SOC100H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Gender Role, Gender Identity, Masculinity
Chapter 8: “exualities and Genders
1
SEX, INTERSEX, GENDER, TRANSGENDER
❖ Sex & Intersex
o Your sex depends on your genetic makeup.
▪ The majority of ppl are born w/ 23 pairs of chromosomes, one pair that determines their sex.
• XX- woman, XY- man
• Other combinations result in ppl who are intersex- they do not fit the conventional
male/female sex categories, and their genitals do not fit in a male/female category.
▪ 1.7% of ppl lie somewhere b/w male and female as conventionally understood.
❖ Gender & Transgender
o Sociologists distinguish biological sex from sociological gender- your sense of being male/female and
playing masculine and feminine roles in ways defined as appropriate by your culture and society.
▪ It comprises the feelings, attitudes, behaviours associated w/ being male/female.
o Gender identity is your identification w/, or sense of belonging to a particular sex:
▪ Psychologically, socially, and biologically
o When you behave according to expectations about how males/females act, you adopt a gender role.
o Transgender- ppl who are uncomfortable w/ the gender assigned to them at birth.
▪ 0.3% of ppl are transgender in the US.
o Gender is not determined only by biology.
THE SOCIAL LEARNING OF GENDER
❖ Gender Theories
o There are 2 perspectives about the origin of gender differences:
▪ Some analysts see gender differences as a reflection of naturally evolved tendencies and argue
that society must reinforce those tendencies to function smoothly (essentialism)
• Views gender as a part of the nature or “essence”
• Functionalists view gender in essentialist terms.
▪ Other analysts see gender differences as a reflection of the different social positions occupied by
men/women. (social constructivism)
• Views gender as “constructed” by ppl’s interaction w/ social structure and culture.
• Conflict, feminist, and symbolic interactionist focus on social construction of gender.
❖ Essentialism
o Sociobiologists/evolutionary psychologists proposed an essential theory:
▪ Humans try to ensure that their genes are passed on to future generations. Men and women
develop different strategies for achieving that goal.
▪ A woman has a bigger investment than a man does in ensuring the survival of their offspring, and
must seek out the single mate who can best help support and protect them.
▪ Men must have many sexual partners to maximize their chance of passing on their genes to
future generations.
o “universal features of our evolved selves” contribute to the survival of the human species.
o Thus, gender differences in behaviour are based on biological differences b/w men/women.
❖ Functionalism & Essentialism
o Functionalists reinforce the essentialist viewpoint when they claim that traditional gender roles help to
integrate society.
o For boys, the essence of masculinity in a series of “instrumental” traits, while for girls, the essence of
femininity is a series of “expressive” traits. (Parsons)
o Learning the essential features of femininity and masculinity integrates society and allows it to function.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Chapter 8: “exualities and Genders
2
❖ A Critique of Essentialism from the Conflict & Feminist Perspectives
o Conflict/ feminist theorists disagree w/ the essentialist account:
▪ 1) Essentialists ignore the historical and cultural variability of gender and sexuality. There
aren’t really essential and universal behavioural differences b/w men and women.
• In societies w/ low levels of gender inequality, the tendency decreases for women to
stress the good provider role in selecting male partners.
• When women become lawyers or police officers, their production of the hormone
testosterone is stimulated, causing them to act more aggressively.
• Women are developing traits that were considered masculine.
▪ 2) Essentialism tends to generalize from the average, ignoring variations w/I gender groups.
Men and women actually differ in some aspects.
▪ 3) No direct evidence supports the essentialists’ major claims. They didn’t identify any genes
that cause male jealousy or female nurturance.
▪ 4) Essentialists’ explanations for gender differences ignore the role of power.
• They assume that existing behavioural patterns help ensure the survival of the species
and the smooth functioning of society. This assumption tho overlooks the fact that men
are usually in a position of greater power and authority than women are.
o Conflict theorists locate the root of male domination in class equality.
▪ According to Engels, men gained power over women when preliterate societies were first able to
produce more than their members needed for their own subsistence.
▪ They devised 2 means of ensuring their offspring would inherit the surplus:
• First, they imposed the rule that only men could own property
• Second, they ensured that women remained sexually faithful to their husbands.
▪ Male domination increased bc industrial capitalism made men wealthier.
o Feminist theorists doubt that male domination is linked to the development of industrial capitalism.
▪ They note that gender inequality is greater in agrarian societies.
o From conflict and feminist viewpoints, evolutionary psychology can themselves be seen as examples of
the exercise of male power as rationalization for male dominance and sexual aggression.
❖ Social Constructionism & Symbolic Interactionism
o Social constructionism is the view that natural/innate features of life, such as gender, are sustained by
social processes that vary historically and culturally.
o Conflict/feminist/symbolic interactionism theories can be regarded as types of social constructionism.
o Symbolic interactionists focus on the way ppl attach meaning to things, like what it means to be a man
or a woman, and consider how boys/girls learn masculine/feminine roles in the family and at school.
❖ Gender Socialization
o Barbie conveys to girls that the ideal woman is defined by her attractiveness to men.
o From birth, infant boys and girls who are matched in length, weight and general health are treated
differently by parents- fathers specifically.
o An experiment found that when viewing a videotape of a 9-month-old infant, subjects tend to label its
startled reaction to a stimulus as “anger” if the child had been identified as a boy, and as “fear” if girl.
o Children are not passive objects of socialization.
▪ Teachers/parents try to impose their ideas of appropriate gender behaviour on children.
▪ Gender is something that is done not just given.
❖ Gender Segregation and Interaction
o When children play games, they spontaneously segregate themselves by gender.
o Thorne observed considerable “boundary crossing” which involves boys playing stereotypically girls’
games and vice versa.
▪ Often, girls are skilled at sports known for boys.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
30
SOC100H5 Full Course Notes
Verified Note
30 documents
Document Summary
Gender & transgender: sociologists distinguish biological sex from sociological gender- your sense of being male/female and playing masculine and feminine roles in ways defined as appropriate by your culture and society. Essentialism: sociobiologists/evolutionary psychologists proposed an essential theory, humans try to ensure that their genes are passed on to future generations. A critique of essentialism from the conflict & feminist perspectives: conflict/ feminist theorists disagree w/ the essentialist account, 1) essentialists ignore the historical and cultural variability of gender and sexuality. There aren"t really essential and universal behavioural differences b/w men and women. Men and women actually differ in some aspects: 3) no direct evidence supports the essentialists" major claims. Chapter 8: (cid:862) exualities and genders(cid:863: mixed-gender interaction was more common in less public and crowded settings; boys/girls are more likely to play in a relaxed way in their neighborhoods.
