Gender & Society ****

Politics of gender

"How people change and resist change to the gender order"

Cisgender

Cis-gender describes people whose biological body they were born into matches their personal gender identity.

Outsider within perspective

Perspective of transgender men. They have lived in both the masculine and feminine sides of the binary and can provide a unique perspective that shows the differences in the treatment of men and women.

Equal Access

a model of creating egalitarianism by dismantling legal barriers and reducing sex discrimination. Ex.) Legally in the U.S, employers may not discriminate based on sex.

Equal value

a model of creating egalitarianism designed to tackle the problem of androcentrism by raising the value of feminine to match the value of masculine.

Transgender

relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.

stealth transgender strategy

someone who is accepted as female well enough to live without divulging her trans status. they come off as passing.

Embedded feminist

someone who tries to accomplish goals in places that are not explicitly feminist. -feminists in the military or Catholic church

equal sharing

-A model of egalitarianism that targets subordination by attempting to emphasize that men and women participate equally in masculine and feminine spheres. -Iceland having both paid paternity and maternity leave

suffrage

the right to vote. today we have universal suffrage where everyone has the right to vote. Women fought for suffrage in 1900's.

substantive representation

there are policies being voted for that are important and helpful to women. -changes are made

Gender of governance

who holds a political office and whether or not it matters -women in the senate

women's social movements

women attempt to determine which kind of policies with improve their lives. Sometimes they aim to provide benefits for all women, and sometimes they only focus on white women -women fighting the gender pay gap.

symbolic representation

women's presence in government. -women on the senate does not necessarily mean more policies will help benefit women

According to lecture and reading, what are the three types of gender inequality? Briefly explain each. What are the three approaches to gender equality and which forms of gender inequality do they correspond with? What types of policies have countries passed in an attempt to address the various types of gender inequality? Provide a brief example from each approach to gender equality.

1.) Sexism- Prejudice given to people based on their biological sex. Benevolent and hostile 2.) Androcentrism-masculinity is valued over femininity. The hegemonic male ideal is given more opportunities for high power jobs than females and feminine men. 3.) Subordination- the placing of women into positions that make them subservient to or dependent on men. 1.) Equal Access-fights sexism 2.) Equal Value- fights androcentrism 3.) Equal sharing- fights subordination Equal Access= the U.S makes discrimination in the workforce illegal based on sex. Equal value= paid maternity leave Equal sharing= Iceland having paid maternity and paternity leave.

'Transformable' understanding of gender

-Gender may not be so fixed. -Gender is viewed as a spectrum where on one end, there is hyper femininity, while the other end includes is hyper masuclinity with many other genders in between. -Gender can shift over time; you don't have to pick one and stick to it. More fluidity with body modification. downside: heirarchy held up....if you're really trans.... -someone with this view sees gender as very complex.

What are the three obstacles that feminism faces today? Explain and critique each of the three obstacles. Do you think that feminism will successfully overcome these obstacles? Drawing on lecture and readings, explain your answer.

3 obstacles: anti-feminist countermovement corporate co-optation: companies are making light of feminism, in order to buy products -individualism: independent women have made it to the top so they don't think they need feminism. I think it is possible for feminsim to overcome these obstacles if people are able to change their way of thinking. We need to get rid of stigma of feminazi's.

Social Constuction

A process by which me make reality meaningful through shared interpretations. We all police each other to make it work, but if we didn't do this, our socially constructed view of gender would not exist. It all comes down to the gender binary. An example: cheerleading used to be a male power sport, however society has changed it to be viewed as an activity for girls to look cute.

Throughout this semester we have examined gender as a social construct. Explain what it means to say that gender is socially constructed, as opposed to biologically determined? Provide at least two specific examples from course material that demonstrate how gender is socially constructed.

A process by which me make reality meaningful through shared interpretations. We all police each other to make it work, but if we didn't do this, our socially constructed view of gender would not exist. It all comes down to the gender binary. An example: cheerleading used to be a male power sport, however society has changed it to be viewed as an activity for girls to look cute. Reference Just one of the guys

Natural Differences Schema

A schema can be defined as a way to map out society's expectations. The "natural difference" schema is the idea that men and women are naturally different and should therefore be classified into the two different groups of the gender binary. This schema suggests that differences between genders are biological and ignores the idea that gender stereotypes can play a role in dividing men and women. Ex.)Males having more powerful jobs is just natural and biological

Governance of gender

Governance: The process of making decisions for the nation" Governance of gender: how gender shapes the way residents of states are regulated. ex.) tax laws encouraging breadwinner/housewife household

According to Schilt in Just One of the Guys?, "Two-thirds of the transmen in my study, both open and stealth, described new workplace experiences as men at work that line up with the workplace benefits associated with maleness." What workplace benefits did transmen in Schilt's study experience? Briefly describe the types of benefits that some transmen experienced and how they are linked to the valuation of masculinity and the devaluation of femininity in the workplace.

In Just One of the Guys, Transmen (both open and stealth) were offered benefits that they were not previously offered as a woman. They were more accepted by cisgender men than women or gay men. Woman and gay men believed that the transmen were gaining unfair advantages. Trans men were given more respect and seen as more competent. Their ideas were not questioned as often and they were offered more help with their responsibilities. Many of the men in Just One of the Guys were ridiculed constantly for little things and not given any resources when they worked as women. However, after their transitions, they were given plenty of help and were not as micro-managed. One man even reported being considered "Better than his sister" when they were the same person. Another man was left on his own to be a manager in a construction site and was given no funding or resources. However, once he became a man, more people were willing to help. These benefits show how men are given more respect and power, while women are constantly seen as less skilled and competent. It also shows how much women are disrespected in the workforce a and provides evidence that gender inequality is still inhibiting women from advancing in their careers. It shows us how even if a male and female are doing the same exact job, the male will be seen as the better worker.

. Provide a brief comparison of US parental leave policies and those in other countries, such as Canada and Iceland. How do government policies, such as 2 those related to income tax and welfare benefits, influence family activity? In other words, in the U.S., which types of families are supported by policy and which families are disadvantaged by policies? Explain. Finally, what is gender-aware policymaking and how could the U.S. implement such policymaking in order to reduce gender inequality?

In the United States, you receive a 12 week parental leave that is unpaid. Iceland has an equal sharing approach to gender inequality; parents receive both paid maternal and paternal leave. In Canada the women or both parents get paid leave for about 15 weeks. Also Canada requires that the parent is accepted back into their same position with the same pay. This relates back to taxes because if one person makes all the income, they have to pay less taxes than if two people make the same income. This encourages the breadwinner/housewife family model, because everyone wants less taxes. In the U.S, one is required to work in order to receive welfare. Women who need to be on welfare are working minimum wage jobs and may need to put their child in childcare which costs more than their salary from their minimum wage job. Single mother families are the most disadvantaged because they need to work and also pay for childcare. The families that are at an advantage in the welfare system are breadwinner/housewife families because they the dad can work for the welfare and the mom can stay home to avoid childcare costs. Gender aware policy making is thinking about how policies will affect men and women before implementing them. The U.S could start using this form of policy making by taking an intersectional approach where they examine the needs of all types of men and women. Public transit is a good example of gender aware policy making. An example, is that bus routes used to focus on 9-5 workers, however, bus systems started taking into account stay at home moms and giving them routes to the grocery store. The buses also started providing routes to childcare places and schools so their parents could pick them up or kids could ride home.

In Just One of the Guys? by Schilt, the author makes a strong intersectional analysis of transmen in the workplace. First, explain the theory of intersectionality. Second, briefly summarize Schilt's analysis by explaining how race and physical appearance influence transmens' experiences at work.

Intersectionality can be defined as taking into account factors such as race and class, age, and sexuality.It is view that gender is not isolated, but rather intersects with our identities. Kristen Schilt observes that race plays a role in a trans man's experience in work. She found that black men are often viewed as more intimidating or "scary". She found that in order for a trans black man to be respected, he was expected to be more subdued and not scare the clients. It was more challenging for black men to be taken seriously. Trans men who chose not to undergo surgery had a more difficult time being respected at work and being understood. It was also found that men who didn't meet the gender norms of masculinity, were asked more inappropriate questions and struggled more to become "one of the guys"

Sexuality

Sexuality describes sexual identity, attraction, and experiences which may or may not align with sex and gender. This includes but is not limited to heterosexuality, homosexuality (gay or lesbian), bisexuality, queer and so on. Sex and gender do not always align. Someone's sexuality is how they personally view sex. For example, some women might enjoy having casual sex while others might view sex as something special. -capacity for sexual feelings. ex.) someone who is comfortable with their sexuality might not be afraid to be open about it and enjoy sex.

. Briefly explain the difference between symbolic representation and substantive representation in politics. According to our course textbook, does the presence of female politicians shape the types of policies that are passed? If so, how? Explain.

Symbolic representation is when we have women involved in government substansive representation is when policies benefiting women are supported and When more women are in office, it doesn't change how the vote. Women will vote with party lines before they will vote through gender. When there are more women in office, there are more bills in office that concern women's rights.Ex.) Women's health issues and family rights

open transgender strategy

Telling people that you are trangender. You do not hide this fact about yourself and live openly as a transgender person.

essentialist understanding of gender

The concept of Essentialism states that there are innate, essential differences between men and women. That is, we are born with certain traits. This is often used as an explanation for why there are so few women in science and technology. It is also used as a rationale for pigeonholing, offering limited education, hiring discrimination, etc. It is also sometimes raised (including by women) under the guise of Equal but different.

4. Throughout this semester we have examined the dominant gender ideology in the U.S.- the gender binary. Reflecting on lecture and course readings throughout the semester, briefly explain the gender binary and provide at least three specific reasons why the gender binary is flawed.

The gender binary is the idea that there only 2 genders: masculine men and feminine women. This idea also states that men and women are opposites and treats these 2 genders as being completely different. The binary affects every aspect of life from hobbies to careers. 1.) Gender is a spectrum. There is a wide range of feminine gender identities, and masculines gender identities, along with people who identify as both or neither. 2.) Intersex people give us a good view into how it is possible to be more than one sex. This could also show us how easy it is for people to be assigned the wrong gender. 3.) The personal exception theory which states that there are men, women, then me shows that we are not unique in thinking we have more traits than those associated with our gender. Everyone has both feminine and masculine traits. This disproves the idea that men and women are polar opposites.

Gender Binary

The gender binary is the idea that there only 2 genders: masculine men and feminine women. This idea also states that men and women are opposites and treats these 2 genders as being completely different. The binary affects every aspect of life from hobbies to careers. Ex.) Tim is male and on the football team, but he enjoys musical theater. People see musical theater as feminine and police Tim for having this interest., therefore. Since Tim has a feminine interest, he is not adhering to the binary. side note: Tim's life is basically high school musical

individualism

Women who have made it to the top don't see feminism as necessary because if they made it to the top, so can others

Gender aware policy making

consideration of the effects on both men and women (and different kinds of men and women) is a required part of the policy making process. Ex.) public transit

corporate co-optation of feminism

dove commericals. using feminism to get people to buy products feminism is used for marketing purposes

Transnational feminsim

efforts made by feminists to change gender relations outside their own states and collaboration among feminists in different countries. But unlike common Western sexual liberation advocacy, transnational women of color see sexual liberation as more than freely displaying our bodies; it's also about practicing our respective religions, customs, and ideologies safely and without threat of harassment or discrimination.

Anti-feminist counter movement

individuals and groups who organize to oppose feminsist social change. they push to stop or overturn feminist goals, Ex.) women's reproductive rights are being targeted by opponents who seek to eliminate abortion and contraception