10 11 16 10 13 16 Gender and Biology What is Gender o Gender is the social classification and cultural values of masculine feminine and other o It is NOT synonymous with biological sex Male and female are biological categories man and woman are gender categories o Because gender is free to culturally vary independent of biological sex it can embody more diversity than biological sex does alone The Many Dimensions of Gender o Gender roles culturally defined roles for gender o Gender relations variations in the way members of different genders relate such as independently and autonomously o Gender ideology meaning and value ascribed to being woman man or other gender Biological basis of sex o Chromosomal XX and XY and variants Determines hormonal differences Determines physiological differences o Together these determine physical differences Primary sexual characteristics genitals Secondary sexual characteristics voice breasts hair distribution Sexual dimorphic differences height weight musculature although these heavily affected by environment too o More gender categories than there are biological categories How many genders o Many cultural traditions recognize 3 genders some equivalent of man woman and then one that is both Two spirit persons of native American tribes compromise a 3rd gender o Transgendered is increasingly recognized as a distinct gender as with Hijra of South Asia Other classification schemes abound Status of Women Varies across Cultures and through Time o Two systematic variables affecting relative status of women Women s contribution to production Not always a reliable indicator of status Women s roles in nondomestic public affairs Inside outside dichotomy when domestic and public spheres are sharply segregated women s status is generally low Variation of Gender Relations among Forager Societies o Washo Nevada men and women cooperate on game drives o Hadza Tanzania men and women forage independently o Tiwi North Australia men hunt engage in intergroup conflict and compete for wives o Inuit Alaska Canada men nearly exclusive food providers Kalahari Foragers gender Equality o The many roles of women domestic and nondomestic contributed to their relatively high status in traditional San society Child bearing and rearing Marriage Production Distribution Inheritance o Beaded headbands are exchanged among women in regional networks of mutual support 2 o Mongongo nuts are a staple of Kalahari diet and women have dominion over that aspect of the economy Colonial Incursions Compromised Gender Equality Fast o Contact with European colonists led to gender inequality among indigenous people worldwide With large labor offered only to men men had exclusive access to cash Women s production diminished Men also experienced greater contact with outside world hence developed more political influence Efforts to westernize and Christianize often entailed enforcement of many fidelity patriarchal control and no rights to divorce for women Marriage and Family What is Marriage o 3 universal principles of marriage marriage is about alliances marriage is about allocated resources assigning social obligations through contractual relationships o Views on marriage vary cross culturally and evolve through time o From textbook A culturally sanctioned union between 2 or more people that establishes certain rights and obligations between the people between them and their children and between them and their in laws Includes rights and obligations related to sex labor property child rearing and status Marriage and the Regulation of Sexual Relations o Marriage often though not always grants rights of exclusive sexual access Helps track paternity and ensure legal rights of offspring 3 o Incest taboo universal but variably defines present in all societies Reason for taboo To avoid harmful genetic effects of inbreeding To preserve the stability of the family To promote alliances with other social groups It reduces genetic variability o Endogamy and exogamy Endogamy within one s group Exogamy outside one s group Kissin Cousins U S Law and the Incest Taboo o Many cultures prefer marriages between first cousins the U S is virtually alone among developed between developed nations in its outspoken opposition to them o Marriage between first cousins allowed in 18 states and D C Forms of Marriage o Heterosexual and Homosexual o Monogamy both partners have just one spouse most common Serial monogamy an individual marries a series of partners in succession o Polygamy one partner has multiple spouses preferred by most cultures Polygyny one man with multiple wives Polyandry one woman with multiple husbands Marriage and Economic Exchange o Bride wealth aka bride price payments of money or valuable goods to a bride s parents or other close kin Used to compensate for natal household for the loss of labor o Dowry payments that the bride s family gives to the bridegroom his parents or his relatives as a condition of the marriage Meant to ensure her future well being and protection o Arranged marriage used to boost the economic and political advantage of the family unit 4 Postmarital Residence Patterns o Residence patterns establish where a newly married couple will live following marriage o There are three common residence patterns Patrilocal in which a married couple lives with the husband s father s family Matrilocal in which a married couple lives with the wife s mother s family Neolocal living in a locality apart from the husband s or wife s relatives Is Marriage Universal o According to our textbook yes o One possible exception the Mosuo of SW China Called land of the walking marriage After puberty Mosuo girls are free to receive male visitors A lover may stay overnight but always returns the next day to his mother s house and his primary responsibilities Family and Households o In nonwestern societies household and family not necessarily the same conjugal family social unit based on marital ties household residential unit in which economic production consumption inheritance child rearing and shelter are organized and carried out o Mundurucu of the Amazon Men and women do not live together Children live with mothers boys at age 13 pass into adulthood by relocating to men s house Men s house constitutes one household the women s house a separate household Family Diversity o Nuclear family one or two parents and dependent children NOT MOST COMMON HOUSEHOLD 5 o Extended family includes multigenerational