Slide 1Why do you need theory to understand gender?So, what is theory?what is theory?what is theory?Gender in SociologyGender in SociologyFeminismQuestions to ask about theoriesLiberal FeminismRadical FeminismRadical FeminismMen and FeminismSociological Theories of GenderGender and the Sociological ImaginationQuestions to ask about theoriesIndividual theoriesSex Roles TheoryStatus Characteristics TheoryStatus Characteristics TheoryDoing GenderDoing GenderGendered Organizations TheoryGendered Organizations Theory, continuedHomophily: A Network ApproachIntersectional Feminist TheoryIntegrative TheoriesNew Gender CategoriesTransgenders Recognised as 3rd CategoryWhat’s the “Sociology” in the Sociology of GenderChapter TwoQuestioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressWhy do you need theory to understand gender?•Theory is central to sociological analysis•People often have a working theory in their own mind about social phenomena, including gender▫For instance, you’ve probably already formed an explanation about why people say “that’s what boys do” or “that’s what girls do”•Sociological theory enables us to think more formally and self-critically about how we interpret the world around us▫?▫?▫?Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressSo, what is theory?•Theory ▫is a set of statements and propositions that seek to explain or predict a particular aspect of social life▫They may be tested and verified experimentally•Concepts ▫abstract ideas ………..Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge Presswhat is theory?•Why it’s important to learn theories▫We may never have tested or investigated those theories in rigorous ways▫Theories about gender help …………..▫Theories help us to figure out if our own perceptions and experiences about gender can truly be trustedQuestioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge Presswhat is theory?•Help us get over our predefined concepts▫Confirmation bias is a tendency to look for information that confirms our preexisting beliefs while ignoring information that contradicts those beliefs. ▫Confirmation bias suggests that our own working theories of gender can serve as blinders, preventing us from seeing and considering certain gendered phenomena in our lives.▫Example ??Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressGender in Sociology•Like many traditional academic disciplines, Sociology was developed primarily by white, upper class, European, presumably heterosexual men•Two main problems in early sociology of gender▫Men served as a proxy for all human beings▫Uncritical assumption and reinforcement of a certain gender status quo that confined women to the private sphere of the homeQuestioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressGender in SociologyPower and Privilege•Why male sociologists did not seriously consider gender ?•Male sociologists had power and were privileged by their gender, therefore they didn’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about it. ▫Privilege is a set of mostly unearned rewards and benefits that come with a given status position in society. ▫Privilege can take the form of actual rewards▫ •Privilege, in fact, is one of the reasons we need to be cautious in trusting the reality and objectivity of our own views about gender, and it is therefore another reason learning gender theories can be useful•1Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressFeminism•Three waves of feminism▫1st wave coincided with the suffrage movement and focused on women’s right to vote▫2nd wave developed during the 60s and is most commonly associated with “bra burners” and society’s view of what feminism is▫3rd wave emerged during the 80s and 90s and really focused more attention to race and sexual orientationImportant outcome: there is no “universal” experience of being a man or a womanQuestioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressQuestions to ask about theories•How does the particular type of feminism explain the origins of inequality between men and women?•What methods does the theory suggest are best suited to correcting or reducing inequality?•These questions can be used to analyze feminist theories, but also all gender theoriesQuestioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressLiberal Feminism•This theory says that inequality between men and women is rooted in the way existing institutions such as government treat men and women•Claims are grounded in a set of basic human rightsLiberal feminism is a part of a larger social movement master frame of equal rights•Assumption: ………………..Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressRadical Feminism•Primarily associated with 2nd and 3rd wave•Starts with the premise that women and men are fundamentally differentSources: treatment as a “sex class”; early socializationEx: ??•Gender serves as an integral tool for distributing power and resources among groups and people• Inequality is not solely a result ……………Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressRadical Feminism•According to a radical feminist the solutions to decrease gender inequality ▫To bring fundamental changes to the basic structure of society are necessary ▫A world in which women are no longer subordinate to men and this requires revolutionary changes to the current social order▫Consciousness -raising activities These activities are at the core of the popular feminist slogan, “…………….”Questioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressMen and Feminism•Some men have always been involved in women’s movements, though the majority are still women•Feminists argue in various forms that a society with more gender equality is a society that is good for everyone: men and women•Increasingly more sociological studies are looking at menQuestioning Gender: A Sociological Exploration by Robyn Ryle © 2012 Pine Forge PressSociological Theories of Gender•Feminism helped place gender as a topic in Sociology•Central question of