Sexuality Sex biological context Secondary sex characteristics physical traits not sexual in nature that are identified with a sex Gender social distinction based on culturally conceived notions of sex We treat categories as if they fit inside of people rather than as labels made up to describe people Gender ideals Standards by which we define perfect male or female Masculinity physical behavioral mental or emotional traits associated with men Femininity physical behavioral mental or emotional traits associated with women An unknown but significant amount of observed differences between male and female are present Sexual Orientation Enduring pattern of emotional romantic and or sexual attraction to men women or both sexes There are many examples of women damaging their body lips eyes ears waists skulls foreheads feet in order to achieve some ideal Commodification of sexuality Occurs when companies create products for people to buy so they can express themselves as sexual beings or elicit a sexual response from others Ideals of extreme beauty tend to concern females In this sense the ideals expose a link to misogyny and self loathing Sexism The belief that one sex and by extension one gender is innately superior to another justifying unequal treatment of the sexes Revolves around 3 notions o People in 2 categories o Strong connection between primary sex characteristics and other characteristics o Primary sex characteristic are so significant that they explain and determine behavior and the inequalities that exist between the sexes Extremes of sexism o Misogyny hatred directed towards women o Misandry hatred directed at men A third gender Illustrates the social element in defining sex and gender Fa afafine in Samoa people who are not biologically female who take on the way of women Homophobia An irrational fear held by some heterosexuals that a same sex person will make a sexual advance toward them o A fear of being in close contact with someone of the same sex o Can lead to engagement in or support violence o Can cause people to react in discriminatory ways Hypermasculinity The exaggeration of the traits and behaviors believed to be characteristic of males Place excessive emphasis on strength to the point that a man s muscles and reproductive organs are presented as impossibly large Feminism A perspective that seeks to understand the position of women in society relative to men and advocates equal opportunities Life chances the probability that an individual s life will be a certain way Structural constraints Established and customary rules policies and day to day practices that affect a person s life chances Gendered institutions exist when there is an established pattern of segregating the sexes into different workspaces or jobs or disproportionately assigning one sex to positions of power and of otherwise disadvantaging one sex relative to the other Gender stratification Extent to which opportunities and resources are unequally distributed between men and women Gender gap Women are typically in lower paying lower status occupations Glass ceiling barrier that prevents women from rising above a certain level Glass escalator invisible upward movement that puts men at a higher position in reference to women Gender socialization Process through which males and females learn gender roles behavior and activities expected of someone who is male or female Indirect children learn gender expectations by observing others words and behaviors Direct significant others intentionally convey the societal expectations to children Agents of socialization People groups institutions that shape our gender identity Includes Families teachers religious leaders culture mass media Gender norms Learning to be male or female involves learning norms governing the way males and females present themselves including sex appropriate body language