The Influence Of Culture On Gender Roles

Question 1

Define culture

Answer 1

Rules, customs, morals and child rearing practices etc that join a group together

Question 2

Individualist culture

Answer 2

Individuals more focussed on their own interests and independence

Question 3

Collectivist culture

Answer 3

More concerned with group interest first

Question 4

Traditional cultures

Answer 4

Idea of nuclear family: eg men go to work, women bring up children

Question 5

Egalitarian cultures

Answer 5

Both men and women have equal influence

Equality between the sexes

Question 6

Spatial perception skills

Answer 6

In sedimentary societies (live in one place) the division of labour is greatest as women stay home and men go hunting
Nomadic: both men and women have spatial skills as both sexes travel and hunt

Question 7

Relationship between the wealth of a society and gender roles

Answer 7

Greater wealth: less difference between men and women in terms of gender roles
Less division of labour in wealthy societies
Greater role equality in western world: women have become increasingly more equal in workplace

Question 8

Cultural similarities in gender roles- whiting and Edwards

Answer 8

Males: assertiveness, independence, self reliance
Females: food prep, child care, compliance, nurturing
Sometimes child care shared

Question 9

Mead cross cultural research

Answer 9

Studied three tribes of arapesh, mundagamor, tchambuli
Arapesh: m&f similar behaviours/ both gentle and affectionate, shared child rearing
Mundagamor: shared masculine/ macho roles, both aggressive and competitive, child rearing disliked

Question 10

Tchambuli

Answer 10

Women more dominant and men more emotionally development

Question 11

Mead’s conclusions from research

Answer 11

That sex differences were cultural rather than biological and determined by social factors rather than bio ones

Question 12

Determinism or relativism

Answer 12

Later changed view to cultural relativism rather than determinism: degree to which these behaviours are expressed are relative to the culture
Re analysis found that although women were aggressive in mundagamor and arapash were non aggressive; in all men were more aggressive than women

Question 13

Freeman criticism of Mead

Answer 13

Found evidence to suggest that the people mead studied simply provided her with the info she wanted to hear following his work with natives

Question 14

Errington and Gewert contradiction

Answer 14

Tchambuli tribe: women didn’t dominate men, nor vice versa

Question 15

Buss

Answer 15

Across 37 cultures found in every culture women look for men who have good financial prospects, older, are intelligent and ambitious
Men look for physically attractive women and prefer those who are younger
Universal sharing of what to look for in partner

Question 16

Williams and Best cross cultural research into gender stereotypes (1990)

Answer 16

Tested thousands of students in 30 different countries with 300 item adjective checklist
Ppts decide if each adjective was more freq ass with men/ women

Question 17

Findings of Williams and Best

Answer 17

Broad consensus across countries
Men: more dominant, aggressive and autonomous
Women: more nurturing, deferent and interested in affiliation
Suggests universal gender stereotypes regardless of culture

Question 18

Three criticisms of Williams and Best study

Answer 18

‘Forced choice’, wasn’t a ‘cannot say’ option
Task related to stereotypes and not actual behaviours
All ppts were uni students sharing common attributes; educated and arguably more exposed to similar global influences

Question 19

What does a similarity of gender roles across cultures suggest?

Answer 19

Gender role behaviours and biological and innate, indication of an evolutionary approach

Question 20

Culture in which men don’t strive to be ‘macho’

Answer 20

Japanese men do not seek tonne macho like American men, value being well rounded in the arts

Question 21

Criticisms of influence of culture on gender roles

Answer 21

Imposed etic; values from one culture used on another; cultural bias
Eg Mead using western ideas
Globalisation may contribute to lessening; suggests stronger social influence than biological
Interactionist argues Nature and nurture rather than exclusively one