and interests of white, middle class, heterosexual, cisgender western women
-less successful in promoting the interest of women who differ in class, race, ethnicity, sexuality orientation and nationality
essentialist feminism
-differs by arguing that women and men are essentially different in the way that they think
-men and women have different world views- men view the world as competition and opposition to others while women view the world in terms of unity
-patriarchal society devalues women
criticisms:
-universalizes women, assuming that all women experience gender alike
-confuses natural instincts with strategies that women have made for coping with the demands of a patriarchal society
-encourages us to see women as “social housekeepers in worlds that men build”
socialist feminism
-looks at intersections of oppression between class and gender
- lower and middle/upper class have access to different resources and face different struggles
criticisms:
-race, ethnicity, ableism, and sexual orientation get overlooked in the focus on class
postmodernist feminism
-argues there is no natural basis for identities based on gender, race, ethnicity, and so on
-social constructionist perspective
-opposes essentialist feminism
criticisms:
-postmodernists generally problematize, but fail to arrive at conclusions
gendered occupation and education
-certain jobs and post secondary programs are gendered
-one gender will be prevalent
-work is typically imbued with gendered meanings and defined in gendered terms
-ex. nursing is associated with words like nurturing and caring which are feminine traits
applying the gender lens to life
-society continues to organize itself in ways that are gendered
-separated clothing stores for men and women
-different places for haircuts
pink always being an option for girls
feminization of work
-feminization of an occupation occurs when a particular job, profession or industry come to be dominated or predominantly associated with women
-linked to lower earning, less jobs protection, fewer benefits
gendered work today
-men outnumber women at least 2-1 in
-forestry, fishing oil, gas
-manufacturing
-construction
-agriculture
- women made up 53% of following jobs and outnumbered men by at 15% in the following categories
-finance and insurance
-educational services
-accommodation and food services
-healthcare and social assistance
2018 labour force severe shows men now make up 78% of labor force and women 78% of jobs in service providing sector
Connells four performances of masculinity
-hegemonic masculinity
-practices that normalize and naturalize mens dominance and women’s subordination
-subordinate masculinity
- practices that could threaten the legitimacy of hegemonic masculinity
-marginalized masculinity
- adaptation of masculinities to issues such as race and class
-complicit masculinity
-practices that do not embody hegemonic process but benefit from them
oppressive intersection of race and gender
-they intersect to amplify oppression
-racial prejudice and discrimination can often reinforce gender bias and vice versa
-visible minority women often stereotyped into 2 extremes
- ex. black women- aunt Jemima figure vs sexually objectified black woman
gender and immigration
- at times in history only men or women of certain ethnic groups were allowed to immigrate
-Chinese head tax (exclusion of women)
family
-core to individual and collective survival in Canada and beyond
-connection between societal and familial changes is intricate
-family plays a central role in societal formation, culture, and political and economic systems
-stories around families are reminders of cultural values learned over time
types of families
-nuclear family
-a parent or parents and children
-extended family
-include parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
-simple households
-unrelated adults with or without children
-complex households
-two or more adults who are related but not married to each other and could be reasonably be expected to live separately
change in Canadian families
-decrease in marriage rate
-rising cohabitation rate
-overall increase in divorces
-drop in number of children per family
-more lone parents
-children leaving home at later age
family in Quebec
-statistically families in Quebec are distinct from families in other parts of Canada
-highest cohabitation rate
-lowest marriage rate
-highest divorce rate
conjugal roles
-conjugal (or marital) roles: the distinctive roles of the husband and wife that result from the division of labor within the family
Botts view on conjugal roles
-Elizabeth Both said conjugal roles were:
-segregated: tasks, interests, and activities are clearly different
-joint: many tasks, interests and activities shared
Beajots view on conjugal roles
-Beaujot argues we moved from complementary to companionate relationships
-complimentary roles (botts segregated roles)
-cast men primarily as earners or breadwinners and women involved primarily in the unpaid work of childcare and housework
-companionate roles (botts joint roles)
-breadwinning and caretaking roles overlap
double burden/ second shift
-what sociologists refer to as women still doing more unpaid work at home than men, imbalance in conjugal roles
double ghetto
-describes the marginalization of working women experienced inside and outside the home
gender strategy
-acording to Nakhaie- the key to correcting gendering imbalances
-plan of action through which a person tries to solve problems at hand, given cultural notions of gender at play
ethnic factor in conjugal roles
-immigrants in some ethnic groups adhered more to segregated conjugal roles
-however immigrants slowly assimilate and adopt western approach
endogamy
-refers to marrying someone of the ethnic, religious, or cultural group as oneself
exogamy
-marrying outside your ethnic, religious or cultural group
-strong tradition to practice endogamy but Canadians are becoming increasingly more comfortable to marry outside
family and ethnicity
-history in Canada of the federal government creating policies designed to deprive racialized minorities of family
- ex. head tax on immigrants from china and South Asia
indigenous family
-food rations withheld to enforce monogamy
-residential schools created
-indigenous people forced to sterilization
-sixties scoop-removal of large numbers of indigenous children from their homes
religion
-a belief system
-one of the most powerful/influencial forces in society
-shapes life, relationships
-cultural institution and instrument for satisfaction of needs
-superhuman beings
-theism vs. atheism
theism
-pivots around belief in a sacred higher power which has the power of control over human behavior
-4 types:
-monotheism
-polytheistic religion
-animism
-totemism
monotheism
-belief in one divine power or god
-ex. Christianity or islam
polytheistic religion
-belief in many gods
-ex. hinduism
animism
-belief in ghosts or spirits which may be forces of good or evil
-spirits are reared as having a huge influence on human behaviour causing illness, accident or death
totemism
-small scale tribal societies, clans, cultures
-totme are animals or plants believed to possess supernatural powers of some kind
-ritual and ceremonies usually organized around a particular totem
atheism
-no god
-opposite of theism
-disputes against belief of any form of supernatural influence
-agnosticism
-greek word for unknowable which basically says humans cannot know the hesitance of anything beyond the phenomena of their experience
structure of religion
-all over the world there are found to be 4 elements religion is composed of:
beliefs
ritual
emotions
organization
beliefs
-strongly held conviction by the people of a religion that their object of worship can solve their problems
-religion based on beliefs and the recognition of a sacred supernatural being
ritual
-religious acts, practices and customs geared towards the worship of the sacred
-ways of honouring sacred
-reaffirms commitment of followers
-sometimes requires the observance of certain behaviours such as prayers, sacrifices, and wearing of clothes
emotions
-refers to the spirit of reverence, humility, ecstasy, and terror that is evoked in believers as they present themselves to the sacred
-believer may become engrossed by the presence of the sacred
organization
-religions characterized by some form of organization
-trained officials; priests, imams, cardinals etc who occupy the religious hierarchy with full power and authority vested in them
-ordinances, rules and laws that govern the day to day conduct
types of religious organizations
-4 types
-the church
-denominations
-sects
-cults
the church
-usually monopolistic
-hierarchy bureaucratic with flexible membership
-complex division of labour
denominations
-come into exercise when churches lose their monopoly in society
-membership is usually by birth
sects
-small, less organized religious bodies of committed members
-typically to protests larger denominations
-may have few to no leaders and little formal structure
-charisma
cults
-service based and organized around some sort of supernatural or mystical idea rather than sets of religious beliefs that must be followed rigidly
-usually costs money
-clients or customers
-people may have little involvement after learning the rudiments of the beliefs
functionalism and religion
-functionalism takes society as its unit of analysis
-liken society to a living organism that has different but interrelated systems which functions to maintain the whole
-religion serves as a form of external constraint
marxist view on religion
-religion is the opiate of the masses
-theorized that religion functions as an instrument of hegemony
-instills a false consciousness by promoting the belief that class based hierarchy was gods plan
-religion pacifies the oppressed and serves interests of bourgeoisie
conflict perspective on religion
-creates an illusion that eases the pain produced by exploitation and oppression
-justifying the domination of the ruling class over the poor
-religion is opium of poor
-acts as a drug to dull pain produced by oppression
-gives hope of supernatural intervention to solve problems
postmodern perspective on religion
-religion is influenced or shaped by postmodern philosophies
-in constant pursuit of lifestyle choices and construction of personal identity
-spiritual shopping; the belief that religion is losing its power to impose beliefs on people
-profound impacts of globalization
feminists and religion
-regard religion as a patriarchal institution that continues perpetuating inequality between male and female
-organized religions are mainly male dominated
-places of worship often segregate sexes
-sacred text usually feature the doing of male and are written by men
-women given less less
-women have subordinate roles and are marginalized
liberation theory
-progressive school of thought that advocates social justice for the poor
-rooted exclusively in the Catholic Church in Latin America
protestantism
-max weber explored idea
-protestant believed in a president elect
-membership in group is demonstrated by achieving success through hard work
-religious/cultural influence spurred people to accumulate wealth - key factor to capitalism
disengagement thesis- secularization
-disengagement seen as an important component of secularization
-church was once at centre of life but has now withdrawn almost completely
-urban lifestyles shifted away from agrarian/communal lifestyle
-greater choice of personal life
means people are less likely to turn to a priest for support
education as social institution
-influence: socialization status formation, social order and economic productivity
-categorization:
education creates enduring set of ideas used to accomplish things deemed important to society
-tool:
education serves tool to promote ideas, provide skills, modify behaviours
-schools determine a Childs potential social acceptability and social mobility
public education in canada
-before industrial revolution there was little interest in educating the masses
-education was seen as a way of achieving economic modernization
-produces social order and ensures social control
-education as a tool of assimilation
3 ways in which children of different abilities were sorted out of the mainstream
-truancy laws: punishing those who did not come to class
-tests and curriculums that standardized expectations of educational success
-health testing conducted via medical and psychological evaluations
human capital thesis
-industrial societies invest in schools to enhance the knowledge and skills of their workers
-used to justify low income among marginalized groups which is attributed to low human capital
models of public education in canada
-assimilation model
-multicultural model
-anti-racism and anti oppression model
assimilation model
-emphasizes assimilation into dominant culture
-English Canada was seen as a white protestant nation and newcomers were expected to assimilate to fit in
-this model fails to recognize racial bias inside and outside school system
multicultural model
-canadas govt implemented its official policy of multiculturalism in 1971
-preserve and promote cultural diversity
-remove barriers that denied certain groups full participation within society
-study of lifestyles, traditions and histories of cultures
-3 fundamental assumptions:
learning about ones culture would improve educational achievement
would promote equality of opportunity
would reduce prejudice and discrimination
hidden curriculum -socialization agency
-learning about expectations for heavier that tend to be more informal or unwritten
-designed to instruct on shared norms or values
-mechanism for reproducing social class
-some may argue its a latent dysfunction
correspondence principle
-most important sociological contribution
-argument that the norms and values instilled in school coresponds to the norms and values expected of individuals in capitalist society
inclusive education-critical pedagogy
-decolonizing knowledge through engaging in multiple ways of knowing and being
-centering the benefit of transformative learning
-sociological imagination
anti racism and anti oppression education
-decolonizing education and promoting inclusivity
-seeks to expose and eliminate barriers to equity
-intended to create an environment where stereotypes and racist ideas can be exposed
-sources of information can be critically examined
-alternative and mission information can be provided
-recognizes that racial inequality exists and that racism is systemic in canada
docile body
-public education creates it
-individual that has been conditioned through a specific set of procedures and practices
to behave the way administrators want them to
-3 forms of control:
-hierarchal observation: people are controlled through observation and surveillance
-normalizing judgement: individuals judged on how their actions rank in comparison to others
-examination: a normalizing gaze that establishes what differentiates and judges individuals
cultural reproduction theory
-the process whereby students are divided into categories so they can be assigned into groups of various kinds of classes
-reproduction of social structure is important
-socioeconomic status largely impacts educational achievement
anyons 5 schools
working class schools
semi skilled schools
middle class schools
affluent professional schools
executive elite schools
working class schools
-students fathers held semi skilled or unskilled jobs; some unemployed
-school entailed;
following steps of procedure
mechanical adherence to rules
very little decision making or choice
middle class schools
-students parents working in skilled, well paid trades, professional jobs or owned small businesses
-schoolwork focus on getting the right answers
-follow directions and make some choices
-books and asking teacher
affluent professional schools
-students parents employed as lawyers, engineers, executives
-students express and apply ideas and concepts
-individual thought
-work should show individuality
executive elite schools
-students fathers presidents or Vice Presidents of major companies
-developing ones analytical intellectual powers
-producing intellectual products that are top academic quality
issues in indigenous and minority education
-underrepresented in textbooks
-writers not seen as a significant source of knowledge on their own people
-disqualified knowledges
credentialism
-practice of valuing credentials over actual knowledge and ability in the hiring and promotions of staff
issues in postsecondary education
-longterm adjunct instructors
-online teaching
-mcjobs
-plagiargism
long term adjunct instructors
-number of low paid long term professors has been growing due to economic and social factors
-increasing number of post sec students
-reduction of government funding in post sec
challenges:
job competition
low pay
poor work conditions
online teaching
-driven by:
-tech improvements
-desire to make education more accessible
-cuts to post sec funding
challenges:
motivated by politics and finance
access without mobility
alienation
significant dropout rates
McJobs
-underemployment
-involuntary part time work for those seeking full time
-low wage low skill jobs for people wit valuable skills and education
-too many uni graduates for jobs offered
plagiarism
-copying another persons work or piecing work together from several sources
-increase in plagiarism caused by:
-role models
-free enterprise
-social distance
social change
-adjustments or adaptations made by a group of people in response to a change experienced in a least one part of their life
-change has:
direction- positive or negative
volume- big or small
impact/effects- who and/or what has been affected
cell phone use
-theyve changed the landscape of human interactions:
phones in class
dating
family
mental health issues
dining ettiquete
auto crashes
5 interpretations of social change
-no single model is the right one
-modernism
-conservatism
-postmodernism
-evolution
-fashion
modernism
-holds that change= progress, new things will automatically be better that the old thing it replaces
-views society as advancing along a straight path
-progress through 3 stages:
savagery, barbarism, civilization
-narrow vision
-critics note that science, tech, and industry have created as many problems as possible
conservatism
-thinkers see social change as more destructive than constructive
-belief that change is not always for the best, good to keep values and customs preserved
-critics think its a slippery slope, can lead to collapse of entire social order
-opposing globalization-2 kinds:
particularist protectionist and universalist protectionists
social darwinism
-posits that societies naturally proceed from simple to complex and only the strongest triumph
Particularist protectionist
- focus on the socioeconomic, political and cultural problems caused in their home territory by increasing processes of globalization
Universalist protectionists
-Promote the interests of the poor and marginalized group worldwide
postmodernism
-social theory that largely relates to narrations
-disputes the arguments that anyone can talk of progress or decline across all societies
-tech advances produce the digital divide
-virtual class
-3 ways in which this group acts like a class”
-responsible for loss of jobs for those who dont belong to the group
-limits internets information access
-restricts free of creativity, promoting value of pattern-maintenance
evolution
-model of social change where change is seen as adaptation to a set of circumstances
-survival of the best fit rather than the fittest
fashion
-model of social change that promotes change for its own sake
-change does not reflect value, improvement or turn for the worst
