SOCY1050 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Queer Theory, Talcott Parsons, Jeff Lorber
Lecture 3A
Sex and Gender
Key themes
Social structure and culture influence how we do ‘gender’ or how culturally appropriate
masculinities and femininities are expressed
Agency
Social construction is evident in all spheres of life: family, schools, media
Cultural meanings available to us assume conventional masculine and feminine roles
Gender divide creates inequality between men and women
Patriarchy is a structural cause of gender inequality
Sex versus gender
Sex
oWhether you were born with male or female genitals and a genetic program that
released male or female hormones to stimulate the development of your
reproductive system
Gender
oYour sense of being male or female and playing masculine and feminine roles in
ways defined as appropriate by your culture and society
Sexuality
oSexual preference or romantic affiliation for a particular group
SEX VS GENDER
Sex
oBiological makeup of a genetic male or female
Gender
oPersonal traits and societal position associated with being male or female
(Masculinity and Femininity)
oGender is a learned concept, which is both shaped by (socialisation) and shapes
(gender order) society
oWe each have our own conceptions of what it means to be male or female. This is
our Gender Identity
Sexuality
oSexual preference or romantic affiliation for a particular group
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oStraight (heterosexual), gay (homosexual), bi (bisexual), transsexual (transitory),
attraction to animals (bestial), attraction to inanimate objects (objectum sexuality),
no attraction (asexual)
Theories of gender
Essentialism
oA school of thought that sees gender differences as a reflection of biological
differences between men and women
Social constructionism
oA school of thought that sees gender differences as a reflection of the different
social positions occupied by women and men
Essentialism
Freud
• Differences in anatomy account for the development of distinct masculine and
feminine gender roles
Sociobiology and evolutionary psychology
• Gender differences in behaviour are based on biological differences
• These differences evolved to ensure the survival of the species
A critique of essentialism
The historical and cultural variability of gender and sexuality is ignored
It generalises from the average, ignoring variations within gender groups
No evidence directly supports the essentialists’ major claims
Essentialist explanations for gender differences ignore the role of power
Rationalisation of male power/domination?
Social constructionism
A relational theory of gender
West and Zimmerman: we ‘do’ gender AND have gender done to us by society
Raewyn Connell’s model of gender relations takes into account how being male and female
is patterned within certain societal structures
oPower relations (patriarchy)
oProduction relations/division of labour
oCathexis (emotional relations)
oSymbolism
There is a ‘patriarchal dividend’ for most men from current social arrangements
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Patriarchy
“a form of social organisation in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women” (Macionis and
Plummer)
“A system of rules and practices of gender domination” (Gibson-Graham)
Founded on a particular ‘mode of production and reproduction’
Women’s class positions defined by their relation to others (i.e. as wives to men)
Home as a separate ‘private sphere’ of reproduction (reproduction of family, reproduction
of workers = women’s sphere)
Public sphere for production (male sphere)
Capitalism and patriarchy are viewed as two systems of social relations that interact in every
domain of social life (Connell 1987)
Gender inequality
“Women do most of the housework, in most contemporary societies, and also most of the work of
caring for young children. Women are much Jess likely to be present in the public realm than men,
and when they are, usually have less in the way of resources. For instance, in almost all parts of the
world men are more likely than women to have a paid job. The world 'economic activity rate' for
women is just over two-thirds of the rate for men, according to 1997 figures. The main exceptions
are former Soviet countries and parts of west Africa, where women's economic participation rates
are unusually high. But in Arab states women's participation rates are as low as one-fifth the rate for
men, and in south Asia and Latin America they are about half the rate for men. When women do get
jobs, their average wages are lower than men's. And partly for this reason, women's average
incomes are much lower than men's, though women do at least as many hours of work as men, and
often more. It is a notable fact - in the light of claims that we live in a 'post-feminist' world where
equality has been achieved – that women's average incomes, world-wide, are 56 per cent of men's
average incomes. Accordingly, most women in the world, especially women with children, are
economically dependent on men. And in many parts of the world some men believe that women
who are dependent on them must be their property - to discard if they wish, to kill if need be.”
(Connell 2002: 2)
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Functionalist
oSeparation of gender roles serves to benefit society
oMen and Women occupy different spheres to achieve different things, which
together enable society to function
oThese roles are complimentary, not competitive (Talcott Parsons)
Symbolic Interactionist
oGender roles are based on the outcomes of our interactions with those from both
the same and opposite sex.
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Social structure and culture influence how we do gender" or how culturally appropriate masculinities and femininities are expressed. Social construction is evident in all spheres of life: family, schools, media. Cultural meanings available to us assume conventional masculine and feminine roles. Gender divide creates inequality between men and women. Sex: whether you were born with male or female genitals and a genetic program that released male or female hormones to stimulate the development of your reproductive system. Gender: your sense of being male or female and playing masculine and feminine roles in ways defined as appropriate by your culture and society. Sexuality: sexual preference or romantic affiliation for a particular group. Sex: biological makeup of a genetic male or female. Sexuality: sexual preference or romantic affiliation for a particular group, straight (heterosexual), gay (homosexual), bi (bisexual), transsexual (transitory), attraction to animals (bestial), attraction to inanimate objects (objectum sexuality), no attraction (asexual)
