Lecture 2: Dominance and Interdependence
Extraterrestrial Sociologist Game
•Ehormbs
oLarger, dominant, powerful, amass most resources
•Jumeres
oLower status but have pheromone (which gives Ehormbs a fantastic high)
•Relations
oInterdependent (must be hostile if there is no pheromone)
•Significance of the study
oAmbivalent attitudes towards each other
oEhormbs: t hink they are superior but still have positive feelings
oJumeres: resent the ehormbs’ power/resources but admire their success/achievement and want to attract to
get resources
Gender Exceptionalism
•Unique gender relations: interdependent, ambivalent
•Social Distance Scale is used to assess many group relations but it does NOT work for gender relations
oAmbivalent! most sexist men would still want to marr y a woman
•Most men have positive attitudes towards women BUT want to maintain gender inequality/male dominance
•***Men and women’s sexual interdependence HELP to shape society’s male dominance (patriarchy)***
The Nature and Origins of Patr iarchy
A)Dominance as Protection
•Men can achieve reproductive success through coercive sex
•Chimps vs. bonoboos infanticide, strong male dominance vs. l ack of competition for mates, egalitari an
society
•Females protect themselves from aggression by pair ing with a male who can protect her from othe r aggressive
males and provide for her offspring (this will provide males a higher degree of paternal certainty as well)
•Historically and culturally, men have been the dominant sex, more physically aggressive, and more likely to
endorse a social dominance orientation (vs. women tend to endorse egalitarian views)
B)Critics of the Evolutionary Account
•Hunter-gatherer environment was more egalitarian and less hierarchy (women ALSO gathered food = less need
to naturally select dominant males for resources)
•Agriculture brought the ability to store food men (who are physically strong) more likely to win and gain the
power
•Women not only want men who can protect and provide BUT ALSO want those who commit
•HENCE, competence to provide, social cooperation, agreeableness to commit > dominance
C)Social Structural Account of Patriarchy
•Our f lexibility and openness help us to learn from each other and adapt to and thrive in changing conditions
better than instinctual drives of animals do
•Social structural: physical differences between sexes + cultural developments = patri archal societies
•Women’s ties to children make t hem confined to the home
•Men’s g reater strength amass more resources than women can
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