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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Chapter 4: Gender
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Core Concepts
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
The Difference Between Gender and Sex
Gender The behavioral, cultural, and psychological traits
associated with being male or female Sex
• Refers to the biological makeup of males and females, especially in terms of their reproductive organs and bodily structures
• Difficult to find significant differences between baby boys and girls, especially right after birth
• Not until early childhood the gap between genders widens
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Girls have strong tendency to be more verbal, compliant, and empathetic
Boys exhibit more aggression and independence
Studies suggest that socialization is part of the cause
Process of learning gender roles continues throughout childhood and into adolescence
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Gender Construction and Identity
Idea regarding what is and is not “normal” for a particular gender not based on biological set of traits• Product of social behavior
Childhood is primary time for developing and understanding these standards• Children follow cultural rules and try to meet
the expectations of gender they perceive themselves to be
Gender Identity
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Sociologists West and Zimmerman• There is a difference between “doing gender”
and “having gender” “Doing gender” refers to act of matching
one’s behavior to certain set of gender-related standards
“Having gender” refers to simply being male or being female
• Constructs can become so fixed that children who don’t fit the mold are often ostracized
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Patriarchy
Patriarchy• Social system in which men control majority of power
and exert authority over women and children Matriarchies
• No pure matriarchies exist in the world• Some women may seem to have more influence than
men In most cultures, there are clear lines of male
dominance in the social system• Women in general have less power in society
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Sexism
Sexism• Belief that one sex is superior to the other
In a patriarchy• Women typically viewed as weak and incapable
of matching man’s physical or intellectual prowess
Even in societies that give women same civil rights as men• Different standards placed on women
Income inequality
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
The Lolita Effect
Dr. M. Gigi Durham• The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls
and What We Can Do About It• 5 common myths about sex and sexuality:
Girls don’t choose boys. Boys choose girls, but only sexy ones
There is only one kind of sexy—preferably Caucasian Girls should work to be that type of sexy The younger a girl is, the sexier she is Sexual violence is sexy
• Myths believed to be true by impressionable girls
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Gender Roles
Gender Roles• Society’s expectations of how males and
females should think and act• Men assumed to be tough and authoritarian
Policemen, politicians, businessmen• Women nurturing and tolerant
Nurses, social workers, housewives• Our society still imposes gender roles on
children
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
History of Gender Differences
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Rooted in Religion
Gender differences and stratification often have their roots in religion• Early Christians blamed Eve for fall of man• Over time, Christianity transferred this belief to
society Gender inequality stems from and
contributes to religious beliefs around the world
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Present in the Early Colonies
Same themes followed women to the colonization of the Americas
Although women important to functioning of new society• Still treated as second-class citizens• Couldn’t own property or inherit land
Colonization was a small step toward female rights
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Effects of the Feminist Movement
Feminism• Philosophy based on political, social, and
economic equality of sexes Specifically, woman’s right to have same
opportunities as a man Mary Wollstonecraft
• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792 One of earliest examples of feminist thought Argued for woman’s right to education Set off other forms of feminist thought
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Three distinct “waves”• First wave started by early feminists:
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady• Protested legal inequality• Led to passage of the 19th Amendment ratified in 1920
• Second wave began in the 1960s with rise of women’s liberation movement
Betty Friedan: The Feminine Mystique• Introduced idea that a woman could and should seek
personal fulfillment outside home and family Era also brought to light other controversial issues
• Women’s reproductive rights and domestic violence
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Third wave began in early 1990s• Branched out to protect rights of minorities and
underprivileged women• Maxine Hong Kingston, Gloria Anzaldua, bell
hooks (née Gloria Jean Watkins), and Audre Lorde
Called attention to how race, capitalism, and gender affect the lives of women throughout the world
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Does Gender Make aDifference?
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Education
52 percent of college graduates are women Men earn majority of science and engineering
degrees Income Gap
• Difference in earnings between different demographics• Becomes wider with higher levels of educational
background Woman’s education is not valued as much as a
man’s?
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Work
Income gap between men and women created great divide in the workplace
Women earn just $0.77 for every $1 that a male counterpart makes
Gap is a financial burden and stifles woman’s career advancement and devalues her efforts
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Choices women make in workplace have an effect on how much they’re paid• Women choose positions that offer flexibility
rather than high salary• Avoid extensive overtime or business travel
because of home responsibilities• Tend to take breaks in work careers due to
maternity leave or child-rearing duties
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
2007 Cornell University study• Mothers are penalized in the workplace• Perceived by employers as less competent and
offered lower starting salaries than equally qualified childless women
• Men aren’t similarly penalized for being parents
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Politics
2008 presidential election groundbreaking on many levels• Realization of the first African American president• Potential for first female president or vice president of
the United States Only 17 of the 100 members of the Senate are
women Women account for only 17% of House of
Representatives Women face same double standard in politics as
they do in educational institutions, social settings, and workplace
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Health
Women have a life expectancy seven years longer than men
Women start to outnumber men by around age 35• Gap continues to grow with age
Despite longer life expectancy, women often suffer from health disadvantages• Heart disease is number-one killer of women in US• Females not always given same aggressive treatment
for heart attacks Due in part to faulty idea that women are not as
susceptible to heart attacks
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Theories of Gender Related to Social Problems
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Feminist Theory
Feminist theory examines how gender affects experiences and opportunities of men and women
Feminists seek to achieve the following:• Greater equality in the workplace and in
schools• Equal opportunities for men and women• A world in which rights, opportunities, and
income are no longer stratified by gender• An end to sexual violence
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Central theme of feminism is equality for all people
Two major groups• Radical feminism and Liberal feminism
Liberal feminists tend not to stray from primary focus of feminism• Equal rights
Women should receive equal pay for equal work The right to hold political office Same educational and professional opportunities as
men Safety from domestic violence
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Radical feminists• Believe in the same core concepts as liberal feminists• See men as the social dominators• Blame patriarchal system for all forms of oppression in
society Class oppression and racial oppression
• Believe that radical action must be taken Women should avoid taking on any traditional roles
through marriage or childbearing Women should avoid participating in capitalism
because structure favors men
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Functionalism
View society as system of many parts working together to form a whole
Examine how different gender roles complement each other and help society run smoothly
Children watch and learn from parents and step into these roles early in life• Girls expected to help mothers with domestic chores• Boys primed to work outside the house as fathers do
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Conflict Theory
Interested in the struggle for power between groups• Especially economic power
“Feminization of Poverty”• Women more likely to be poor than male counterparts• Result of job and wage discrimination in system
Friedrich Engels• Women were actually the first group to be oppressed
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Symbolic Interactionism
Look at micro-interactions of daily life and how they influence the ways in which issues are perceived
Gender role definitions more fluid in society today than 50 years ago• Societal views on household labor have been
modified
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Social Policies in Place to Prevent Domestic Violence
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Preventing Domestic Violence
Oppression becomes abuse• When it starts to cause physical, emotional, sexual, or
psychological harm National Institute of Justice and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention 2000 survey• A large number of these crimes go unreported
Only 1/5th of rapes, 1/4th of physical assaults, and 1/2th of stalking committed against women by their intimate partners are reported
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Abuse is about power and control and can come in many forms• Some abusers use intimidation• Children involved in the relationship may be
used as pawns in the struggle• Abuse can occur through no contact at all
Isolating the victim and making her feel insecure and alone
• Any physical attack is considered abuse
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Resources available to help victims• Often too scared or ashamed to come forward• Don’t understand that what they’re
experiencing is illegal and undeserved. Law enforcement and community
organizations• Initiated campaigns against sexual assault and
domestic violence
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Title IX
1972, Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act (Title IX)• Prohibits exclusion of any person from
participation in an educational program on basis of gender
• Most extreme controversial effect Allocation of funding to female
extracurricular activities, specifically sports• Though women’s participation in athletics has
increased, goal of equality still not met
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Continued
Still fail to receive equal funding for sports programs in girl’s schools• receive 45% of Division I scholarship money
and only 32% of recruiting dollars Title IX requires equal treatment of male and
female teams Does not require schools to spend equal
amounts of money on male and female athletes