Sex and Gender

1. Sex and Gender Chapter 10

2. Sex and Gender Sex = biology Gender = cultural differences

3. Sex Characteristics • Primary sex characteristics • Distinguishes male from female at birth • Secondary sex characteristics • After puberty • Used to distinguish male from females • Cause of new hormones

4. How Much Do You Know About Body Image and Gender? • True or False? • Most people have an accurate perception of their physical appearance.

5. How Much Do You KnowAbout Body Image and Gender? • False • Many people do not have a very accurate perception of their bodies. • For example, many girls and women think of themselves as “fat” when they are not. • Some boys and men believe that they need a well-developed chest and arm muscles, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist.

6. How Much Do You KnowAbout Body Image and Gender? • True or False? • Young girls and women very rarely die as a result of anorexia or bulimia.

7. How Much Do You KnowAbout Body Image and Gender? • False. • Although the exact number is not known, many young girls and women die as a result of starvation, malnutrition, and other problems associated with anorexia and bulimia.

8. Hermaphrodites • Caused by a hormone imbalance • Combination of male and female genitalia • Western societies acknowledge two sexes • other societies recognize three: • Men • Women • Berdaches - males who behave, dress, work,and are treated as women.

9. Sexual Orientation • Individual’s preference for emotional relationships • Heterosexuality • Homosexuality • bisexuality

10. Sexual Orientation • Homosexual and gay are most often used in association with males who prefer same-sex relationships. • Lesbian is used in association with females who prefer same-sex relationships. • Heterosexual individuals, who prefer opposite-sex relationships, are sometimes referred to as straight.

11. Gender: The Cultural Dimension • Most “sex differences” are socially constructed “gender differences”. • Gender is embedded in the images, ideas, and language of a society. • Gender is used as a means to divide up work, allocate resources, and distribute power.

12. Microlevel Analysis of Gender • Gender role – attitudes, behavior, and activities that are socially defined as appropriate for each sex and are learned through the socialization process • Gender identity – a person’s perception of the self as female or male • Body consciousness – how a person perceives and feels about his or her body

13. Macrolevel Gender Analysis • Gendered institutions – structures creating inequality • Society places tasks on men and women • Gender belief system – all the ideas regarding masculinity and femininity are held to be valid

14. The Social Significance of Gender • Stereotypes • Men – strong, rational, dominant, independent, less concerned with appearance • Women – weak, emotional, nurturing, dependent, anxious about appearance

16. Sexism • Subordination of one sex, usually female, based on the assumed superiority of the other sex • 3 Components • Negative attitudes toward women • Stereotypical beliefs that reinforce, complement, or justify the prejudice • Discrimination – acts that exclude, distance, or keep women separate

17. Sexism • Patriarchy – a hierarchical system of social organization in which cultural, political, and economic structures are controlled by men • Matriarchy – hierarchical system of social organization in which cultural, political, and economic structures are controlled by women

18. Polling Question • If you were taking a new job and had your choice of a boss, would you prefer to work for a man or a woman? • Man • Woman • No preference

19. Gendered Division of Labor • Three factors • Type of subsistence base • Supply and demand for labor • The extent to which women’s child-rearing activities are compatible with certain types of work

21. Gender and Socialization • Gender appropriate behaviors are learned through socialization • Parents generally prefer sons • Initially believed that only a son could care for parents • Belief comes from socialization

22. Parents and Gender Socialization • Starts at birth • Children's clothing and toys reflect their parents' gender expectations. • Children are often assigned household tasks according to gender.

23. Peers and Gender Socialization • Peers help children learn gender-appropriate and inappropriate behavior. • During adolescence, peers often are more effective at gender socialization than adults. • College student peers play an important role in career choices and the establishment of long term, intimate relationships.

24. Schools and Gender Socialization • Teachers provide messages about gender through classroom assignments and informal interactions with students. • Teachers may unintentionally show favoritism toward one gender over the other.

25. Sports and Gender Socialization • From elementary school through high school: • Boys play football. • Girls are cheerleaders, members of the drill team, and homecoming queens. • For many males, sports is a training ground for masculinity.

26. Mass Media and Gender Socialization On television: • Male characters typically are more aggressive, constructive, and direct. • Females are deferential toward others or use manipulation to get their way.

27. Adult Gender Socialization • Jobs teach appropriate conduct • Double standard of aging exists after age forty

28. Gendered Division of Paid Work • Gender-segregated work • Concentration of women and men in different occupations, jobs, and places of work • Gender-segregation in professional labor market has decreased • Labor market segmentation results in women having separate and unequal jobs • Pay gap is best-documented consequence

29. % of Women, African Americans and Hispanics in Selected Occupations

30. Pay Equity (Comparable Worth) • Occupational segregation contributes to a pay gap • Pay equity or comparable worth • Belief that wages ought to reflect the worth of a job, not the gender or race of the worker

31. Paid Work and Family Work • Most women combine paid work with family work • Domestic responsibilities consume a great deal of time • Many belong to the sandwich generation

32. Functionalist and Neoclassical Economic Perspectives • Men and women have distinct roles • Essential for the survival of society • Women’s roles as nurturers are more important in industrialized societies • Men provide instrumental tasks • Women provide expressive tasks • Traditional division of labor is the natural order of the universe

33. The Human Capital Model • Functionalist Model • Individuals vary in the amount of human capital they provide • What individuals earn is a result of their own choices

34. Conflict Perspectives • Gendered division of labor is a result of male dominance over women and resources • Marxists assert that gender stratification results from private ownership of the means of production

35. Feminist Perspective • Liberal Feminism • Gender equality is equated with equality of opportunity • Radical Feminism • Male domination causes all forms of human oppression • Socialist Feminism • Women’s oppression results from dual roles as paid and unpaid workers in a capitalist economy • Multicultural Feminism • Identifies struggles of females of differing races