gender
the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male
gender stratification
the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women
Israeli Kibbutz
a collective Jewish settlement where both men and women share equally in work and decision making
the Israeli Kibbutz is evidence that
culture is what defines what we consider masculine and feminine
margaret mead
if gender is based on biology, then all cultures should define masculinity and femininity the same; if gender is defined culturally, then each cultures definition will vary
George Murdock
studied more than 200 preindustrial societies and found some global agreement on which tasks are considered masculine and feminine (roles were assigned based on physical characteristics)
global perspective research
George Murdock, Margaret Mead, and the Israeli Kibbutz
matriarchy
form of social organization in which females dominate males
patriarchy
a form of social organization in which males dominate females
sexism
the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other
institutional sexism
when sexism is built into the institutions or frameworks of society (economy, educational system, government, and legal system, etc.)
the costs of sexism
1. sexism limits the talents and the ambitions of half of the population
2. masculinity in our culture encourages risk taking behavior
3. patriarchy drives men to seek control of women and themselves
4. masculinity is linked to violence, suicide, and stre
gender roles
attitudes and activities that a society links to each sex
many cultures favor infant ___ over ___
boys over girls
how does gender affect the peer group
1. young children tend to form single-sex play groups
2. these play groups teach additional gender lessons, such as what each gender prefers for activities and games
boys tend to prefer
organized, competitive games with clear rules, objectives, and winners and losers
girls tend to prefer
activities with fewer rules and rarely focus on winning as the ultimate goal; rather communication and cooperation focused instead
how does gender shape our interests and beliefs about our own abilities and even career choices
men are more likely to take courses in engineering, physics, and philosophy and women are more likely to take courses in music, dance, drama, and social sciences
how does the mass media shape how we see both men and women
men are typically seen as the leaders and aggressors, and are presented taller than women with dominant expressions while women are seen as homemakers and sexual objects, often appearing childlike or submissive in seated or lying down positions
in less than a century, women have gone from _____
20% to 59% being members of the workforce
what has led to more women in the work force
1. decline in farming
2. growth of cities
3. shrinking family size
4. rising divorce rate
what kind of work do women typically do
-administrative support work (secretaries/office workers) or service work (child care/health care)
-these two types of jobs tend to be at the low end of the pay scale, with limited opportunity for advancement and men as supervisors
what kind of work do women typically do
building trades, law enforcement, engineers, doctors, lawyers, corporate managers
glass ceiling
the invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from advancing to the top jobs in organizations
describe modern day gender and education and compare it to professional fields
women earn the majority of associate, bachelor's and masters degrees but men still dominate most professional fields. our society continues to define competitiveness, drive, and success as masculine qualities
women in the military
the number of us soldiers has increased in the last century, but US law still forbids women from taking part in "offensive" warfare because our view of women as nurturers clashes with the idea of them being trained to kill
minority
any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural difference that a society sets apart and treats as inferior
intersection theory
analysis of the interplay of race, class, and gender, which often results in multiple dimensions of disadvantage
____ argues that outside of the police and military, _____ is the most violent organization in the US
Richard Gelles; family
how is violence against women built into other cultures
1. female genital mutilation
2. arranged marriages
3. laws that allow husbands to physically abuse their wives and children
sexual harassment
comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature that are deliberate, repeated, and unwelcome
52% of victims of all violent crimes are ___
men
our culture tends to define masculinity in terms of ____. how?
aggression and violence; "real men" are tough, take risks, and are not hurt easily and male sports are more violent than women sports
why are most victims of sexual harassment women
our culture encourages men to be sexually assertive
most people in positions of power are male and they oversee women
pornography
sexually explicit material that causes sexual arousal; violates community standards of decency; lacks any redeeming social value
why is pornography a power issue
it dehumanizes women and portrays them as "playthings" of men
there is much speculation that pornography encourages
violence against women
structural-functional approach to gender
gender serves as a means to organize social life; Talcott Parsons observations
Talcott Parsons
observed that gender helps integrate society; forming a complementary set of roles that link women and men into family units.. gender plays an important role in socialization because boys and girls are taught these roles
social-conflict analysis of gender
gender involves differences in power as well as behavior
conventional ideas about gender create division and tension
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
pointed out that capitalism makes male domination even stronger
how does capitalism make male domination even stronger
1. creates more wealth, giving men greater power
2. expanding capitalist economy depends on turning people, especially women, into consumers who seek personal fulfillment by buying and using products
3. society assigns women the task of maintaining the ho
feminism
support of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism
five general principles supported by most feminists
1. working to increase equality
2. expanding human choice
3. eliminating gender stratification
4. ending sexual violence
5. promoting sexual freedom
types of feminism
1. liberal feminism
2. social feminism
3. radical feminism
liberal feminism
rooted in classic liberal thinking that individuals should be free to develop their own talents and pursue their own interests
socialist feminism
evolved from the ideas of karl marx and friedrich engels; capitalism increases patriarchy by concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a small number of men
radical feminism
-finds liberal feminism inadequate
-believe that patriarchy is so firmly entrenched that even a socialist revolution would not end it
-society must eliminate gender itself
opposition to feminism
-controversial as it calls for considerable change
-provokes criticism from both men and women who hold conventional ideas