Gender Vocabulary Unit 2
psychoanalytic identification
the way in which a child modifies her own sense of self to incorporate some ability, attribute, or power she sees in others around her
gender stability
the understanding that gender is a stable and permanent characteristic
romantic love
a couple coming together, sharing the excitement of an erotic relationship, and feeling united with each other in such a way that he object of their love is unique and irreplaceable
youth control complex
a system in which schools, police, probation officers, families, community centers, the media, businesses, and other institutions systematically treat young people's everyday behaviors as criminal activity
history of homosexuality
-term did not exist, any act that was sexual and nonprocreative was called buggery or sodomy (same-sex behaviors, bestiality, anal, etc.) -personality disorder in 1886 (called homosexuality)
bisexuals...
... can receive negative reactions from both homos and heteros for being "on the fence" and not connected into either conversation
the gender of ego boundaries...
... girls develop gender identity through close relationship with mother and therefore girls have personality structures with more empathy and less of an ego boundary -compare to boys that are pushed away earlier and must attach to a masculine gender identity and separate from mothers - therefore have stronger ego boundary and rejection of all things feminine -explains morality and justice in that women have less separation b/n themselves and others (able to take the position of others) and men cannot relate (blind to the situations of others)
minority stress theory with families of choice...
... immigrants and LGBTQ individuals create families of choice more often to compensate for the lack of real family ties (from geographical distance or rejection b/c of sexual orientation)
sex is...
... important for acting out status, creating idea of gender, perpetuating feminine and masculine roles ... creating an accountable performance of gender
friendship...
... is between two social equals that have voluntarily chosen one another -important characteristics: intimacy, trust, caring, nurturing; identify more with female ideals and therefore men reject closeness and intimacy
studying up in sexuality...
... is studying heterosexuality as opposed to "deviant" sexualities like homosexuality
social network theory w/ gender...
... says that gender is nothing more than a residual effect of the particular shape and content of the network in which we are embedded -working woman's friendships are similar to working man's -social structural position determines how we think and act
strong social constructionist approach...
... sees that gendered views of the world are what leads to the imposing of sex categories -Ex: penis must be long enough for a boy to stand while peeing (importance of social experience) -Ex: penis must be long enough to penetrate a vagina (importance of social experience)
militarization of sex...
... suggests a belief that the sexual desire of men is a pressing need that must be met -military-sexual complex: armies motivate men to fight by providing sex for soldiers -suggest that the sexual desire of men is, at the very least, greater than that of women and, at the most extreme, powerful, natural, and beyond control -disconnects the intimate connection of sex (limits sex!) -creates pressure to match sexual performances -machine metaphor: doesn't require warmth, trust, affection, respect, love, or connection (functions to finish task and that's it)
rating-dating-mating complex
a courtship practice in which girls and boys dated many different people at the same time in order to raise status and reputation -men's goals: gain sexual experience and sophistication -women's goals: preserve pure reputation by finding a good date -competitive system for establishing popularity
calling
19th century courtship that involved American men to come call at the homes of their potential love interests, with approval of the mother and constant chaperoning by a family member -initiated by woman! power to woman! b/c household was the woman's domain
gender polarization
Describes the way in which behaviors and attitudes that are viewed as appropriate for men are viewed as inappropriate for women & vice versa -makes two mutually exclusive scripts for mas.+fem. -deviants from scripts are "unnatural, immoral, abnormal, etc."
compulsive heterosexuality
Describes the way in which heterosexuality becomes institutionalized into the practices of daily life and therefore enforced as a way of regulating our behaviors and distributing power and privilege
sexual identity
The particular category into which people place themselves based on the current division of the world into heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or asexual
one-sex model
ancient Greek view that sees women as not a completely different type of creature, but as an inferior version of man (gods, men, women, slaves, other deviants) -who you have sex with is not important because there are not distinctions of gender
gender transgression zone
any activities or behaviors that have the potential to be perceived as violating gender norms in some way
sex-typed behaviors
behavior that is more expected and therefore perceived as appropriate when performed by one sex but less expected and therefore perceived as inappropriate when performed by the other sex
affective love
being emotionally and affectionately connected through communication and the sharing of feelings -women's friendships: through communication and conversation -women's relationships: sharing and communication of feelings
Psychoanalytic Theory
believes that gender is something that becomes deeply embedded in our personality structures very early in our development in ways that other theories of gender socialization do not adequately describe
going steady
came around WWII when there was fewer men available to date; to date someone came to mean a longer-term relationship -also allowed for more sexual encounters and importance of good sex for a successful marriage
Cognitive-Development Theory
children actively learn to gender-type others and acquire their own gender identity as they progress through a series of discrete, fixed developmental stages -gender-typing others is a learned skill -must select behaviors from their environment they believe with their gender identity -the power of socialization is held largely in the targets, not the agents
schema
cognitive structure and network of associations that helps to organize and sort an individual's perception of the world -compared to filing system that connects ideas (mother to female to woman to feminine to nurturer, etc.)
gender schema
cognitive structure that enables us to sort characteristics and behaviors into masculine and feminine categories and then creates various other associations with those categories -compare to colored glasses, or gendered-colored glasses, that lead us to see the world in some very specifically gendered ways -are important because culture creates and enforces their importance
sexual desire
combination of objective physical responses and subjective psychological or emotional responses to some internal or external stimulus
double standard
cultural belief in Anglo-European society that the exact same sexual behaviors or feelings are okay for one gender but not for the other -Ex: think more about sex, have more sex, more causal sex, have more non-marital sex, etc. -discourages women from expressing and acting on their sexual desires while expecting men to do so
ego boundaries
describes the sense of personal psychological division between ourselves and the world around us (where "me" stops and everything else begins) -Ex: infants do not experience themselves separated from mothers
heteropatriarchy
describes these interconnections between gender inequality and sexuality, or the ways in which the dominance associated with a gender binary system also presumes heterosexuality as a social norm
residential segregation
describes social segregation in terms of where people live, and in the United States, communities are especially segregated by race and class -status inequality strains relationships and friendships -women working at home make friends with other parents through their children's school, sports, other extracurricular activities -men have larger social networks because of workplace experiences bring broader ranges of people (women have smaller and mostly kin)
conjugality
describes the personal relationship between husband and wife
privilege
earned or not earned right that is attached to a social status, race, gender, sexual identity -hetero-privilege: set of unearned rights that are given to heteros (Ex: don't have to explain their sexuality, marriage licences for heteros not homos)
Gender Schema Theory
explains gender socialization as a more specific process of socialization because gender is the important organizing principle around children's identities -external agents and targets are actively shaping gender through gender schemas!
instrumental love
expressed through doing things for the other person by providing material help and practical assistance -men's friendships: doing things together -men's relationships: provide assistance and help
dating
first emerged in lower classes who had no space for calling to happen; moved courtship from private place (woman's space) to public world (man's space) -power of courtship was shifted onto the men -was costly to date a woman and sexual favors were expected to come as reciprocation -initiated by man
secondary groups
generally large, more temporary, more impersonal, and more specialized than primary groups -focus on goals (making money, learning, etc.)
aromantic
having no romantic drive or no desire to find a romantic partner
enculturation
how culture comes to reside inside individuals
intersex children
individuals who do not fit into the contemporary Anglo-European biological sex categories of male and female
heteronormativity
is the way in which heterosexuality is viewed as the normal, natural way of being
sexual subjects
men who have a sense of power and agency in their bodies that allows them to act in their bodies rather than being acted upon -the active initiators of sexual activity
side-by-side
men's friendships described by the participation in activities together but not necessarily engaging in the kind of conversational intimacy that women engage in -men less likely to self disclose intimate information (ego boundaries and hegemonic masculinity's competitive drive and homo-fear make connecting with others more difficult) -men emphasizing doing things together than talking -women more uncomfortable with their friendships lack intimate self-disclosure -women more comfortable with physical affection with their friends and nonverbal communication
sidestaging
neither the front nor back stage, a glimpse into the back stage without it being revealed in its entirety -Ex: female strip club customers seeing strippers in bathroom and changing rooms (makes it impossible to see these women as equal customers to males)
front stage
not our "true self" but a contrived performance with behaviors and props
kin
people with whom you're related to either with blood or symbolic ties
asexuality
person who does not experience sexual attraction -can be completely different from wanting to share one's life with someone romantically
ageism
prejudice based on a preference for the young and equating of signs of aging with decreased social value -for women: emphasis on attractiveness -for men: emphasis on physical or mental skill, career success
secondary socialization
process of learning appropriate behavior within smaller sections of the larger society (secondary groups) -the process of socialization is never done and gender is greatly changed throughout a person's life
androcentrism
putting men at the center of superiority and relegating women to outsiders in society -explains why it is more acceptable for women to engage in masculine behavior then men to engage in feminine behavior
back stage
rare part of ourselves not often seen where we can relax and step out of character
gender constancy
realization that gender is invariant despite superficial changes in a person's appearance or behavior (physical appearance of a person does not change his or her underlying sex category)
primary groups
relationships that are intimate, enduring, unspecialized and spend a great deal of time together
hookups
sexual encounter usually lasting only one night b/n two people who were strangers or brief acquaintances -popular on college campuses b/c "lack of time for real dating and real relationships" but still having sex drives
agents of socialization
social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' socializing
heteronormative society
society that privileges heteros and assumes heterosexuality as the norm -enforced by the hegemonic curriculum: the practices of institutions that legitimize the dominant culture and marginalize/reject other culture -Ex: gendered dorms, sex education, prom, boys and girls line, award goes to one boy and one girl, PDA, not reporting bullying of LGBTQ students
hetero-romantic norms
specific behavioral norms for men and women that are important to proving their masculinity or femininity
ideal love
submission to and adoration of an idealized other whom one would like to be like and from whom one wants confirmation and recognition -gives adolescent boys control over sexual relations with the girl -feminine sexuality is passive -bodies turn into something separate from themselves and out of their control, rather than a source of pleasure; become pain, shame, embarrassment, and disappointment
second shift
the extra burden of working women who have to come home and make dinner, do homework, take care of children
primary socialization
the initial process of learning the ways of a society or group that occurs in infancy and childhood and is transmitted through the primary groups to which we belong
sexual scripts
the learned guidelines for sexual expression that provide individuals with a sense of appropriate sexual behaviors and sexual desires for their particular culture -Ex: who we should have desire for, who to have sex with, what exactly we should do when we have sex
gender socialization
the learning of gender roles through social factors such as schooling, the media, and family
collectivistic societies
the needs of the collective are perceived as more important than individual needs -marriage is less likely to be a matter of choice (more of a strategic alliance)
individualistic societies
the needs of the individual outweigh the needs of any collective
young male syndrome
the perceived, expected, and often necessary pressure to perform a tough, violent, and deviant manhood in order to receive and maintain respect
target of socialization
the person being socialized
social segregation
the separation of some realm of social life into different groups on the basis of some category
gender norms
the sets of rules for what is appropriate masculine and feminine behavior in a given culture
life-course perspective
the study of changes in individuals' lives over time, related to historical events, and how they affect new social settings
Social Learning Theory
the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished (based on behaviorism) -more specifically when children are rewarded/punished for engaging in sex-typed behaviors that are consistent with their assigned sex category -usually a conscious effort by parents, teachers, friends but can also be latent learning through imitation (the agents have the power, not the targets)
sexual convergence
the trend for the norms and ideals surrounding women's sexuality to become increasingly similar to the norms and ideals of men's sexuality -Ex: ideals about virginity and masturbation, increasing availability, social acceptance, safety measures/birth control
gender identity
the way in which being feminine or masculine, a woman or a man, becomes an internalized part of the way we think about ourselves (developed through gender socialization)
romance tourism
the ways in which many women as sex tourists are looking more to be swept away by men than to assert their strong control over their paid male counterparts -shows how different sex is for men and women! -men want sex for its own sake -women want sexual encounters with emotional intimacy/romantic love
hybrid masculinity
the ways in which mostly straight, young, white, men selectively incorporate performances of masculinity that are historically, structurally, and culturally associated with nonhegemonic masculinities -distancing themselves from dominant norms surrounding sexuality -defy the dominant ideals and inconsequentially reinforce the boundaries around appropriate/inappropriate masculinity rather than challenge them
sexual object
view oneself as the passive recipient of sexual behavior and sexual desire, or to be the one who is sexually acted on and sexually desired rather than the one doing the sexual acting and sexual desiring -something that happens to them rather than something they actively desire and pursue -women are sought after, but able to accept or reject men's approaches (cannot initiate)
two-sex model
women and men are believed to be two completely different types of people, and sex categories are viewed as discrete -sexuality is more important and dependent on males (therefore female homosexuality is less deviant)
face-to-face
women's friendships described by the degree of conversation and emotional sharing that takes place in women's friendships
