Sociology 1027A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Glass Ceiling, Sex Segregation, Judith Butler

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 1027A/B
• Professor: Wolfgang Lehmann

Document Summary

Sex: depends on whether a person was born with distinct male or female genitals and a genetic program that released either male or female hormones to stimulate the development of the reproductive system. Gender: the feelings, attitudes, desires, and behaviours that are associated with a particular sexual category. Heteronormativity: the belief that sex is binary, and that sex ought to be perfectly aligned with gender. Theories of gender: essentialism: school of thought that views gender differences as a reflection of biological differences between women and men. Girls and boys work differently[, school becoming feminized: social constructionism: regards gender differences as constructed by social structure and culture. Sociobiology and evolution: behaviour has a biological basis because of the difference in men and women"s reproduction capacities and evolutionary adaptation strategies. Functionalism: traditional gender roles are essential because they help integrate society and allow it to function properly. E. g. the post-war traditional family of the 50s.