CH 12 SOC: GENDER, SEX, AND SEXUALITY

Gender Identity

- a persons deeply held internal perception of his or her gender -

Gender

- a persons deeply held internal perception of his or her gender -characteristics of gender vary bw cultures and societies

Feminist Theory

- a type of conflict theory that examines inequalities in gender- related issues - uses the conflict approach to examine the maintneance of gender roles and inequalities -radical feminism in particular considers the role of the family in perpetuating male dominance.

Symbolic Interactionism (sex)

- interactionists focus on the meanings associated with sexuality and with sexual orientation

asexuality

- no attraction to either sex

Structural Functionalism

- provided one of the most important perspectives of sociological research in the 20th century ands been a major influence on research in the social sciences, including gender studies -argue that gender roles were established well before the pre industrial era when men typically took care of responsibilities in or around the home -when changes occurred during WWII, changes in the family structure also changed

Social Construction of sexuality

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

bisexuality

- the attraction to individuals of either sex

Heterosexuality

- the attraction to individuals of the other sex

Dichotomous view of Gender

- the notion that someone is either male or female is specific to certain cultures and is not universal

Transexuals

- transgender ppl who attempt to alter their bodies through medical interventions such as surgery and hormonal therapy

Sexuality

- viewed as a person's capacity for sexual feelings -each society interprets sexuality differently -what is considered "normal" in terms of sexual behavior is based on the mores and values of society

Doing Gender

- when ppl perform tasks or possess characteristics based on the gender role assigned to them -thus gender is something we do or perform not something we are

Fa'afafine

-"the way of the woman" a term used to describe individuals who are born biologically male but embody both masculine and feminine traits

Advocancy agencies

-GLAAD: Gay and Lesbian Alliance against defamation -LBGTQ -DOMA (the defense of marriage act); explicitly limiting the definition of marriage to a union b/w one man and one woman

Gender dysphoria

-a condition of ppl whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with -for a person to be diagnosed with this there must be a marked difference bw the individuals expressed/ experienced gender and the gender others would assign him or her and it must continue for at least six months

Sexual Orientation

-a person's physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to a particular sex (male or female) -typically divided into 4 categories -heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality -kids are usually aware of sexuality in middle and early adolescence

Symbolic Interactionism

-aims to understand human behavior by analyzing the critical role of symbols in human interaction

Homophobia

-an extreme fear to homosexuals

Heterosexism

-an ideologyand a set of institutional practices that privilege heterosexuals and heterosexuality over other sexual orientations - a systematic disadvantage embeded in our social institutions offering power to those who conform to heterosexual orientation while simultaneously disadvantaging those who do not

Queer Theory

-an interdisciplinary approach to sexually studies that identifies western society's rigid splitting of gender into male and female roles and questions the manner in which we have been taught to think about sexual orientation -focuses on mismatches bw anatomical sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, not just division into male/female or homosexual/hetero

Gender Role

-children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. -refers to society's concept of how men and woman are expected to look and how they should behave -role learning starts at socialization at birth -children learn through play

Heteronormative Society

-meaning it assumes sex orientation is biologically determined unambiguous.

Gender socialization

-occurs through 4 major agents of socialization - family, education, peer groups, and mass media -family is the first agent of socialization

Transgender

-ppl who identify wit the role that is the different from their biological sex -not the same as homosexual -ex: males who have such a strong emotional and psychological connection to the feminine aspects of society that they identify their gender as female

Berdache

-refer to individuals who occasionally or permanently dressed and lived as a different gender

Stratification

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

Sex

-refers to physical or physiological differences bw males and females, including both primary sex characteristics ( the reproductive system) and secondary characteristcs such as height and muscularity - a persons sex as determined by biology, does not correspond with their gender -since sex refers to biological or physical distinctions, characteristics of sex will not vary significantly between cultures and societies.

Sexism

-refers to prejudiced belifs that value one sex over another

Conflict Theory (sex)

-sexuality is another area in which power differentials are present and were dominant groups actively work to promote their worldview as well as their economic interests. -two key dimensions to the debate over same sex marriage----> ideological and economic.

Conflict Theory

-society is a struggle for dominance among social groups (like woman vs men) that compete for scarce resources -social problems are created when dominant groups exploit or oppress subordinate groups

homosexuality

-the attraction to individuals of the same sex

Biological determinism

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

Sex and Gender

-these terms are not interchangeable and mean 2 different things - a boy who is born with male parts will be identified as male. as he grows, he may identify as a female

Structural functionalism (sex)

-when it comes to sexuality, functionalists stress the importance of regulating sexual behavior to ensure marital cohesion and family stability -identify the family unit as the most integral component on society -the purpose of encouraging sexual activity in the confines of marriage is to intensify the bond bw spouses and to ensure that procreation occurs within a stable, legally recognized relationship -they see homosexuality cannot be promoted on a large scale as an acceptable substitute for heterosexuality.