Chapter 9: Constructing Gender and Sexuality

a term used when gender identity and/or expression aligns with the sex assigned at birth

cisgender

belief in the superiority of cisgender persons and identities

cisgenderism

Type the phrase that is short for the process of revealing one's homosexual or bisexual identity.

coming out

an individual's behavioral manifestations of gender

gender expression

an individual's self-definition or sense of gender

gender identity

a term used when gender identity and/or expression differs from societal expectations about gender roles

gender nonconforming

Textbooks often still contain sexist language and gender stereotypes. In the social structure of the school itself, women tend to be concentrated at the lower levels, as teachers and aides, while men tend to occupy upper-management and administrative positions. Of which concept are these alternative forms?

gender role socialization

In which ways do human sex characteristics vary between all males and females?

secondary sex characteristics, primary sex characteristics, dominant hormone, chromosomes

Sometimes "A" is added to the LGBTQ acronym. What does the "A" stand for?

Allies

What are the major agents of socialization that enforce gender roles?

the media, schools, families, peers

Place each social theorist's work in the order in which it was published from first to last.

Harold Garfinkel studied a trans woman named "Agnes.", Zillah Eisenstein suggested the potential losses for men under a system without gender segregation, Catharine MacKinnon argued that gender and power are inextricably intertwined in our society.

Alice came to the realization that she is attracted to other girls her age. Now that she's started her sophomore year in high school, she wants to ask out girls without being afraid of the consequences. She tests her friends' acceptance of these feelings first by mentioning a hypothetical friend at another high school who just came out as a lesbian. Alice's friends overwhelmingly believe that homosexuality is wrong and that anyone who is not heterosexual is a deviant. What concept do the opinions of Alice's friends exemplify?

Heteronormativity

Which of the following statements accurately explains why gender inequality has existed in various societies?

In modern society, women experience both institutional and individual discrimination in a wide variety of forms, In hunter/gatherer societies, women did not have the physical strength to participate fully in hunting and warfare, In hunter/gatherer societies, women did not have the time to participate fully in hunting and warfare due to duties related to children.

One of the findings of modern sociology is that sexuality is socially constructed so that what is abnormal in one social framework may be normal in another. Which items illustrate this point?

In one New Guinea tribe, performing fellatio is part of a boy's normal rite of passage into manhood., Mouth-on-mouth kissing is considered unsanitary and bizarre by certain African and South American tribes.

second wave

It was associated with Betty Friedan, Its main causes were equal access to education and employment, Its key event was the establishment of the National Organization for Women.

first wave

Its key event was a convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, It was associated with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Its main cause was the campaign to win the vote for women, or the suffrage movement.

third wave

Its main cause was globalization, It introduced a focus on intersectionality.

How does Talcott Parsons's sex role theory explain the rise of the nuclear family as an ideal for raising children?

The nuclear family serves the interests of capitalism

True for boys

They receive more attention and instructional time and are more likely to be called on in class, They are posed with more challenging questions or tasks and are given more praise for the quality of their work.

True for girls

They tend to earn higher grades in elementary school, They are typically credited for hard work rather than intellectual ability.

Gender role socialization begins before birth.

True

The men's liberation movement is made up of two factions: the men's rights movement and the pro-feminist men's movement.

True

What percentage of babies are born intersex?

1.7

In what year did the first states in the United States begin legalizing same-sex marriages?

2004

At what age do children develop a preference for same-sex playmates?

3

By what grade are gender norms firmly established?

5

Females make up what percentage of arcade-style video game players?

74

Which of the following are examples of gendered microagressions?

A group of men whistle at a woman walking down the street, A man refuses to wash the dishes because he claims that it is "woman's work.", A female physician wearing a stethoscope is mistaken for a nurse.

Libby likes to wear baggy jeans, a t-shirt, and flip-flops to class most days. Erin, a classmate in her sociology class, wears a skirt and three-inch heels to campus every day. Erin makes fun of Libby and tells her she's not a real woman and won't ever be able to find a boyfriend unless she embraces her femininity. What is this an example of?

Cisgenderism

Our society recognizes different sexual orientations based on a binary gender system. The normative and dominant category of sexuality is heterosexuality; the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior found that about 4 percent of all adults identify as homosexual while 3 percent of men and 4 percent of women identify as bisexual. The idea that sexual orientation can have a wide spectrum, posited by Alfred Kinsey, has not gained widespread acceptance.

Correct

Sociologist Talcott Parsons identified two complementary social gender roles in the family. The instrumental role is the position of the family member who provides material support and is often an authority figure. The expressive role is the position of the family member who provides emotional support and nurturing. These roles may be complementary, but the social rewards for filling them are far from equal. The functionalist view does not explain very well why gender relations are characterized by such inequality.

Correct

The sociological view of gender is that it is not fixed by biological sex but rather is a social institution. It is a set of scripts that orders our lives and defines a person's place in society.

Correct

Place each groundbreaking television series about homosexual or transgender characters in order in which the shows aired from first to last.

Ellen, Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Orange Is the New Black, Transparent

Of two children, one has XY chromosomes and the other has XX.

difference in sex

Which of the following statements about queer theory are correct?

Queer theory rejects any notion of a binary sexuality system, For much of the twentieth century, "queer" was a pejorative term, "Queer" encompasses a wide range of gender and sexual diversity.

Because of the traditional division of labor in families, males have had more access to resources and privileges and have sought to maintain their dominance.

conflict theory

Which of the following college policies and aspects of campus life contribute to a rape culture on campuses?

creating policies that unintentionally engage in "victim blaming", pushing parties from on-campus to off-campus locations, feeling pressure to participate in the party scene on campus, punishing the rapist via "expulsion after graduation"

Of two women, one wears jeans and boots while the other wears a skirt and heels.

difference in gender

What is the name of the sociological view that seeks to explain social phenomena in terms of natural phenomena?

essentialism

Your textbook describes the Vanatinai society in New Guinea as an example of what?

gender equality

Sex determines which roles men and women are best suited to perform.

functionalism

belief in the superiority of heterosexuality and heterosexuals

heterosexism

fear of or discrimination toward gay, lesbian, and bisexual people

homophobia

Which observed phenomena call into question the binary male/female sex distinction?

individuals with chromosome combinations like XXY, children born with ambiguous genitalia

Term used to describe a problem whose chromosomes or sex characteristics are neither exclusively male nor exclusively female.

intersex

Gender is learned through the process of socialization; gender inequalities are reproduced through interactions with family, peers, schools, and the media.

symbolic interactionism

What are the fundamental goals of mainstream modern feminism?

to gain for women the same level of opportunity and respect that men get, to make people aware that gender structures relationships

a term used when gender identity and/or expression is different from the sex assigned at birth

transgender

fear of or discrimination toward transgender or other gender-nonconforming people

transphobia

Of two men in college, one is attracted to men and the other to women.

difference in sexuality