Women and Gender Studies Flashcards
Gender schema
mental structures that an individual uses to organize knowledge and incoming information according to gender categories and in turn lead people to perceive the world in terms of gender
Male generic terms
mankind, manpower, the use of “guys” to refer to both women and men
Male precedence
male and female, boys and girls, men and women
Parallel language
words with equivalent terms for females and males
E.g., ladies and gentlemen, guys and gals
non-parallel language
language has a parallel term
E.g., Mr., Miss, and Mrs.
Androcentrism
a male-centered world view that positions men as representatives of the human condition or experience and women as diverging from the human condition
Gender-neutral language
language that is not specifically gendered (e.g., using the pronoun “they” instead of “he”, using neutral words or phrases such as “person” or “individual”, eliminating pronouns from sentences completely)
Queer
“Queer” meanings
16th century – odd or eccentric
19th century – colloquial term for gay men (often derogatory)
1960’s/1970’s – term reclaimed from its hurtful usage
1990’s – used as a critical and political identity that challenged normative ideas of sexuality and gender
2000’s – an umbrella term for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities
Gender
socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of women, men, and gender diverse people
Gender identity
how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves
Cisgender
gender identity is consistent with assigned sex at birth
Transgender
gender identity is not consistent with assigned sex at birth
Gender dysphoria
A feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth
Agender
Not identifying with any particular gender; sometimes referred to as “nongender” or “genderless”
Bigender
Identifying with two genders
Gender nonconforming
An umbrella term encompassing other terms like “genderqueer” and “genderfluid.”
Expressing or identifying gender in a way outside of or beyond cultural or societal expectations for gender expression.
Gender queer
One whose identity lies outside the gender binary of male or female
Gender fluid
A genderfluid person can identify as multiple genders and feel more like one or the other at different points in time.
Non-binary
A person who does not identify as one of the two genders on the gender binary.
Polygender
Identifying with multiple genders
Two-Spirit
A term used by Indigenous groups for someone who possess the qualities and spirit of multiple genders
Gender policing
The act of imposing or enforcing normative gender expressions on an individual who is perceived as not adequately performing these via their appearance, behaviour, or the sex that was assigned to them at birth
Sex
The different biological and physiological characteristics of females, males, and intersex persons, such as chromosomes, hormones, reproductive organs
Intersex
An umbrella term that describes bodies that fall outside of the strict male/female binary
Third sex/Third gender
An umbrella term for people across various cultures who go outside usual sex and gender boundaries
Gender as a social construct
Certain behaviors are specific to a person’s gender. This applies to the belief that boys should play with trucks and girls with dolls.
The social construction of gender is based on the idea of social construction
Sexual orientation
The attraction one has to others based on one’s sex and/or gender in relation to another’s sex and/or gender
Patriarchy
is a domination of elder men over women and younger men in a social system
is a “rule of men over women” or a structure where men are valued more highly than women
Feminism
Feminism is a social movement, an ideology, a worldview, and a theoretical perspective
Sexism
prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex
Gender parallelism
genders are separate, with different roles, but equal
Intersectionality
the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage
What is the difference between sex and gender?
Sex – has biological differences between females and males
Gender – has roles, behaviors, and identities society assigns to people
When did feminism emerge and how?
Emerged in the 19th century in Europe and north America due to women rebelling against women’s oppression
What are the characteristics of Western patriarchy?
Exclusion of women from political authority.
Exclusion from cultural authority.
Division of labour and economic exploitation.
Vulnerability to sexual exploitation.
How did feminism develop?
First wave – focus on rights and equality, civil and political rights: women’s suffrage, property rights, access to education and work (teaching, medicine, journalism, etc.); marriage (custody, names, etc.)
Second wave – Focuses on oppression and liberation, Liberal feminism with a focus on equal rights but also radical feminism that identified structural disadvantages that women face and patriarchy as the root cause of women’s subordination
Third wave – Wage gap, classism, racial discrimination, discrimination of 2SLGBTQ+ people, fluid gender identities, media image, lack of representation, sexual violence and harassment, choice
Fourth wave- internet, language, and campaigns against body shaming, for women’s empowerment, sexual harassment and violence, and the deconstruction of gender norms
What are the main theories of feminism? And how do they differ from each other?
Liberal Feminism - Equal opportunity for men and women; meritocracy but also some support for affirmative action
Radical Feminism - Abolishment of patriarchy, women’s empowerment
Socialist feminism - Restructuring of social and economic structures and women’s liberation
Queer theory
One’s preferred or perceived sexuality does not affect one’s social position; disrupting binaries
Who is Kimberle Crenshaw?
Coined the term “intersectionality” in a paper: Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics
Scholar of critical race theory, civil rights, social justice, Black feminist legal theory, and race/racism and the law
What are the origins of intersectionality?
Developed out of Black feminist thought in the 19th century
Black women involved in both “a woman question” and a “race problem”
Divisions between the “sex” and “race” emancipation struggles
“Proto-intersectional” analyses identified as early as the 1830’s in Black feminism
Mostly through activist organizing and campaigning that challenged racism and sexism simultaneously
Recognition not just of multiple identities, but of multiple systems of oppression that work together and reinforce one another
What are the critiques of intersectionality?
The use of Black women as prototypical intersectional subjects
A lack of clearly defined intersectional methodology
The ambiguous definition of intersectionality
The coherence between intersectionality and lived experiences of multiple identities
How can intersectionality be applied in social work?
Continuously develop critical and structural analyses of issues clients face
Practice self-awareness and critical self-reflection, particularly regarding privilege
Subvert normative power dynamics
How did the feminist views on reproduction evolve?
Women were concerned about “excessive sexual demands on wives”
Women’s rights to refuse marital sex to avoid pregnancy
Early feminists associated condoms with easier access to prostitutes
Abortions were unsafe and could lead to death
What are the feminist pro-choice arguments?
Legal abortion is often safe, illegal is unsafe.
Woman’s body - woman’s choice.
The decision is intimate and therefore, a private matter – nobody can interfere into women’s decisions.
Women should be able to control their own reproduction and sexuality.
Women are affected uniquely by pregnancy, therefore they should be the ones to decide.
Women should not be forced to abort and they should feel safe to give birth
Fetuses are not persons are dependent on women’s body.
What is the relationship between eugenics and sterilization?
Eugenicists supported the sterilization of other races, the poor, the immigrants, and the disabled.
What is reproductive justice and how does this differ from the discussion on reproductive rights?
Reproductive rights are not only a choice and access to abortion but also it is about achieving and fighting for reproductive justice, especially for Indigenous women and women of color.
Reproductive justice includes:
(1) the right to have a child;
(2) the right not to have a child;
(3) the right to parent own children;
(4) the right to control birthing options, such as midwifery;
(5) the right to parent children in safe and healthy environments
Patriarchy
Patriarchy originates from the Greek “rule of the father.” It is a “historic creation” that was understood as a social structure where men were valued more highly than women. However, with queer theory, we also talk about heteropatriarchy, referring to the imposition of heteronomativity.
Economic man
The typical individual of mainstream economic models
Engages in market transactions
Supports himself by earning an income from paid employment
Spends the money he earns on consumption goods
Occupational segregation
The separation of women and men into different types of occupational industries, roles, and tasks
Horizontal segregation: When men and women work in different types of occupations
Vertical segregation: When men work in higher grade occupations and women work in lower grade occupations
Glass ceiling
The glass ceiling: Invisible barriers that keep women from promotion to upper management and leadership positions in the business world
Glass cliff
The glass cliff: The tendency for women to be appointment to leadership positions that are risky or precarious (e.g., during a time of financial decline, scandal, or crisis)
Motherhood Penalty
A phenomenon where women’s pay decreases after having a child
Fatherhood Bonus
A phenomenon where men’s pay increases after having a child
Gendered division of labour
The way each society divides work among men and women or boys and girls, according to socially established gender roles or what is considered suitable and valuable for each sex
Domestic labour
Cleaning and household maintenance, cooking, household errands (shopping for groceries, household supplies, etc.), laundry, caring for children and/or other family members
Second shift
double burden, or double shift: The situation of women who engage in paid work outside of the home and unpaid domestic work inside the home
Third Shift
triple burden, or triple shift: The situation of women who engage in paid work outside of the home, domestic labour inside the home, and childcare
Emotional labour
Emotional management and life management combined
Unpaid, invisible work performed to keep others happy
Beauty premium
The notion that physically attractive workers are more likely to be hired, promoted, and earm high salaries
Halo effect
When people attribute socially desirable personality traits to physically attractive individuals
Gender-based violence
violence committed against a person “because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender
Colonization
Colonization is a process of acquiring someone else’s land for economic ends. However, a human-being is central to the process of colonization because land occupied is rarely empty. Colonization is a form of domination - ideological, psychological, and political. Colonization deprives humans of their power to have control over their lives. Colonization is a process that invalidates the past, takes away the control of the present and deprives people of the power to define their future
Double colonization
Often, women experience oppression of colonialism and patriarchy simultaneously in colonized societies; women are “twice colonized – by colonialist realities and representations, and by patriarchal ones, too.” This is often referred to as “a double colonization
What are the gendered features of feminist economics?
An understanding of gender as a fundamental category of analysis in economics
The need to value unpaid domestic labour and caregiving
The use of human wellbeing as a measure of economic success
The implementation of intersectional analysis, taking into consideration the different social layers that define people’s lives and identities
The belief in the importance of social action and in the need to incorporate ethical judgments in economic analysis
Why is there a gender pay gap?
Women underrepresented in leadership roles
Differences in working hours
Occupational segregation and feminized jobs
Education
Time out of the workplace
Unexplained parts in the gap
What is the impact of domestic labour on women?
Mental and physical health
* Increased cortisol levels
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Stress
* Isolation
* Burnout
* Less time to rest
Economic security and paid labour
* Ability to participate in the paid labour force
* Career progression
* General economic security
What are the expressions of eurocentrism in our understanding of beauty?
Eurocentrism: Reflecting a tendency to interpret the world in terms of European or Anglo-American values and experiences
Beauty standards that favour European features
Lighter coloured skin
Lighter coloured eyes (blue, green, hazel)
Small noses
Straight hair
Domestic labour within heterosexual and 2SLGBTQ+ relationships, do they differ?
Discrimination, income disparities, and barriers to finding employment
What is the typology of gender-based violence?
Self-directed violence (self-starvation, e.g.)
Interpersonal violence
Intimate partner violence; intimate partner sexual assault
Sexual violence (rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment)
Human trafficking
Stalking
Technology-facilitated violence
Femicide
Gender-based microaggressions
Collective violence
Custom-based (FGM, honour killings, neglect of girls versus boys, child marriage).
Rape as a weapon of war
MMIWG
What are the theoretical perspectives on GBV and how do they differ from each other?
Biological: Head injury, infection, genetics - eliminates responsibility for the offender.
Psychological: personality disorder, psychopathology, substance use, etc. – limited capability to explain causes of violence, including structural ones.
Feminist: cycle of violence, learned helplessness, coercive control, power and control, patriarchy.
Sociological: social learning theory, resource theory, social norms, nested ecological framework.
What are the discussions around terms victim and survivor?
Victim/survivor
Some feminists advocate for the use of the term “survivor”
it recognizes women’s agency: many women resist. They are not just victims.
Others argue for the use of victim
It can centre the structural causes of GBV.
Forces victims to be strong.
What is IPV and what are its forms?
actual or threatened physical, psychological, or sexual violence by a current or former partner - is the most common violence perpetrated against women
physical violence
sexual violence
psychological violence
economic abuse
technology abuse (TFIPV)
Coercive control
Post-separation abuse
What is the impact of IPV?
Physical health-related: fractures, injuries, death.
Mental health-related: anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance use and self-harm
Socio-economic impact: difficulty to find a job, loss of housing, etc.
Socio-political impact: loss of immigration status, barriers to accessing justice
Impact on interpersonal relationships and social isolation: difficulty to make friends, isolation, reputation damage, etc.
Impact on mothering and children: accused of alienating children’s fathers, intensive mothering, etc.
What is the difference between formal and informal help-seeking for IPV?
Informal help-seeking is seeking help from friends and family, neighbours and colleagues at work.
Formal help-seeking is seeking help from social services, police, shelter, CFS, and others.
What is power and control wheel? How does it explain IPV?
Using intimidation
Using emotional abuse
Using iolation
Minimizing dinying and blamng
Using children
Using male privallage
Using economic abuse
Using coerson and threats
How has gender been imposed on Indigenous nations in the process of colonization?
Some Indigenous men collaborated with colonizers. “The white colonizer constructed a powerful inside force as colonized men were coopted into patriarchal roles.”
E.g., the British took some Cherokee men to England and gave them education.
Intersection of race and gender constitutes the coloniality of power. This contributed to the construction of an image of white womanhood versus Black/Indigenous female.
The white women were seen as “sexually pure,” “passive,” and “heterosexual” whereas Indigenous/Black women were seen as “animals,” “wild,” and “sexual.” “Women of color are seen as over sexualized and thus undeserving of the social and sexual protection accorded to white middle-class women.”
“Men of color are viewed not as the protector, but rather the aggressor–a threat to white women.”
What is the male gaze?
is a sexualized way of portraying women. By objectifying women, the male gaze represents women through the sexual desires of heterosexual male viewers. It depicts the female body and personality as an object for men to view, own, and conquer.
What is the female Gaze?
aims to empathize rather than objectify, to show emotion and intimacy while also showing respect
