WGST 1808 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Wgst, Essentialism, Dont

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Women's and Gender Studies
• Course: WGST 1808
• Professor: Aalya Ahmad

Document Summary

Feminism has bad reputation due to powerful negative stereotypes in everyday culture. Some such stereotypes angry, hairy, combat-boot-wearing, bra-burning, ball-breaking, man-hating, ugly, lesbian, and/or queer. Essentialism: idea that a woman/man can be defined by a single characteristic or group of characteristics. Sex: what"s b/w the legs ; based on assumption that assignment of genitalia is fixed @ birth . * biological characteristics that differentiate women & men based on visible differences in genitalia and reproductive capacities. Gender: cultural term used to express socially & historically constructed assumptions abt women. & men: social expectations that women/men perform in certain ways in work, marriage, parenting, politics, education, religion, etc, what it means to be masculine/feminine @ any given time or place, what"s b/w the ears . Value & meaning of concepts change across time & place. Taught abt rules & expectations of society and the meaning of these concepts through social and political institutions (e. g. family, religion, culture, education, gov"t, etc. )