sociology chapter 8 outline

7/31/2019 Sociology Chapter 8 Outline

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Chapter 8 Outline

Feminism -an intellectual, consciousness-raising movement based on the idea that womenand men should be accorded equal opportunities and respect.

The movement of feminisms chief goal- getting people to understand that gender is anorganizing principle of life.

Gender structures social relations on unequal ground, thus power is fundamentally at playwhen we talk about gender differences.

Sex - the natural or biological differences that distinguish males from females sexuality --refers to desire, sexual preference, sexual identity, and behavior gender-- a social construct that consists of a set of social arrangements that are built around

sex.

The study of gender involves-- looking very closely at the relationship betweennature and nurture and not assuming that one overshadows the other or that there is a

clear line separating the two.

It is common to think that-- there are only two sexesmale and femaleand that all peoplefall into one group or the other, and indeed this is a way of imposing order in a chaotic world.

But there is evidence to suggest that we need to embrace a more expansive definition of sex,

one that goes beyond two rigid and distinct categories.

The Ancient Greeks thought --that there was one body, the male body, and that the femalebody was its inversion. This notion endured until the mid-eighteenth century.

Essentialism and biological determinism-- assign gender and explain gender differencespurely in terms of natural or biological attributes.

We can expand our understanding of gender differences by-- examining other cultures to seehow they construct gender and by looking back in history to see how ideas about gender have

changed.

Some theorists claim that there is a ____________in society todayan ideal notion of aman that is so dominant, people arent even really aware of it. However, the notion of the

ideal man has changed over time, once again proving that gender is not a rigid, unchanging

category-- hegemonic masculinity

Gender roles --- sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany ones status as a male orfemale. However, there is much evidence showing that gender roles have more to do with

social status than biology

A structural functionalist approach to studying gender ---assumes that gender differencesexist to fulfill necessary functions in society, but it doesnt allow for the possibility that otherstructures could fulfill the same function or for the fact that structures change throughout

history.

Psychoanalytic theories about gender ---focus on individualistic explanations for genderdifferences as opposed to societal ones. Inherent in these theories is the notion that natural

differences exist between men and women that dictate how they behave.

Socialist feminists--- argue that all social relations, including relations between workers andthe owners of the means of production, stem from unequal gender relations.

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Social constructionists--- argue that gender is a process in which people participate withevery social interaction.

Black feminists ---have pointed out that gender doesnt function in a vacuum and thatgender studies must take into account that no single category of women or men exists. Indeed

some women are not only more privileged than other women but are even more privileged

than some men. postmodern theorists---question the whole notion of woman as a separate, stable

category and question the value and appropriateness of Western scholars applying their

cultural logic to the study of non-Western societies.

Middle-range theories--- may be the most useful in addressing the complicated subject ofgender because they connect peoples day-to-day experiences to larger social forces.

Much like gender differences, sexual practices-- vary across time and place, whichsupports the notion that sexuality is as much a social construct as gender is.

Some feminists see sexuality--as an expression of the unequal distribution of power betweenmen and women and argue that women dont really choose heterosexuality but have it

imposed on them by a male-dominated society.

Homosexual--refers to the social identity of a person who has sexual attraction to and/orrelations with people of the same sex, is a concept or identity that emerged in the mid-

nineteenth century.

Michel Foucault--- relates the emergence of the homosexual identity to the development ofstates and scientific disciplines and a desire in both arenas to monitor and categorize people

and behavior. Foucault also introduced the notion that self-surveillance is a form of social

control.

Studies show that gender inequality--- is rampant in schools. Boy and girls are treateddifferently by teachers and different expectations exist for their behavior and performance.

The textbooks and other materials used in schools often reinforce gender stereotypes.

While women are a significant part of the workforce today--they still face many challenges inthe working world, including unequal pay, sexual harassment, sexism, tracking to certain

kinds of jobs, the feminization of jobs, the glass ceiling, and more.

When women do obtain positions that are typically dominated by men--- they face enormouspressure. There is a sense that all women will be judged based on their performance, and they

are often caught in a Catch-22 with regard to their behavior. If they act just like a man, they

are seen as unfeminine and somehow unattractive; if they exhibit more feminine qualities,

they are seen as not tough enough.

Men working in female-dominated fields--- dont seem to face the same scrutiny andchallenges. In fact, studies show that such men advance more quickly (via the glass

escalator) than their female counterparts.

Opting out ---refers to a perceived trend among mostly middle-class women of leaving theworkforce to be full-time wives and mothers, in large part because of frustrations with themany obstacles they face on the job and the sense that they can find fulfillment in the home.