Sociology of Sex Roles: Exam 3 (Final Exam)
What is Kimmel's argument about sexual socialization?
"How we should be sexually- the traditional roles" -Most sexual learning comes from adolescence - which is provided by our peers. "It is nearly universal "his" job to escalate (first base to second base) while "her" job is to decide if she will let him." -Movies of boys on 18th b-day expected to lose their virginity to become a real man vs women "lie back and think of England message on their wedding day." Sexual pressures from socialization can give: sexual performance anxiety for men and women
Sexual double-standard
"Man-wh*** isn't that offensive to men but skank can be very personal and offensive to women" -Women as pure and men as a ladies man -About the relationship TO the penis -Phallocentrism - focused on the penis and male dominance as normality
How is gender inequality institutionalized through media?
"his" and "her" media programming - TV, commercials, movies, video games, etc. -"his" media tends to carry more social value than "her" media -More male TV and talk show hosts and their styles quite different from female hosts [Jimmy Kimmel, Steven Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Letterman, Jay Leno--men bring more slander and harshness while females usually more caring and giving]
Sexual performance anxiety:
(erectile dysfunction, inhibited sexual desire/low libido, medicalization) -women worried about how their bodies look and smell- double consciousness while having sex (not actually in the moment but standing outside oneself) -Men performance anxiety based off porn and to maintain erections -pharmaceutical medication enforce these standards to consumers even w/o erectile dysfunction
What is the relationship of masculinity to violence?
- less gender differentiation = less gendered violence --> therefore reduce perceived difference of men and women, encourage men to be more like women and vise versa. - A sense of entitlement to patriarchal power drives men's violence against women and other men -Patriarchal power must be intact and unquestioned or absent or unnoticed "Violence is the reflection of the desire to control and for power... this authoritative and controlling trait is often associated with masculinity"
Acquaintance rape
- study 96% of female rape victims under 12 knew their attackers - often targeted by who you know
In Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, what is Byron Hurt's approach toward rap and hip-hop as genres of music? Does he love them? Hate them? What is the *purpose* of the documentary and his approach in it?
- the documentary was to show the hip-hop culture as a stereotypical world that black men live in - Hyper-masculine posturing o try and give signs of power and toughness as rap artists -Hip-hop reinforces the negative stereotypes and rappers think they have to continue this facade to be successful in the rap industry. -homicide is the leading cause of death for black men between 17-34 -black women 35% more likely assaulted than white -Homophobia and hip-hop -- gay rappers still not accepted in the culture during the documentary -Homoeroticism - strong, big men with shirts off, big belts - often shown in black men on rap magazines
What does female aggression and female criminal behavior look like?
-"mean girls" -women's movement supposedly had a spike on women's criminality BUT statistics show a decrease in feminine crime because the domestic need in the home and constant work and occupancy -women most commonly in crime -- forging checks, shoplifting [meeting desires without responsibility] -Women when commit violence crime - things like infant abuse, elderly abuse/murder - relation to stress MEN still are the majority in violence
Problems with Biological explanation for difference:
-Androgen-based explanations have temporality-based problems (testosterone rises AFTER aggressive act linking to "winning" has been committed rather than before) -increases in testosterone are associated with lateral or subordinate violence but not violence against one's social superior
What are the causes of the differences of gender and violence?
-Biological - (genes, androgens- esp. testosterone) -Evolutionary homosocial competition (dominance hierarchies) competitiveness among males for access to female mates -Freudian sexual competition (frustration-aggression hypothesis) -Hegemonic masculinity +heteronormative socialization (we foster, create, reproduce, and reward male dominance---- assume everyone is heterosexual)
What is violence's relationship to gender?
-Despite the fact that males commit the vast majority of violence around the world, reports and analysis of violence rarely mention or focus on gender and masculinity at all -9/10 men who are murdered are murdered by men -9/10 women who are murdered are murdered by men
Fight or Flight vs. Tend and Befriend
-Differential stress response between men and women's psychological reaction to an action because of certain hormones (oxytocin vs testosterone) -When stress levels are tested women tend to have stronger oxytocin which is a feel good chemical- more inclined to tend and befriend to solve the problem.
Friendships of different sexual orientation:
-Gay men tend to form more friendships with women -Lesbian women tend to be friends with other lesbian women and heterosexual women -women more women friends -men more heterosexual male friends -Race, class, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and culture also affect our friends and friendship interactional styles
Institution of Socialization
-Influence the behaviors, beliefs and values through these primary institutions: family, school, church and peers... with the inclusion of the media -The media is a primary institution of socialization -Media is gender saturated, culture is media saturated
Feminization of Primetime
-Men stopping watching primetime tv as frequently because doing other things -Primetime TV focused toward a female audience; shows like Grey's anatomy -With the occasional independent women with snarky comments however most female characters show some kind of vulnerability toward men in primetime tv -females often = seduction, sympathy, weaker traits
How have gender differences in sexuality changed?
-Sexual revolution and agency (role of virginity) -Sex education shifts -abstinence and abstinence pledges vs. hook-up culture -----creative account of what counts as sex- ways around it -hook-up culture as example of adolescent gender convergence? -Maybe allows men and women to engage in sex/sexuality with less stigma -Adult sexual convergence
Polyvocality
-Women's magazines seem to have a proliferation of content (polyvocal) showing a variety of interests -WHILE men's magazines are (monovocal) mainly sports and sex/women extenuating the masculine role
What is partner violence?
-burden of the responsibility of the act is often on the victim -physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse "the lower the status of women relative to men, the higher the rape rate" -nearly 1 and 5 women vs. 1 and 71 men have been sexually assaulted
What does gendering of homosexual sexuality look like?
-same sex relationships do not mean same gender and gender roles don't always follow traditional roles -because homosexuals are defined by their sexuality, gay men, and lesbians have been more sexually experimental, especially w/ non penetrative sex
How are video games gendered?
-sex segregation of the game console and who most often plays video games--> males-- with sports and adventure game users being 95% male -The characters almost always are exaggerated gender stereotypes: male characters=torn t-shirts and army fatigue with huge biceps---female characters= always straight, strong but disheveled, "bedroom hair," and big boobs -Avatars are always straight in gameland The boundaries are blurred between reality and fantasy with hyper-sexualized roles and real time coexisting with the online world
How is media gendered?
1. It reflects existing gender differences and gender inequalities 2. It constructs these gender differences by choosing who media is geared toward men or women 3. Reproduces gender inequality by making gender differences seem "natural" rather than socially produced
What barriers to emotional intimacy does Robert Lewis argue exists among men?
1.Competition - economic necessities- compete for jobs 2.Control - feel in charge and have power 3.Homophobia - fear of being perceived as gay, or woman-like -- pushed men to be emotionally and physically apart from one another 4.Lack of skills/role models - don't know how to act differently, such a high degree of masculinity replicated through all social institutions
Feminized Love
A lot of notions of women in love and head over heals BUT more overlap than difference in men and women's concept of love. ACTUALLY women are more likely to initiate the break-up, etc. Culture making it seem that women need men in their lives, and girls just want boys
Causes of intimate partner violence:
Early parenthood - distant father-child relationship Drinking problems Severe poverty and unemployment mental and emotional distress - men who want control and cannot get it other ways
Masculinization of Sex
Hardcore porn as a representation--Focus is on male pleasure and the penis--phallocentrism Also women's eager availability Sexual double-standard Orgasm gap disproportionately greater for men than women - same goes for oral sex
From the documentary... Who is actually in *control* of hip-hop and rap? Of what might these displays of mysogyny, violence and homophobia by symptomatic?
Hip-hop culture is mainly run by corporate white men - in charge of how it is portrayed in the media. -70% of mainstream hip-hop is consumed by working or middle-class white men. -White men are invisible to their own mysogyny but reproduce the negative stereotypes in those different to them -The consumers show who really contains these prejudices and is reproducing this negative theme on hip-hop culture
Gendered Love
His love = passion, sex, practical, providing, protection Her love = sharing, feelings, mutuality, emotionality, dependency, nurturing, talking But our culture is changing the way we think about love through things like social media - other technologies
What role does homophobia play in friendship?
Homophobia is one of the central organizing principles of same-sex friendships for men but virtually non-existent for women -more than a simple irrational fear and hate for gay men, but also fear one might be perceived as gay -being emotionally vulnerable and open to another man are acts of nonconformity to traditional masculinity Emergence of bromance culture possibly...
What arguments does Kimmel make about gender's relationship to love?
LOVE - recent prerequisite for marriage but not for sex Hooking up culture - non-relational sex Love and sex are least associated with societies that have the most gender equality and interdependence Men is feminized in pop. culture but men fall in and out of love quicker than women and have a hard time coping break-up Married men live longer while unmarried women live longer
The evolution of friendship and love over time as they relate to gender:
Men's friendship w/ one another historically: 1.Noble 2. transcends sexuality (greater bond w/ male friend than heterosexual relationship) 3. Peer based 4. Emotionally in depth 5. Long-lasting Lionel Tigers- describes it men as hunters that spent a lot of time together and depend on one another for survival. (gendered division of labor) -early 1970s--shift towards understanding women's friendships as emotionally expressive and mens not -Also most people today have cross-sex friends which back then was thought to be impossible
What claims does Kimmel make about rap music and heavy metal?
Rap on rap music has long been misogyny - celebration of gangsta thuggery, predatory sexuality and violence -rap basically confirms every vile stereotype of Black males Kimmel says "Hard rockers have ratcheted up their own vicious misogynistic proclamations of manhood." Ex: "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry - equally objectionable -Misogyny and violence parallels in rap and heavy metal or hard rock are ignored---white musicians off the same hook black musicians are put on---invisible in music and connections to prejudices we carry ourselves
Adult sexual convergence:
Some indications in long term relationships that women are getting increasingly more vocal about what they want in sex--- possible orgasm gap decreasing
What are feminine standards of beauty?
Standards of beauty vary depending on their status-- -societies of higher status - smaller breasts more attractive b/c minimize anatomical dif. with men -in periods of prosperity where men are bread winners- larger breasts and shorter hemlines tend to be preferred b/c exaggerate biological dif. and reinforce social spheres -in economic downturn- hemlines come down and smaller breasts are the norm BUT overall standards of skinniness and toned muscles but not too muscular -- Goldilocks dilemma
What gender messages does pornography employ?
Tends to focus on men's pleasure (phallocentrism) and women's eager availability -women never say no... what does that reflect on women's consent interpreted in the real world? -feminists even started producing porn to decrease gender stereotypes - 3rd wave feminists
What are arguments made by anti-pornography feminists?
That pornography causes rape or it numbs the effect of real violence in women's lives Pornography "makes sexism sexy" an activist said
What are masculine standards of beauty?
The Adonis complex Musculature, tall stature and masculine bravado
What arguments does Kimmel make about gender's relationship to friendship?
Women's friendships - more friendships in every life stage, shared intimacy, best friends likely, face-to-face interactions, open and disclosing often - more likely to seek friends to talk to. Men's friendships - fewer than women, shared activities, convos on work, sports or expertise, side-by-side interaction, more reserved convos - more likely to engage in activities with people like to do the same things Men and women both desire intimacy and closeness, have roughly the same # of friends and spend about same time with their friends [Remember fight or flight and tend and befriend] Friendship trends shifting to more masculine maybe... rise in social media
Most violent group in the industrialized world:
Young American men (specifically Southern white men) are the most violent group in the industrialized world -5 to 20 times higher than any other industrial democracy -5 to 20 times more imprisoned than any other country on earth besides Russia -Reagan and Bush era major push on imprisonment and fighting against the war on drugs - huge increase
Bromance genre and friendship
emergence of friendships might be coming closer to women's friendship closeness HOWEVER often express homophobia in interaction, "no homo".. still guided by fear [expressed in movies like, "The Hangover" "Fight Club"
The Adonis Complex
guys should look like greek gods, ripped, buff and muscular - this can cause men to fear being too small even when they aren't - likely to cause muscle dysmorphia
Battered husband syndrome
interpersonal violence and intimate partner violence -physically or psychologically sexually abused -domestic violence against men is a serious issue that is often untouched however doesn't mean it is greater than violence against women.
Pedophilia
is a "sexual orientation" not a variation of homosexuality - sexually attracted to children (whether boys, girls or both)
Masculine Bravado
men expected to maintain an identity of toughness, strength, confidence and little emotion -- puff out their chests and be the manly man they're supposed to be.
Goldilocks's Dilemma
not too much or too little - cannot be too soft or too muscular, need a middle ground
All-American Crime
rape, tends to be the most physically violent crime committed most often.
Iron Maiden
unattainable standard basically used to punish women physically and psychologically for their failure to achieve or conform to it. -causes eating disorders - trends expanding across U.S. across race, ethnicity, sex-orientation, class and gender groups
War, arson and police chase masculinized
war- primarily males as generals, heroes and recognized Arson - demographic profile are males High-speed police chase crash and death - young male cop instigate with desire to win and not let up, failure to yield when it gets dangerous American socialization of boys to men - display of violence Violence against women - (rape as war strategy)
The Beauty Myth
women pressured to be slim and toned but not too over developed... b/c representation most displayed -Goldilock's dilemma - -Iron Maiden - Men pressured to be strong and muscular -Adonis Complex
