SOC 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Heterosexuality, Antonio Gramsci, Masculinity
15 Sep 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Sex and Gender
May 24, 2018
9:00 AM
Sex and Gender
Sex
Biologically rooted; describes our physical bodies whereby distinguish between male and female
Characterized as diametrical opposites "opposite sex"
Gender
Socially constructed characteristics associated with girls and boys, men and women
Masculinity/femininity
Problematizing Sex/Gender Distinction
Intersexed individuals
Born with ambiguous genitalia
How do we decide who is male and who is female?
Transgender and Transsexual individuals
Transgender has been used as an umbrella term for those who do not fit into normative
constructions of sex and gender
Transsexual used to encompass those who undergo sex reassignment (realignment) surgery
Masculinity and Femininity
Culturally dominant forms of masculinity and femininity
Hegemonic Masculinity (Connell, 1987)
Ideal of masculinity that men are supposed to strive to achieve
Derives from Gramsci
Requires men to be successful, capable and reliable
Irrevocably tied to heterosexuality
Promiscuity
Emphasized Femininity (Connell, 1987)
Based on women's compliance with their subordination to men
Requires women to be supportive, enthusiastic and sexually attractive
Disney's portrayal of masculinity and femininity
Damsel in distress
Looking for "knight in shining armour"
Good physique
Antagonist is a woman
James Bond - masculine figure that men look up to
Reproducing gender: Families and education
Families
Gender expectations begin at birth
Parents spend more time talking to girls while leaving boys alone; punish their sons more often
than daughters
Gendered divisions of household labour
Education
Hidden curriculum; girls learn that they are not as important as boys
Teachers interact with boys more than girls in classroom
Praise girls for being congenial and next while boys praised for intellectual quality
Reproducing Gender: Media
Television shows
Document Summary
Biologically rooted; describes our physical bodies whereby distinguish between male and female. Socially constructed characteristics associated with girls and boys, men and women. Transgender has been used as an umbrella term for those who do not fit into normative constructions of sex and gender. Transsexual used to encompass those who undergo sex reassignment (realignment) surgery. Ideal of masculinity that men are supposed to strive to achieve. Requires men to be successful, capable and reliable. Based on women"s compliance with their subordination to men. Requires women to be supportive, enthusiastic and sexually attractive. James bond - masculine figure that men look up to. Parents spend more time talking to girls while leaving boys alone; punish their sons more often than daughters. Hidden curriculum; girls learn that they are not as important as boys. Teachers interact with boys more than girls in classroom. Praise girls for being congenial and next while boys praised for intellectual quality.
