SOC 2104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Virilization, Suicidegirls

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2104
• Professor: Adolphine Y.Aggor- Boateng

Document Summary

Biological explanations are prominent in our views of gender difference and gender inequality. Social and political inequalities flow from biologically based differences between the sexes: these differences can tell us much about our culture. Biological differences, then and now: prior to the 19th century, most explanations of gender difference were theological. Laws of god men and women for different purposes. Charles dar(cid:449)i(cid:374)"s origin of species (1859) and law of natural selection (species adapt) challenged theological explanations. 1790s european scientists drew male and female skeletons with exaggeration of the pelvises (women) and crania (men) 19th (cid:272)e(cid:374)tur(cid:455) dar(cid:449)i(cid:374)"s (cid:449)ork had a huge influence on science. Emergence of sociobiology in the 1970s revived evolutionary arguments: sociobiology. Stressed differences in male and female sexuality. They suggest that differences we observe between men and women have come from advantageous evolutionary choices. Parental investment in children (cheap sperm and precious egg) Wo(cid:373)e(cid:374)"s i(cid:374)terest i(cid:374) (cid:373)e(cid:374)"s politi(cid:272)al a(cid:374)d e(cid:272)o(cid:374)o(cid:373)i(cid:272) resour(cid:272)es ((cid:374)ot their sexuality)