Sociology - Chapter 12 - Gender and Sexuality

Bisexual

A category of sexual orientation that includes those who are attracted to both men and women.

Heterosexual

A category of sexual orientation that includes those who are attracted to members of the opposite sex.

Homosexual

A category of sexual orientation that includes those who are attracted to members of the same sex.

Institutional Discrimination

A pattern of treatment that systematically denies a group access to resources and opportunities as part of society's normal operations.

Heteronormativity

A term that sociologists use to describe the cultural presupposition that heterosexuality is the appropriate standard for sexual identity and practice and that alternative sexualities are deviant, abnormal or wrong. An example, a 1957 survey found that 'four out of five people believed that anyone who preferred to remain single was 'sick,' 'neurotic,' or 'immoral.'" It is a form of ethnocentrism that generalizes a particular cultural ideal (heterosexuality) onto all other populations, thus denying legitimacy to those outside it. It can be maintained in subtle, often invisible ways during our everyday interactions.

Glass Ceiling

An invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified individual in a work environment because of the individual's gender, race or ethnicity.

Standpoint Theory

Because our social positions shape our perceptions, a more complete understanding of social relations must incorporate the perspectives of marginalized voices. Given that the views of some (based on their gender, sex, race etc.) are privileged over others, this theory emphasizes the importance of listening to the voices of those who are in some way considered outsiders.

Functionalist on Gender and Sexuality

Gender roles establish the proper behavior, attitudes, and activities expected of men and women for a stable society. Shifts in sexuality are a consequence of changes in what modern societies need, especially in terms of reproduction, to maintain social order. Families need both an instrumental leader and an expressive leader; historically women's natural gravitation to expressive goals freed men for instrumental tasks, and vice versa. Gender roles, Instrumental Leader, Expressive Leader

Intersectionality

Gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class must not be studied in isolation, because they have intermingled effects on our identity, knowledge and outcomes. Rather, these combine within us in ways that make it difficult to separate the effects of each. Thus research must analyze the intermingled effects of multiple social statuses on identity, knowledge and outcomes.

Cisgender

Is a characteristic of people having a gender identity, which is the same sex as when they were born.

Feminism

The belief in social, economic, and political equality for women. Change is possible. People have fought against existing cultural assumptions about what is natural in order to advance opportunity for women in politics, the economy, and other spheres of public and private life.

Sex

The biological difference between males and females. From those earliest days, it shapes how others will interact with us as newborns. Later it influences the clothes we wear, the friends we choose, the kinds of games we play, the college majors we consider, the types of jobs we have, the amount of money we are paid, and much more.

Sexual Orientation

The categories of people to whom we are sexually attracted. Sexual expression is not simply a result of biological urges and instincts. It is situated within, and an outgrowth of, existing social, cultural, and historical process. Through alternative expressions of sexuality have a long history in the United States, their existence and practice has not always been acknowledged.

Second Shift

The double burden-work outside the home followed by child care and housework-that many women face and few men share equitability. Drawing on national studies, she concluded that women spend 15 fewer hours each week in leisure activities than their husbands. In a year, these women work an extra month of 24-hour days because of the second shift; over a dozen years, they work an extra year of 24-hour days.

Multiple Masculinities

The idea that men learn and play a full range of gender roles. These may include a nurturing-caring role, an effeminate-gay role, or their traditional role.

Sexuality

Denotes our identities and activities as sexual beings. In terms of identity, our sexuality represents an expression of who we are in a way similar to gender, race, ethnicity and class. In terms of our sexual practices, sexuality shapes what we do (or do not do) and with whom.

Interactionist on Gender and Sexuality

Our conceptions of gender and sexuality are not determined by biology but, rather, are the consequences of historical, social, and cultural practices over time. Male-Female differences and heterosexual preferences get reinforced through everyday interaction, such as giving trucks to boys and dolls to girls. The negative responses people have when gender and sexuality norms are broken-reinforce existing dominant roles. Social Construction, Gender norms, Roles.

Transgender

People who appear to be biologically one sex but who identify with the gender of the other.

Sexism

The ideology that claims one sex is superior to the other sex. Sociologists are interested in understanding the 'consequences of difference,' that is, the impact the social structures we build have on the distribution of valued resources. When it comes to gender, sociologists investigate the degree of sexism that exists within social systems. The term generally refers to male prejudice and discrimination against women. It is not enough, however, to understand gender inequality only by looking at the attitudes and practices of individuals, such as sexist remarks and acts of aggression.

Instrumental Leader

The person in the family who bears responsibility for the completion of tasks, focuses on distant goals, and manages the external relationship between one's family and other social institutions.

Expressive leader

The person in the family who bears responsibility for the maintenance of harmony and internal emotional affairs. According to their theory, women's interests in expressive goals frees men for instrumental tasks, and vice versa.

Conflict on Gender and Sexuality

The presumption that gender is determined by nature results in a belief that biology is destiny, an ideology that reinforces the existing system of gender inequality. Heteronormativity is a form of power that limits alternative expressions of sexuality and contributes to discrimination. Even after the feminist movements produced substantial changes, women still face significant discrimination in wages, occupations and politics. Ideology, Discrimination, Sexism.

Gender

The social and cultural significance that we attach to the biological differences of sex.