GENDER SEXUALITY 1 Difference between Sex Gender Terms

GENDER & SEXUALITY 1 • Difference between Sex & Gender • Terms in Gender & Sexuality • Gender Inequality: • Historical • Religious • Biological • Sociological • Theories in Gender Stratification • Gender & the Workplace

DEFINITION OF SEX �Sex refers to the physical and biological differences between men and women – physical distinctions in anatomical, chromosomal, hormonal and physiological characteristics. 2

DEFINITION OF SEX �At birth, the differences are most evident in the external male and female genitalia. �Other distinctions are internal genitalia (reproductive system), hormones and cells gonads (the organs which produce sex cells). 3

DEFINITION OF SEX �In terms of chromosomes, a man’s chromosomes are mainly XY and a female’s is XX. 4

DEFINITION OF GENDER 5

DEFINITION OF GENDER �Gender refers to the social, psychological and cultural attributes of masculinity and femininity that are based on the biological distinctions. 6

DEFINITION OF GENDER �Gender pertains to the socially learned patterns of behaviour and the psychological or emotional expressions of attitudes that distinguish males from females. 7

SEX & GENDER CATEGORIES �Officially, SEX is referred to as: �MALE / FEMALE �MAN / WOMAN �BOY / GIRL �Whereas GENDER is: �MASCULINE / FEMININE 8

DEFINITION OF SEX & GENDER �Sex is thought of as an ascribed status – a 9 person is either born a male or a female (although transsexuals, transvestites androgynous individuals make us realize that the concept of man or woman can be blurry or fuzzy. ) �Gender is learned through the socialization process and thus is an achieved status. What is considered masculine or feminine may vary and is relative depending on the culture.

DEFINITION OF SEX & GENDER �Gender Identity Disorder – a third sex/gender exists – neither man nor woman (called a hermaphrodite or an androgene). 10

TERMS IN GENDER & SEXUALITY �Matriarchal Society – a society where women are dominant and take the leading role in society and hold power and authority; men are subordinate �Patriarchal Society – a society where men are dominant and central to the social organization and hold authority over women, children, property 11

TERMS IN GENDER & SEXUALITY �Heterosexual – someone who is attracted to members of the opposite sex �Metrosexual – a heterosexual man (living in an urban, post-industrial, capitalist setting) who spends a lot of time and money on his physical appearance 12

TERMS IN GENDER & SEXUALITY �Transgender – an umbrella term that describes ANYONE who is gender variant. 13

TERMS IN GENDER & SEXUALITY �The following fall in the transgender category: �Homosexual – Gay and Lesbian – someone who is attracted to members of the same sex �Bisexual – someone attracted to both sexes �Hermaphrodite – An individual with both reproductive organs (biological) �Androgynous – born with one set of reproductive organs but cannot tell based on appearance (social) �Asexual – little or no sexual attraction to anyone 14

TERMS IN GENDER & SEXUALITY �Transsexual – someone who was born one sex and changes that sex through cosmetic surgery �Transvestite/cross-dresser – a heterosexual who dresses up as the other gender (e. g. man dresses as woman, woman dresses as man) �Drag Queen – is a homosexual man (gay) who dresses up as a woman �Drag King – is a homosexual woman 15 (lesbian) who dresses up as a man

PREGNANT MAN? 16 Thomas Beatie in 2008 – born a woman (Tracy Lagondino), but legally changed to a “male” and kept reproductive organs.

Man or Woman? 17 A B

Man or Woman? 18 C D

Man or Woman? 19 E F

Man or Woman? 20 G H

Man or Woman? 21 I J

Man or Woman? 22 K L

Man or Woman? 23 M N

Man or Woman? 24 O P

WHERE DO GENDER STEREOTYPES COME FROM? �HISTORICAL �RELIGIOUS �BIOLOGICAL �SOCIOLOGICAL 25

Historical Views �Throughout the ages, women’s role in society may be summed up as follows: �Women produce children �Women are mothers and wives �Women do the cooking, washing, cleaning & sewing �Women take care of men and are subordinate to male authority �Women are largely excluded from high status occupations from positions of power 26

Historical Views �Greeks – A woman “should consider that her husband’s wishes are as laws appointed for her by divine will” (Aristotle) �A third century Chinese Scholar claimed that “bitter indeed it is to be born a woman, it is difficult to imagine anything so low!” �Even Confucius posited that Chinese women were obedient to their father when unmarried, their husbands when married and to their sons when widowed. 27

Historical Views �Confucian Doctrine – 4 Virtues of a Woman: �women’s ethics (a woman must know her place) �women’s speech (a woman must not talk too much and not bore people) �women’s appearance (a woman must dress in a manner in which is appealing to men) �women’s chores (a woman must willingly do chores) �In fundamental, traditional Arabic law, three groups of people are not eligible for legal and religious equality – unbelievers, slaves and women. 28

Historical Views �Americans – Thomas Jefferson – a woman’s single purpose in life was marriage and subornation to her husband. � 19 th Century – Europe & America Sociologists �Feminists have argued that prior to the 1970 s, nearly all sociology was written by men, about men and for men. �Although there were female sociologists (Harriet Martineau), they were few and far apart and nearly all sociological research used male samples and aspects of society that may have been of interest to women such as a woman’s position in society, household 29 chores and female crime were rarely studied.

Historical Views �Auguste Comte - “in all kinds of force, whether physical, intellectual or practical, it is certain that man surpasses women in accordance with the general law prevailing throughout the animal kingdom. ” �Comte felt that a woman’s place should not be in work, the political arena or even to own property, rather, their gentle nature meant that they should remain at home and tend to their children and husband’s needs. 30

Religious Views �Judeo-Christianity – the origins of Man and Woman �Adam & Eve – the Garden of Eden �According to Genesis, God even asserts that women should bear the brunt of these sorrows, mainly through childbirth and “thy desire shall be to thy husband he shall rule over thee” (Genesis 3: 16) �War, pestilence, famine, death and every imaginable sin were the prices humanity had to pay for Eve’s disobedience. 31

Religious Views �God-ordained gender-role hierarchy – theological justification of a patriarchal ideology. �Hindu society – women must wear head veils, property is given to first-born son, dowry �Islamic tradition – women wear veils over heads and sometimes faces, location during prayers in the mosque. 32

Biological Views �Sociobiological – human social behaviour is genetic. Use ethology (the study of animal behaviour) to explain differences between sexes. �Critics argue it is a racist or discriminatory view. �Physiological – differences between health and physical capacities that affect gender roles. For example, size and muscle development, longevity/life span and susceptibility to disease and physical disorder 33

Biological Views �Some diseases that vary depending on the sex of the individual include: �Heart Attack – the leading cause of death for women. Although men have a greater prevalence of heart disease, more women than men die of heart attacks each year. �Cancer – the second leading cause of death for women (lung cancer leading the list, followed by breast cancer) Women are 20% to 70% more likely to develop lung cancer than 34 male smokers.

Biological Views �HIV/AIDS – Women are 10 times more likely than men to contract HIV during unprotected sex with an infected partner. �Diabetes – more women suffer from diabetes than men. �Osteoporosis – 80% of people with osteoporosis are women. �Immunological Diseases – Thyroid disease – 15: 1 ratio of women to men. 35

Biological Views �Depression – Women are twice as likely to be depressed as men. �Visual & Hearing Impairments – Men have nearly 50% greater likelihood of experiencing these problems. Source: From National Institutes of Health, “Women’s Health, ” 2001. Available at: www. hrsa. gov. 36

GENDER & SEX �In a study done on college campuses in America in 1989, “attractive” men and women were hired to approach strangers and to say to them, “I’ve been noticing you around campus and I find you very attractive. ” They were then told to ask one of three questions: �Would 37 you go out with me tonight? �Would you come over to my apartment tonight? �Would you go to bed with me tonight?

Question Would you go out with me tonight? Female Answer (%) Yes (50%) Would you Yes (6%) come over to my apartment tonight? Would you have Yes (0%) sex with me No (100%) tonight? 38 Male Answer (%) Yes (50%) Yes (69%) Yes (75%) No (25%) – Reasons: • I had a prior engagement • I have to meet my girlfriend

Sociological Views �Most sociologists tend to agree that even in 39 preliterate societies, culture, not biology, is central to the patterning of gender roles. Their main focus is the sexual division of labour and gender inequalities. �Ann Oakley (1944 –) believes that gender roles are culturally rather than biologically produced. In other words, humans learn behaviour that is expected of males and females within society. �For example, the behaviour of a metrosexual man might be seen as feminine.

Sociological Views �Famous anthropologist, George Peter Murdock (1897 -1985) argued that the biological difference between men and women result in the sexual division of labour. He posits that the fact that women could give birth and nurse, and that they lacked the strength of most men, means that the types of jobs they carry out would be less demanding than the jobs of men. 40

Sociological Views �For Talcott Parsons (Structural Functionalist), women had a necessary role at the home. He argued that because the woman bore and nursed children, they would have a closer bond and therefore it is only fair that they stay at home and take care of the family, while the man is the breadwinner for the home. 41

Sociological Views �As such, the family works smoothly and efficiently as a social system and all groups can function side by side and harmoniously. A woman’s place therefore is in the home. 42

GENDER INEQUALITY �China’s One-Child Policy – because of spiralling population �Skewed sex ratio in the population – 120 males to 100 females (smaller female population) �Problem exists in Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, India & more Fundamental Islamic cultures 43

GENDER INEQUALITY 44

GENDER INEQUALITY �NASA Spacecraft �It depicts that: Man is the dominant species on Earth. 45

THEORIES ON GENDER INEQUALITY �Functionalism �Conflict Theory (Marxism) �Feminist Perspectives: �Radical Feminism �Marxist and socialist feminism �Liberal Feminism �Black Feminism �Postmodern Feminism 46

Functionalism �Women’s role is to take care of the family, socialization & household chores. �Men were responsible for the economic sphere of the family. �Parsons and Robert Bales (1955) applied this theory to the modern family and asserted that division of labour and role differentiation by sex are universal principles of family organization and are functional to the modern and ideal nuclear family. 47

Marxism (Conflict Theory) �Although Functionalist theory may have attempted to explain why gender roles emerged, they do not explain why they’ve persisted. �Marxists blame the economic system – mainly capitalism �Economic advantage leads to power and prestige and if men are superior in the economic system, they will undoubtedly be superior in the family. �Men own private property and therefore hold power & authority �Solution – Capitalist Socialist Communist society (where all is equal and classless, including genderless – everyone’s job is deemed as important and 48 necessary)

Feminism �According to Ann Oakley, Feminism emerged in the 1970 s. �The focus of feminism has been the subordination of women and the explanation for or cause of this subordination; they also recommend solutions. �Although Feminist theorists have been responsible for developing theories of gender inequality, there are variations within the Feminist perspective. 49

�TYPES OF FEMINISM: �Radical �Marxist �Liberal �Black 50

Radical Feminism �Radical Feminists blame men for the woes and subordination of women. They see societies as patriarchal (dominated and ruled by men). �The family is the main institution of oppressing women. These women argue that rape and male violence are methods used to secure male dominance over women. �Some argue that women are not equal, but superior to men, and seek a matriarchal society. �They reject any assistance of men and argue that men are responsible for all the problems in the world: war, poverty, terrorism, conflict. 51

Marxist Feminism �They blame capitalism for women oppression. They argue that women are also exploited in terms of salary/paid employment. They blame the economic system. �They see greater scope for co-operation between women and working-class men as this group of men also suffers in a capitalist society. �Solution is communist society. 52

Liberal Feminism �The aims are moderate and its views pose less of a challenge to existing values. For them, both men and women suffer because of gender inequalities. �Women are denied potential success in the workplace and men are denied interaction and close relationship with their offspring. They blame culture and attitudes of individuals rather than structures and institutions. �Willing to work with anyone who is ready to eliminate discrimination and gender inequalities. 53

Black Feminism �Black Feminism developed out of dissatisfaction of other feminists perspectives. �They argue that black women suffer the most because it is a double blow – being a woman and being black. �For them, while white women began to have access to some rights, such as working in businesses and government, black women were still greatly discriminated against. 54

Gender-Role Socialization �Gender-role socialization refers to the set of attitudes and behaviors socially expected from the members of a particular gender identity. Gender roles are socially constructed which are often politicized and manipulated, which then result in the oppression of people. 55

Gender Inequality & Work �Job discrimination: Occupation % Male Occupation Automobile Mechanic 98. 9 Secretary 98. 9 Carpenter 98. 3 Receptionist 96. 7 Airplane Pilot 96. 3 Speech Therapist 93. 5 Firefighter 96. 2 Bank Teller 90. 0 Truck Driver 95. 3 Librarian 85. 2 Mechanical Engineer 93. 7 Elementary School Teacher 83. 3 Computer programmer 73. 5 Nurse 82. 6 �Source: Bureau of Census 2002. USA 56 % Female

QUESTION… �If you were taking a new job and had your choice of a boss, would you prefer to work for a man or a woman? A. Man B. Woman C. No preference

Some Facts about Women Around the World 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 58 Women perform 66% of the world’s work, but receive only 11% of the world’s income, and own only 1% of the world’s land. Women make up 66% of the world’s illiterate adults. Women head 83% of single-parent families. The number of families nurtured by women alone doubled from 1970 to 1995 (from 5. 6 million to 12. 2 million). Women account for 55% of all college students, but even when women have equal years of education it does not translate into economic opportunities or political power. There are six million more women than men in the world.

Some Facts about Women Around the World 6. 7. 8. 9. 59 Two-thirds of the world’s children who receive less than four years of education are girls. Girls represent nearly 60% of the children not in school. Parents in countries such as China and India sometimes use sex determination tests to find out if their fetus is a girl. Of 8, 000 fetuses aborted at a Bombay clinic, 7, 999 were female. Wars today affect civilians most, since they are civil wars, guerrilla actions and ethnic disputes over territory or government. 3 out of 4 fatalities of war are women and children. Rape is consciously used as a tool of genocide and weapon of war. Tens of thousands of women and girls have been subjected to rape and other sexual violence since the crisis erupted in Darfur in 2003. There is no evidence of anyone being convicted in Darfur for these atrocities.

Some Facts about Women Around the World 10. About 75% of the refugees and internally displaced in the world are women who have lost their families and their homes. 11. Gender-based violence kills one in three women across the world and is the biggest cause of injury and death to women worldwide, causing more deaths and disability among women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accident, and war. � Source: http: //www. dosomething. org/tipsandtools/11 - poignant-facts-about-women-around-world 60