Mod 12: Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)

-explicitly limiting the definition of "marriage" to a union between one man and one woman

transgender

-individuals who identify with a gender that is the different from their biological sex -not all transgender individuals choose to alter their bodies (MTF) or (FTM) -ome hypotheses suggest biological factors such as genetics or prenatal hormone levels as well as social and cultural factors such as childhood and adulthood experiences explain why people are transgender

the social construction of sexuality

-refers to the way in which socially created definitions about the cultural appropriateness of sex-linked behavior shape the way people see and experience sexuality

gender role

-refers to society's concept of how men and women are expected to look and how they should behave -roles are based on norms, or standards, created by society

gender dysphoria

-a condition of people whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with -removes some of that stigma by taking the word "disorder" out of gender identity disorder while maintaining a category that will protect patient access to care

gender identity

-a person's deeply held internal perception of their own gender

heterosexism

-a set of institutional practices that privilege heterosexuals and heterosexuality over other sexual orientations

stratification

-a system in which groups of people experience unequal access to basic, yet highly valuable, social resources

Feminist Theory

-a type of conflict theory that examines inequalities in gender-related issues -see sexuality as another area in which power differentials are present and where dominant groups actively work to promote their worldview as well as their economic interests

Queer Theory

-an interdisciplinary approach to sexuality studies that identifies Western society's rigid splitting of gender into male and female roles and questions its appropriateness -highlights the need for a more flexible and fluid conceptualization of sexuality—one that allows for change, negotiation, and freedom

Structural Functionalism

-argue that gender roles were established well before the pre-industrial era when men typically took care of responsibilities outside of the home, such as hunting, and women typically took care of the domestic responsibilities in or around the home -these roles were considered functional because women were often limited by the physical restraints of pregnancy and nursing and unable to leave the home for long periods of time -during WWII, many women had to assume the role of breadwinner (or modern hunter-gatherer) alongside their domestic role in order to stabilize a rapidly changing society -when the men returned from war and wanted to reclaim their jobs, society fell back into a state of imbalance, as many women did not want to forfeit their wage-earning positions

Symbolic Interactionism

-meanings attached to symbols are socially created and not natural, and fluid, not static, we act and react to symbols based on the current assigned meaning -focus on the meanings associated with sexuality and with sexual orientation -interested in how discussions of homosexuals often focus almost exclusively on the sex lives of gays and lesbians -also focus on the slurs used to describe homosexuals -constant exposure to derogatory labels, jokes, and pervasive homophobia would lead to a negative self-image, or worse, self-hate

sexual orientation

-physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to a particular sex -heterosexuality: the attraction to individuals of the other sex -homosexuality: individuals of the same sex -bisexuality: individuals of either sex -asexuality: a lack of sexual attraction or desire for sexual contact -pansexuality: an attraction to people regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, or gender expression -queer: an umbrella term used to describe sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression -possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, but there has been no evidence that links sexual orientation to one factor

gender

-refers to behaviors, personal traits, and social positions that society attributes to being female or male -may vary greatly between different societies

sex

-refers to physical or physiological differences between males and females, including both primary sex characteristics (the reproductive system) and secondary characteristics such as height and muscularity -characteristics of sex will not vary significantly between different human societies

sexism

-refers to prejudiced beliefs that value one sex over another

biological determinism

-the belief that men and women behave differently due to differences in their biology

gender socialization

-the process by which individuals are informed about the norms and behaviors associated with their assigned sex -occurs through four major agents of socialization: family, education, peer groups, and mass media -when children do not conform to gender expectations, they may face negative sanctions such as being criticized or marginalized by their peers

Conflict Theory

-view men as the dominant group and women as the subordinate group -social problems are created when dominant groups exploit or oppress subordinate groups -owner-worker relationships can be seen in the household because women commonly rely on their spouse for economic support -contemporary conflict theorists suggest that when women become wage earners, they can gain power in the family structure and create more democratic arrangements in the home -the purpose of encouraging sexual activity in the confines of marriage is to intensify the bond between spouses and to ensure that procreation occurs within a stable, legally recognized relationship to provide offspring the best possible chance for appropriate socialization and the provision of basic resources -homosexuality cannot be promoted on a large-scale as an acceptable substitute

sexuality

-viewed as a person's capacity for sexual feelings -each society, however, interprets sexuality and sexual activity in different ways -the incest taboo is present in every society -religion has been the greatest influence on sexual behavior in most societies, but in more recent years, peers and the media have emerged as two of the strongest influences

doing gender

-when people perform tasks or possess characteristics based on the gender role assigned to them