chapter 9 : gender & sociology
Heteronormativity
The belief that heterosexuality is and should be the norm.
Sexism
The belief that one sex is superior to the other.
Sexuality
The character or quality of being sexual.
First wave
The earliest period of feminist activism, from the mid nineteenth century until American women won the right to vote in 1920.
Feminization of poverty
The economic trend showing that women are more likely than men to live in poverty, caused in part by the gendered gap in wages, the higher proportion of single mothers compared to single fathers, and the increasing costs of child care.
Men's rights movement
An offshoot of male liberationism whose members believe that feminism promotes discrimination against men.
Feminism
Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes; also the social movements organized around that belief.
Homophobia
Discrimination toward gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.
Transphobia
Discrimination toward transgender or other gender-nonconforming people.
Microaggression
Everyday uses of ordinary language that may send denigrating messages to members of certain social groups.
Same-sex marriage
Federally recognized marriage between members of the same sex; made legal in the United States in 2015.
Patriarchy
Literally meaning "rule of the father"; a male dominated society.
Sexual orientation / identity
The inclination to feel sexual desire toward people of a particular gender or toward both genders.
Gender role socialization
The lifelong process of learning to be masculine or feminine, primarily through agents of socialization.
Third wave
The most recent period of feminist activism, focusing on issues of diversity, globalization, and the variety of identities women can possess.
Second wave
The period of feminist activism during the 1960s and 1970s, often associated with the issues of women's equal access to employment and education.
Gender
The physical, behavioral, and personality traits that a group considers normal for its male and female members.
Second shift
The unpaid housework and child care often expected of women after they complete their day's paid labor.
Essentialists
Those who believe gender roles have a genetic or biological origin and therefore cannot be changed.
Constructionists
Those who believe that gender is socially determined.
Sex
An individual's membership in one of two categories male or female based on biological factors.
Gender identity
An individual's self-definition or sense of gender.
Rape culture
A set of beliefs, norms, and values that normalizes sexual violence against women.