POLS2603 Lecture Notes - Kate Millett, Nancy Chodorow, Social Learning Theory
Lecture 2 - What is gender?
The Sex/Gender Distinction
gender is social + cultural
sex is biological
feminism has popularised this idea
it originated in medical discourse relating to trans ppl
Why a distinction?
wanted to contest idea that biology is a life determinant - gender essentialism
wanted to contest idea that women/men are fundamentally different
fem critique of essentialism:
to be a women is to bear expectations about your body and live with certain ideas
about your body etc
gender as not a biological fact, but a cultural construction
gender as the meaning a body takes on in certain contexts
this happened in 2nd wave fem
bodies are never naked, they are clothed with meaning
Ideas that came out of this
Kate Millett: gender a product of socialisation/gender learning
task for women is to dismantle these processes
argued this socialisation reinforced the subordination of women
teaches us to be passive etc, not to put our needs first
Nancy Chodorow: social learning theory is too simplistic to understand soc
construction of gender
gender soc constructed through development of masc + fem relations + personalities
bc women are usually caregivers, their relationship with their daughters is different to
their relationship with their sons
this is the beginning of the construction of gender
women more likely to be caregiving, men more likely to have individuated sense of
self
argued men and women should both be involved in parenting
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The sex/gender distinction gender is social + cultural sex is biological feminism has popularised this idea it originated in medical discourse relating to trans ppl. Kate millett: gender a product of socialisation/gender learning task for women is to dismantle these processes argued this socialisation reinforced the subordination of women teaches us to be passive etc, not to put our needs first. Catharine mackinnon: gender shaped by soc requirements of heterosexuality institutionalises male sexual dominance and female sexual submission women treated as objects of men(cid:1685)s desire + pleasure. Obscures how men are diff from each other + women are diff from each other. Intersectionality gender is not the only soc structure that shapes disadvantage/privilege/experiences/identities sex/gender distinction treats gender in isolation. Creates new restricted ideas about men + women - essentialises genders excludes people(cid:1685)s unique experiences of themselves attempts at definition create norms that can never include everyone.
