SOC 0851 Chapter 2: Theories of Gender I
26 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Theories of Gender
Individual Approach
o Sex Role Theory (Individual Approach)
▪ Social role – a set of expectations that are attached to a
particular status or position in the society
▪ Statuses can be general, like man or woman, white or
black, gay or straight, or they can be more specific such as
professor of sociology, sophomore biology major, etc.
▪ Different expectations go along with different statuses
▪ Sex role – a set of expectations that are attached to your
particular sex category
▪ Men were taught in childhood and throughout their lives
to be instrumental, or goal and task oriented, whereas
women were taught to be expressive, or oriented toward
interactions with other people
• Division of labor into instrumental and expressive
activities was considered functional for society
• Concept of sex roles reinforces gender ideology of
the time; reinforced gender inequality
• Futioal theor does’t just desrie the a
society is but also makes claims to the way society
should be to function most effectively
▪ Developed within structural-functional approach
▪ Underdeveloped theoretically
• Assumes sex roles develop through socialization
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