Unit 2 3 1 Sociological Perspective on Gender The constructionist perspective a group or society coming to an agreement on a topic It becomes taken for granted that often becomes natural or inevitable Constructionism vs essentialism Gender cultural definitions of masculinity and femininity Sex perceived biological distinctions between men and women Both gender and sex are social constructions Masculinity and femininity are social agreements not ontological facts We tend to accept what is usual as natural What does it mean to be constructed What does it meant to be a construct Pants are a social construct People come to an agreement about what are and aren t pants The color of pink as referencing femininity is a social construct People come to an agreement about markers of femininity Thinness as a feminine ideal is a social construct People come to an agreement about ideal body types This changes over time Ideal body image varies cross culturally The construction of femininity Signifiers of femininity in the U S like the color pink vary historically Ideal femininity like thinness varies historically and cross culturally Femininity is not some objective fact about women It is a social construction Gender essentialism The belief in hard wired essential differences between men and women that stem from in born biological and evolutionary distinctions Why women are better at shopping than men over many thousands of years evolution has designed women to excel when it comes to hunting down the most fulfilling food Women s desire to look like Barbie small waist large breasts blond hair and blue eyes is a realistic and sensible response to the desire of men to mate with women who look like her Men are unconsciously seeking healthier and more fertile women when they seek women with small waists Why Men Gamble Women Buy Shoes There s nothing inherently masculine about gambling As women attain economic and social parity with men we will see a rise in female gamblers Sociologists tend to reject gender essentialism because it is ahistorical Essentialist arguments fail to account for historical change It downplays cultural factors Unit 2 3 2 Hegemonic masculinity and femininity Hegemony implies dominance of one group over another and describes a condition where the subordinate group is dependent upon the powerful group and buys into the criteria of judgment or culture set forth by the majority group What is socialization Lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms customs and ideologies providing an individual with the skills and habits necessary for participating within his or her own society Socialization is thus the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained Learning how to be a human Resocialization preexisting roles identities and norms are changed in a new environment Agents of socialization parents educators peers and mass media People who are with the individual the first few years of life Children who are born are feral children Unsocialized What does gender socialization do it begins at a young age starts with gendered toys computers and books Self fulfilling prophecies a prediction that causes itself to be true o girls are bad at math so studying math is futile poor math scores institutional discrimination discrimination that has been a part of the structures processes and procedures of organizations glass ceilings invisible and unbreakable barriers to economic advancement face by otherwise qualified women and racial and ethnic minorities At birth sons are described by parents as bigger stronger and hardier compared to daughters Structure and agency Agency desires intentions creativity ability to express yourself Ability to make choices Freewill Structure social norms structure the way behave The government Media Pop culture Family Class Race Gender School Religion affect the choices we make Social structure effects what our agency looks like Social context that gives you the choices that you have to make Gender in the news student whose athletic career was ended by concussion She played sports since she was a small child growing up she hardly watched anything besides sports center A local high school places new policy on leggings jeggings and tight jeans Unit 2 3 3 The Second Shift Gender ideology o An individual s deeply held set of idea about the proper roles of men and women o Egalitarian husbands and wives have equal opportunities at home and in the workplace The household division of labor is equal and fair o Traditional husbands are the bread winner and wives do housework and stay home with the kids o Transitional somewhere in between egalitarian and traditional o Femininity domesticity Women may flaunt their independence but they seldom lose their femininity If you look at women who are working you will find them between business hours at work on some little thing they would have done if they had been at home o Women are naturally domestic The top drawer of their desk is full of feminine things Gender strategy o Things couples do to fit their gender ideology o A plan of action where people try to solve a problem given certain cultural and gender notions o Today men do almost a third of housework Data suggest the changes will last The Holts o Social structure middle class employment opportunities for Nancy o Gender ideologies Mrs Egalitarian and Mr Transitional o Gender strategies upstairs downstairs myth passive resistance dog care withholding sex The Delacortes o Social structure working class traditional upbringing she needs to work o Gender ideologies Mrs And Mr Traditional o Gender strategies calculated incompetence myth of frank does little around the house Gender Constructionism When a girl can t run around with their shirt off like a boy can Guys will make fun of you for doing something that is unmanly like giving friends a hug At McDonalds when you specify your gender to determine the toy you will receive Girls have to sit with their legs crossed or closed and boys don t Younger girls have tea parties and princess parties boys have sports or super hero themed parties Men mowing the lawn because that s their job Sociology argues against this model Unit 2 3 4 Inequality Gender Biology But this model is also too simplistic Inequality Gender Society The social construction of gender 1 There are multiple approaches to study gender sex and sexuality Sociologists often focus on inequality and power differences between men and women Sociologists