WST3015 Midterm
"Patterns of gender relations are found throughout society, although much of the time these patterns remain invisible to us." What does this statement mean? Please provide evidence from my lecture to support your claims.
-Anderson explains that this idea means that although women have mad huge breakthroughs in society there are still patterns of gender relation found throughout society and to spot them one must critically think about their environment. -Almost everything around us is gendered and some of the more common ones are toys, and some invisible ones jobs.. -For example, in a grocery store women are in positions that usually don't have promotions such as the deli or bakery department and men work in the produce or grocery departments in which many managers usually start as. Interpersonal interaction -men touch women more -men talk more than women -women tend to pose opinion in a question type of manner Society -women are more susceptible to violence: wife beating, rape, sexual harassment, incest
What is gestational surrogacy? In what ways does it reflect exploitation of poor women of color?
-is an arrangement where a woman carries and delivers a baby for someone else -India: many INdian woman are forced into surrogacy by their extended families as ways to provide money for their family --leads to child surrogacy -commodifies women's bodies -puts a price on women's bodies like objects that are sold)
Childbirth has a distinctive social history and one that is tied to the emergence of medicine as a profession. Compare and contrast the two philosophies of birthing. Bring in information from my lecture and from Abby Reichard's guest to provide support and examples.
-midwifery and modern medicine -Before the 19th century childbirth was dominated and controlled by women..it was usually just the mother and a female kin or friend helping her through the process..however after modern medicine became introduced many women wanted to avoid the pain that came with childbirth which is hospital births became more common. Ever since then men have dominated childbirth and the healthcare profession. They have taken control of prescriptions and medications basically holding the right to tell one how they should live and not give control to the patient -Midwifery goes back tot h original version of childbirth.. it allows the mother more control also it helps against the horrible stigmas attached to birth. For example in hospital births: the woman is lying on her back and has legs up and wide opened. In midwifery, the mother squats or uses different positions that are more comfortable for her
What does it mean to say that gender socialization acts as a powerful system of social control? Use my lecture on gender socialization for support for your answer
According to Anderson, The socialization process controls us in several ways: 1. It gives us a definition of ourselves 2. It defines the external world and our place within it 3. It provides our definition of others and our relationships with them 4. It encourages and discourages the acquisition of certain skills by gender Gender expectations confront us everywhere and shape our identities and relation ships with others. Our roles in social institutions are conditioned by the gender roles we learn
Consider this statement: Biological sex determines gender identity. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Please support your answer with information provided in the readings, the short videos, and the lecture by Roxie Patton
According to research, biological sex does not necessarily determines one's gender identity. For example, Brazilian transvestites are born males but cross dress and do not refer to themselves as men and do not identify themselves as gay either nor do their partners. -the social paradox of gender 1. the biological categories of sex strongly influence the social dynamics of gender: however the social categories of gender can sometimes determine the biology of sex 2. Sex is defined based on the biological differences between men and women 3.Gender is the social arrangements that correlate with those terms 4.Nature and behavior are a two way street which are reinforcing but are not directly linked
Is gender socialization more restrictive for boys or girls? Please explain your answer.
Anderson states that the pressures of gender socialization are even more restrictive of boys : 1. men's roles are more rigidly defined because of social sanctions brought against boys labeled as sissies. 2. Homophobia acts as a system of social control by encouraging boys to act more masculine, a s away of indicating that they are not gay 3. Homophobia enforces the cultural roles of masculinity and femininity by discouraging men form showing so-called feminine traits such a caring, nurturing, emotional expression and gentleness
Compare and contrast two theoretical perspectives on the formation of gender.
Compare and Contrast of Identification theory and social learning theory Both: assume a somewhat more passive view of the child's development 2. rests on the the assumption that children model their behavior according to the roles of significant others Identification: assume that imitation of same sex persons is motivated by fear--the fear of separation from a psycho-sexual love object Social Learning: emphasizes the significance of the environment in explaining gender socialization
"Advertisements not only sell the products we use, but they also convey images of how we are to define ourselves, our relationships, and our needs." Bring is examples from our discussion of ads that we had in class.
Content Analysis -Different images of woman: -legs -body shape very pervasive gender-based images Ex: -men are less likely to be shown cooking, cleaning, shopping, or washing dishes Women are in service roles
What impact does racial identity have on the socialization process?
Gender identity is also mediated by our racial identities -Ex: black adolescent girls have higher self esteem than white adolescent girls because of the stereotype black women are strong independent women who take of their loved ones. Gender identities intersect with racial identities -Ex: Black, Asian and Latino American men construct concepts of masculinity in the context of negative stereotypes about them that are both race and gender based Gender, race and class influence how all people-including White people- learn and develop their gender identity
What role does homophobia play in gender socialization?
Homophobia enforces the cultural roles of masculinity and femininity by discouraging men form showing so-called feminine traits such a caring, nurturing, emotional expression and gentleness
There is a long-standing assumption that sexual orientation is an "either/or" identity - a person is either gay or straight. Recent scholarship on sexual identity challenges this dichotomy. Please discuss this scholarship. Bring in examples and/or evidence from Roxie Patton's guest lecture.
Seuxal
Why is the label "feminist" so controversial? Drawing on the points of Andersen's discussion of feminism, how would you define feminism?
The label "feminist" is so controversial because of the different images equated with that term. -Examples: -lesbian: somehow equated to man hating -aggressive and violent fanatics: untrue many feminists are kind and are not people who only yell and etc... Feminists is also threatening to those who want to protect the status quo I would define feminism as an idea that supports the equality of all women and men, and promotes respect, equality, and the value of women's lives
According to the "doing gender" perspective, gender is an accomplished activity. Provide three examples of how women "do gender" and three examples of how men "do gender."
Women do gender: 1. the woman who smiles at a man (even though she doesn't like him) 2. the woman who dresses in feminine clothes 3. Men do gender: 1. the man who opens doors routinely for women 2. the man who takes the lead in dancing 3.
Identify and briefly discuss some of the indications of women's continuing inequality in society.
a common inequality is price variances -women pay more for dry cleaning, feminine products, cosmetics, toiletries and health services. -These examples show how advertising and media coincide and benefit financially. Because the media stresses beauty and image upon women, women tend to spend more on beauty products and merchants take advantage of that -Examples: soap deodorant
What significance do the Navajo Indian berdaches and the hijras of India have for the study of gender?
introduces an institutionalized third gender category .. It also shows how specific cultural expectations fro men and women vary from society to society and also challenges the Western idea of the two dichotomous categories man and woman y looking at gender from different cultural viewpoints. Berdaches: automatically normal men, but who were defined as a third gender and were considered to be inter-sexed Hijras: are a religious community of men in India who are born as males, but they come to think of themselves as neither men nor women These examples are good illustrations of the cultural bias of gender. Even withing contemporary U.S. society :gender bending" shows how the dichotomous thinking that defines men and women as "either/or" can be transformed
What is compulsory heterosexuality?
refers to the institutionalized practices that presume that women are innately sexually orientated toward men
. What is meant by heteronormativity?
refers to the norms and instutitional structures that presume and enforce heterosexuality as the only acceptable form of sexual expression and identity
Compare and contrast two of the following approaches that have been developed to explain the depiction of women by the media: reflection hypothesis, role-learning theory, organizational theory, capitalism and the media, social construction theory, and postmodernism.
reflection hypothesis: argues that the mass media reflect values of the general public. the capitalistic structure of the contemporary media depends on speaking to the largest consumer audience -the symbolic representation found in the media are, on the one hand make believe but they symbolize dominant social beliefs and desires role-learning theory: suggests that images in the media become the models for how people construct their self concepts and cultural ideals -assumes a casual connection between the content of the media and its social effects Organizational theory: explains the gendered content of the media as resulting from the actual gender inequality within media organizations capitalism and the media: the media not only sell products; the media also sells values--at least implicitly. those values, including the sheer value of consumer capitalism, shape media content social construction theory and the postmodernism are both perspectives that assume a more active perspective on the response of viewers images perceive in various media outlets -gender is a fluid category, constantly changing and evolving through human interaction
3. The research method most often used to study media images is called content analysis. Discuss the themes we found in our class analysis of ads featuring women's bodies. What are the implications of these findings for understanding gender.
the themes were: -legs -body -how women shouldn't use their heads or aren't known for it paired with everything
Biological determinist arguments often assume that hormonal differences between men and women explain presumed differences in aggressive behavior. Using specific points discussed in your text, provide evidence that supports or refutes this statement.
there are three major sex hormones : estrogen, progestin and testosterone. All males and females have relatively the same amount of each hormone. -this explains how the production or concentration of a specific hormone does not determine the absence or presence of behavior attached to a certain sex -another experiment is when women with menopause have the same amount of estrogen as men the same ages as they do and are still the same -another experiment with chemically castrated rhesus monkeys show that there is no direct relation with the castration and aggressive behavior
In modern Western societies men control reproduction. What effect does this fact have on women's bodies?
women's employment status affects their health, with women working solely in the home generally having higher rates of illness and depression than women in the labor force -feminist perspectives on reproduction sees this as an area where men have accumulated the power to control women's bodies, even though women have controlled reproduction. this has caused women of color having the least freedom to control their own bodies
