Sociology Final Exam Chapter 9

Eve Kosotsky Sedgwick:

"homosocial" to oppose "homosexual," describing non-sexual same-sex relations. Women are more fluid in their affection with the same sex.

"TALK TO ME!"

A cartoon that highlights the difference in what women and men think talk is for: Men: information, when his wife interrupts him from reading a newspaper, it must be to inform him on something he needs to know Women: interaction, telling things is a way to show involvement, and listening is a way to show interest and caring Ex. Rebecca is use to expressing her thoughts and opinions as they arise (saying nothing means thinking nothing) Roles are reversed: Stuart stands up and speaks out at a meeting, Rebecca is silent because of the negative reactions people could have to what she might say, fear of saying the wrong thing Main idea: many men are more comfortable than most women in suing talk to claim attention, the difference lies at the heart of the distinction between report-talk and rapport-talk.

Sociologists associate sexuality with ________.

A person's capacity for sexual feelings.

Queer theory:

A perspective that problematizes the manner in which we have been taught to think about sexual orientation.

Socialization:

A process in which people learn to behave in a particular way s dictated by societal values, beliefs, and attitudes.

Stratification:

A system in which groups of people experience unequal access to basic, yet highly valuable, social resources.

Feminist theory:

A type of conflict theory that examines inequalities in gender-related issues.

According to national surveys, most American parents support which type of sex education program in school?

Abstinence plus sexual safety

Symbolic interactionism:

Aims to understand human behavior by analyzing the critical role of symbols in human interaction.

According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, we "do gender":

All of the time, in everything we do.

Sexism:

An attitude or behavior that discriminates against one sex, usually women, based on assumed superiority of the other sex.

Homophobia:

An extreme or irrational aversion to homosexuals.

Gender identity:

An individual's self conception of being male or female based on his or her association with masculine or feminine gender roles.

Sexual Harassment:

Any unwanted sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other conduct of a sexual nature Verbal behavior: demands for sexual favors in exchange for promotion Nonverbal behavior: suggestive gestures or posters Physical contact: unwanted touching Faculty members sleeping with students use to be very common Can be fired for failure to report sexual harassment There is an individual responsibility to report child abuse or neglect and it should be reported to the Department of Human Services (DHS), not just your boss.

"You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation"

Barbara and Gene Eakins tape recorded and studied seven university faculty meeting: Men spoke more often and a longer time than women Men: 10.66 to 17.07 seconds Women: 3 to 10 seconds Summary: the women's longest turns were still shorter than the men's shortest turns Volunteering and being called on to ask questions: only 27.4% of women contributed Women's questions took less time: 23.1 seconds for women and 52.7 seconds for men Summary: men tend to preface their questions with statements, ask more than one question, and follow up the speaker's answers with another question or comment Women's language of conversation: Language of rapport: a way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships; emphasis is placed on displaying similarities and matching experiences Men's language of conversation: Report-talk: language is primarily a means to preserve independence and negotiate and maintain status in a hierarchical social order; this is achieved by exhibiting knowledge and skill, and by holding center stage through verbal performance such as story telling, joking, or imparting information.

Compared to most Western societies, American sexual attitudes are considered _________.

Conservative

Which of the following is correct regarding the explanation for transgenderism?

Currently, there is no definitive explanation for transgenderism.

Ira Reiss:

Defined the double standard as prohibiting premarital sexual intercourse for women but allowing it for men.

Murdock's experiment:

Divisions of labor among 324 societies, jobs assigned to men were given greater prestige. Before 1809: women could not execute a will. Before 1840: women were not allowed to own or control property. Before 1920: women were not permitted to vote. Before 1963: employers could legally pay a woman less than a man for the same work. Before 1973: women did not have the right to a safe and legal abortion.

Sexual orientation:

Emotional and sexual attraction to a particular sex (male or female). Heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality.

Only women are affected by gender stratification.

False

Gender socialization occurs through four major agents:

Family, education, peer groups, and mass media.

Alfred Kinsey:

First to conceptualize sexuality as a continuum rather than a strict dichotomy of gay or straight (1948 Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, 6 point scale).

To which theoretical perspective does the following statement most likely apply: Women continue to assume the responsibility in the household along with a paid occupation because it keeps the household running smoothly, i.e., at a state of balance?

Functionalism

Which theoretical perspective stresses the importance of regulating sexual behavior to ensure marital cohesion and family stability?

Functionalism

The terms "masculine" and "feminine" refer to a person's _________.

Gender

_____________ is/are an individual's self-conception of being male or female based on his or her association with masculine or feminine gender roles.

Gender Identity

West and Zimmerman:

Gender is something we do or perform, not something we are.

Harry

Harry=male=acts feminine, believes he's a girl Called himself Hailey, doctors figured out he was transgender

Secondary sex characteristics:

Height and masculinity

Research indicates that individuals are aware of their sexual orientation _________.

In early adolescence.

Sanday's study of Indonesian Minangkabau:

In societies that some consider to ne matriarchies (women=dominant group), men and women work cooperatively.

"Fa'afafine":

Individuals who are born biologically male but embody both masculine and feminine traits.

Transgender:

Individuals who identify with the role that is the opposite of their biological sex.

"Berdache":

Individuals who occasionally or permanently dressed and lived as the opposite gender.

Broverman study:

Male's traits were given to a health patient, while women's traits could be compared to a sick patient.

Gender stereotyping:

Overgeneralizing about the attitudes, traits, or behavior patterns of women and men.

Friedrich Engels:

Owner-worker relationship=same with the household

Which of the following is the best example of the role peers play as an agent of socialization for school-aged children?

Peers tend to reinforce gender roles by criticizing and marginalizing those who behave outside of their assigned roles.

Gender stratification:

People's unequal access to wealth, power, status, prestige, and other valued resources.

Michele Bachmann:

Possible presidential candidate The band is playing a song called "lying ass bitch" as she makes out for an interview Jimmy Falon apologizes for the walk out song On the flip side: Could you imagine a talk show doing that for a male candidate?

Sex

Refers to physical or physiological differences between males and females.

Sexism:

Refers to prejudiced beliefs that value one sex over another.

Gender roles:

Refers to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and how they should behave Based on norms, or standards, created by society Pink=girl, blue=boy

Talcott Parsons:

Regulation of sexual activity is an important function of the family.

Secondary agents:

Religion and work

Primary sex characteristics:

Reproductive system

Dove Sketch Men's Self-Concept

Same sort of thing happening Result: men's self-image seems very conceded, and woman described the man as dirty and rape-like, the images are VERY different, the self-image is beautiful and the image described by other people are ugly.

Broadly speaking, __________ refers to biological characteristics and ____________ refers to socialized characteristics.

Sex; gender

Sex education:

Should it be taught in American schools? Controversy: abstinence vs. sexual safety and responsibility

Dove Sketch Women's Self-Concept

Sketching women based on how they saw they look He doesn't see them after they are sketched Sketching a women that another woman is describing and comparing them The better sketch is the one that women are describing each other Affects jobs, success, and ability to reach out and takes risks.

Gender:

Social or cultural distinctions associated with being male or female.

Conflict theory:

Society is a struggle for dominance among social groups that compete for scarce resource.

What Western country is thought to be the most liberal in its attitudes toward sex?

Sweden

Gender Identity:

The extent to which one identifies as being either masculine or feminine Ex. A trait of the female gender=to wear a dress of skirt (American) Wearing a skirt is masculine in other countries

Radical feminism:

The role of the family in perpetuating male dominance

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick:

The sex of one's desired partner.

Trans-sexual:

Transgendered individuals who wish to alter their bodies through medical interventions such as surgery and hormonal therapy.

A person who is biologically female but identifies with the male gender and has undergone surgery to alter her body is considered ____________.

Transsexual

Gender and Politics:

U.S. lags behind many other countries in women's political empowerment In many important offices, only 1 in 4 decision-makers is a woman.

Structural functionalism:

Viewing the family as the most integral component of society.

Doing gender:

When people perform tasks or possess characteristics based on the gender role assigned to them.

Which of the following is the best example of a gender stereotype?

Women tend to be overly emotional, while men tend to be levelheaded.

Video: Sexism in the Science Department

Women with Science PHD=4x less likely to get tenured at a university Ben: Stanford, medical school, highly respected scientist, spent 40 years of his life as Barbra Professor didn't give the girl credit for a problem she got correct Dated briefly in college Never attracted to either sex The professor didn't realize he was the same person years later.

Dale Spencer's stereotype of women:

Women, like children, should be seen and not heard, so any amount of talk from them seems like too much Men think women talk a lot because they hear women talking in situations that men would not: on the telephone, social situations with friends, when they are not discussing topics that men find inherently interesting. Women complain that men's silence at home is a disappointment.