Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Gender Stereotypes
Stereotypes are oversimplified summary description of a group of people Gender Stereotypes are simplistic descriptions of supposedly masculine male or feminine female Most people view them as bipolar, either/or. That is, a masculine male lacks any feminine traits and a feminine female lacks any masculine traits Does this apply to you? Is this realistic?
Gender System
Sex/gender system The institutionalized patterns of sex/gender differentiation These prescriptions are embedded in the institutions of societyin the economy, political system, educational system, religions, family forms and so on The consequences of this system are the focus of this class
Sex/gender systems vary historically and cross-culturally on these three interrelated components: 1) the social construction of gender categories on the basis of biological sex; 2) a sexual division of labor in which specific tasks are allocated on the basis of sex; 3) the social regulation of sexuality, in which particular forms of sexual expression are positively or negatively sanctioned
Social Stratification
Men and women and the traits associated with are unequally valued in a society. We live in a patriarchal society. Patriarchy is a sex/gender system in which men dominate women, and what is considered masculine is more highly valued than what is considered feminine. Not universal and does not benefit all groups of men equally, just as it disadvantages some women more than others
Functionalists
Men and women are physically different
Men bigger and stronger Women bear and nurse children
These biological differences lead to gender roles Gender roles not unlike a theatrical role, includes a set of behavioral requirements expected of the person occupying the role because of their sex
The work women do in the home is functional; it serves a purpose for society Women reproduce society
Giving birth to new members Teaching/socializing them to accept the cultures agreed upon values and norms Providing men and children with affection and physical sustenance
Some functionalists devalue traditional womens work; referred to as a duty and designating men as instrumental leaders in their families
Evaluating Functionalism
Major Theme: gender differences as natural phenomena deriving from human biology The problem is that this confuses sex and gender and suggests immutability Gender is in fact variable; it changes throughout time and culture Gender is a social creation, a reification, not a biological given
Evaluating Functionalism
Another consequence of depicting gender differences as natural is that this has often been used to justify inequality and discrimination on the basis of sex. Even if biology is responsible for many of the personality and behavior differences between men and women, but that does not mean one sex or gender is better than the other or that members of one sex deserve a disproportionate share of societys resources
Evaluating Functionalism
Major theme: the conception of gender in terms of roles
The notion of role focuses more attention on individuals than on social structure, and implies that the female role and the male role are complementary (i.e. separate or different, but equal). The terms are depoliticizing; they strip experience from its historical and political context and neglect questions of power and conflict. It is significant that sociologists do not speak of class roles or race roles. Stacy and Thorne (1985; 307)
Power is the ability to impose ones will upon others despite resistance. How does the notion of power relate to social change? It implies that the solution to gender inequality is simply teaching people new roles when in fact far reaching and effective social change requires a fundamental restructuring of societys basic resources. A major weakness: is its defense of the status quo
A Paradigm Revolution
When paradigms can no longer explain social conditions or problems without being revised in some fundamental way a paradigm revolution is likely. One paradigm is better suited than another for explaining current conditions Functionalism was eclipsed by another paradigm, feminist paradigm.
Sexism
Sexism is the differential valuing of one sex, usually men, over the other. Sexism is sociology 1) most sociological studies were conducted by men, using male subjects, although the findings were generalized to all people. 2) Gender was considered an important category of analysis only in a limited number of sociological subfields, such as marriage and family, whereas in all others, it was ignored 3) When women were studied, their behavior and attitudes were analyzed in terms of a male standard of normalcy or rightness.
Most of what we have known as the study of society was the study of male society. Gender is a fundamental consideration for feminists; it influences social relations Goal is to create a holistic view of how women and men because of different locations within the social structure, encounter different opportunities and constraints. Social arrangements lead to different experiences and life chances for men and women Feminist- reject the traditional model of science As establishing mastery over subjects, and demanding the absence f feeling, and as enforcing separateness of the knower from the known, all under the guise of objectivity. Instead they adopt an empathetic stance toward their research subjects.
Sexual politics the examination of gender inequality as rooted not only in the public sphere, but also in the privacy of our kitchens and bedrooms, in the intimate relationships between women and men. 1966 National Organization for Women (NOW)
Founded by Betty Friedan and 27 others who were representing state womens commissions at a national assembly in Washington.
Also more radical womens groups were emerging at this time Origins in the political left and centered on college campuses. Struck by the glaring contradiction between radical men in the movement and the professed equality but sexist treatment towards women within the movement. This movement also crystallized lesbian movements while simultaneously causing a rift in the feminist movement because of the lesbian focus critical of heterosexual relations. Again, the 2nd wave was far from homogenous
Traditional masculinity is harmful to men also. Ex: higher rates of heart disease are linked with traditional notions of masculinity. The social category man is as diverse as woman is. Although all men benefit to some degree from the patriarchal dividend the distribution of societal resources varies among men according to their race and ethnicity, social class, age, physical ability, and sexual orientation. Mens liberation has divided into two camps: Male-identified and female-identified Male-identified branch of the mens rights movement is composed of mens rights groups who view male privilege as an illusion and it is women who ultimately are privileged. Men are victims of womens abuse; men are seduced by women then falsely accused of rape, men are routinely denied custody of their children following a divorce. Men are expected to be providers and protectors while women are exempted from military draft and do not have to pay for drinks or meals when on dates. This branch is clearly anti-feminist The female-identified branch of the mens movement is explicitly pro-feminist Argue that traditional masculinity is harmful, especially for working-class men and men of color. Sexism is a system of male domination its not enough to give women what men have. Instead its necessary to reconstruct gender and gender relations in our society. To do this, men must engage in antisexist behavior.
Contemporary Feminisms
According to Judith Lorber, 3 types: gender-reform, gender-resistance and gender-rebellion gender-reform feminisms emphasize the similarities rather than the differences between women and men.
Goal: women to have the same opportunities as men to fully participate in all aspects of social life, reflecting personal choices, not societys sexist dictates. Liberal same legal rights as men enjoy for women Marxist womens oppression is caused by economic dependence Socialist and increasing employment opportunities for women Development focuses on women in economically developing countries, improving womens educational and economic opportunities, operating within constraints of traditional cultures.
Contemporary Feminisms
Gender-resistance Feminisms argue that formal legal rights alone cannot end gender inequality because male dominance is too ingrained into everyday social relations including heterosexual sexual relations. Encourage women to form women only organizations and communities resistant because separateness resists the gendered social order but does nothing to change it. Includes:
Radical and lesbian feminisms which focus on the sexual exploitation of women by men (esp. mens violence against women) Psychoanalytic feminism uses the ideas of Sigmund Freud to explain gender inequality in terms of the sex differences in personality development Standpoint feminism attempts to examine all aspects of life from a womans unique standpoint.
Contemporary Feminism
Gender-rebellion feminism (also called third wave because of their departure from traditional feminism) that focus on the interrelationships among the inequalities of gender, race and ethnicity, social class and sexual orientation, and analyze gender inequality as one piece of a complex system of social stratification. Includes:
Multiracial feminism and Mens feminism both highlight how ones various social locations within the stratification hierarchy privilege or disadvantage groups of women or men in different ways. Social construction feminism examines the ways people construct identities and labels through their everyday interactions with one another. Postmodern feminism and Queer theory conceptualize sex and gender as social scripts and then rewrite the parts and alter the props as they see fit for specific situations; gender is fluid.