social construct of gender Flashcards
what is gender
Gender refers to the social and cultural perceptions associated with ‘sex’ differences - socially constructed as ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’.
what are gendered social practises
Gendered’ social practices are those activities which serve to reinforce particular cultural images of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’.
what is masculinity?
Masculinity refers to male bodies (sometimes symbolically and indirectly), but is not determined by male biology.
what is femininity?
Femininity refers to female bodies (sometimes symbolically and indirectly), but is not determined by female biology.
how are gendered identities reinforced
The imposition of gender identities is reinforced from birth, through naming, dress, and the use of other gender markers. For example, through sex-typing of clothes (beginning with blue baby clothes for boys and pink for girls).
Once a child’s gender is socially ascribed, they are then usually treated differently from children who are ascribed to the other gender.
Children respond to the imposition of a gender category by feeling and behaving differently – they take on a gender identity. And, as soon as they can talk, children start referring to themselves as members of their gender.
Parenting is gendered, with different expectations for mothers and for fathers.
While work roles also have traditionally reflected the imposition of gender differences.
describe the concept of transcendence
The concept of transcendence is utilised to signify the ways in which socially constructed gender identities can result in a negation or distortion of biology
consequences of gender identities
can result from the social suppression of bodily similarities and the exaggeration of bodily differences.
Culturally, girls are frequently portrayed as physically weaker than boys even though at an early developmental stage they may well be taller and stronger than their male peers.
This socially constructed gender difference is reinforced through the traditional encouragement of boys, but not girls, to engage in strenuous physical exercise.
This difference can and does have a long term effect on health of both groups.
how can gender identities affect sportiness
It was found that children’s exposure to narrow gender norms around boy’s versus girl’s activities, and a failure to adapt the types of sports offered can instil this lack of enjoyment and body confidence, and in turn shape attitudes to physical activity into adulthood.
The Health Survey for England (2016) reported that boys were more likely than girls to have participated in any formal sports in the last week (51% and 41% respectively)
This gender difference in activity levels has been found to be only weakly linked to social class difference (as measured by household income), and parental levels of activity. The existence of this gender difference, noting that this has gradually narrowed since the Health Survey for England first began to assess activity levels (see Fig 1) reflects the wider influence of socio-cultural factors on the physical activity levels of children.
These gender differences in activity levels has have long-term consequences in terms of poorer health outcomes for women in later life.
Participation in physical activity being just one example of the differing experience of social determinants of health across the life course that are shaped by gender roles (Allen & Sesti:2018).
Women have a longer life expectancy than men (lower mortality), but typically experience higher levels of morbidity (chronic illness and disability).
In addition, women (from birth) can expect to spend a lesser proportion of their lives (76%) free from disability compared with men (79.5%) – ONS:2016
what is the bsri
Bem Sex Role Inventory
The BSRI does not assume that sex and gender (the biological and the social) are coincidental. It is premised on the assumption that masculinity and femininity are both conceptually and empirically distinct characteristics.
It requires study participants to endorse a series of characteristics which have been judged to be stereotypical of men (masculine) or women (feminine).
From these endorsements, it becomes possible to derive two separate masculinity and femininity scores for each individual participant.
describe how femininity and masculinity are associated with health
In the Annandale and Hunt 1990 study, the measure was used to explore whether observed male and female differences in health status might mask an association of a ‘feminine’ gender role orientation with relatively poor health, and a ‘masculine’ gender role orientation with relatively good health, in both men and women.
A multivariate analysis assessed the relative importance of ‘sex’ (male/female), and high/low ‘masculinity’ and high/low ‘femininity’ for the self-reported health of a sample of 35 year olds living in Scotland.
It was found that when measures of masculinity and femininity were included in the analysis, the significance of biological ‘sex’ difference disappeared.
High ‘masculinity’ scores were associated with reported better overall health, and conversely, high ‘femininity’ scores with poorer health, for both men and women.
reflecting the high social value and related benefits that accrue from a more ‘masculine’ gender-role orientation.
