Lesson 16: Gender and Sex Attention When I first moved into an apartment I felt I needed to get a set of basic tools for "repairs" There were two versions of this tool kit, one for men and one for women...the one for women was cheaper so I got that one. What does this say about the ways in which define what is OK for men and what is OK for women? Click HERE to review the American Psychological Association site on Sex and Gender Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
Teaching Sex and Gender
Sex refers to the
biological and anatomical differences between females and males.
When we recognize someone's "sex" we are referring
to characteristics of the individual that identify them with a particular sex…such
as secondary sexual characteristics that develop at adolescence.
Gender refers to the
culturally and socially constructed differences between females and males.
Within a particular culture Gender refers to the roles and expectations that the society has in regard to men and women.
As we are socialized we are taught very early that there is a difference between men and women. We begin to develop a gender
identity, which consists of our own
expectations of ourselves because we are either a man or a woman.
Gender stereotypes are the generalizations we make about all men and women based on our
expectations.
Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
Gender expectations have changed over the course of time in human history. One intriguing
study is the examination of gender inequality from a historical point of view.
The earliest sign of a division of labor in human history is
in the formation of hunter and gatherer societies. Humans had graduated to a form of social structure in which
particular activities necessary for the survival of the group were divided
along sex lines.
Men were the hunters and women (and children) were the
gatherers.
An interesting thought is that a vast majority of the food
for the group was gathered rather than hunted, however, hunting was still
viewed as an activity of higher value. This is mainly because the hunt resulted in the taking down of a large
animal. In those days not only did
the animal provide some food, but every part of the animal was used to create
tools and other essential technology.
Horticultural and Pastoral Societies
Abandoning the nomadic ways of the hunting and gathering
groups, horticultural clans found out that they could plant seeds of the plants
they want and grow the food they need right where they were. This not only provided for a more
consistent amount of food available but it provided for the development of permanent
settlements…towns.
Cultivating gardens was compatible with child-care but could
also be done by men. These
cultures were fairly equal between the men and the women as no sex controlled
the food production
Agrarian Societies
Women, who
continue to be viewed of as property, are secluded and subordinated in business
and in society.
Industrial Societies
Post-industrial Societies
Women are more involved in the workplace, but they have to
go home and continue to perform the gendered activities of child-rearing and
household management.
As we can see by this short history, women's status in society has been based on cultural expectations that date back very far in our past. These have become ingrained in our collective experience of our culture and are passed from generation to generation reliably. Gender and Socialization
So, we have had a discussion on the historical source of
gender identity (particularly in how it relates to inequality in the household
and the workplace). But where do
we get this information.
Parents and Gender Socialization
Parents play a major role in teaching gender identity
through their interactions with children. They purchase particular colored clothing, refer to their children with
different tones of voice and encourage "gender appropriate" play
behavior.
Consider a study (I can't find the reference) that was done
where parents of newborns were recruited to dress their babies in either blue
or pink. Babies were assigned the
color of their clothing randomly so some girls were dressed in blue, some in
pink, and some boys were dressed in pink and some in blue.
The researchers then recorded the interactions that the
babies had with strangers who met them. Fairly consistently people would refer to the "blue babies" as
being "strong, healthy, outgoing" and other similar
characteristics. People
encountering the "pink babies" would refer to them as
"beautiful, delicate, pretty".
Peers and Gender Socialization
If one takes a functional perspective on peer groups, in
terms of socialization, we find that they serve two major purposes…peers
influence the amount of deviance that a person will engage in and will have a
tremendous effect on career choice.
Looking at these two issues, deviance and career, and one
may see that these are very important concepts in terms of gender identity
development. Peers may encourage
or discourage gender-appropriate behavior and they may encourage or discourage
traditional gender-stereotyped career choices.
Children playgroups will generally be single gendered…it is
only later in life that groups of both sexes begin hanging around with each other. As children too, people engage in play
activity that is very stereotyped. This stereotype comes partly from the toys that are played with by kids
and by the parents who supervise them and encourage certain kinds of activity
based on the sex of the child.
Toys are an interesting study in and of themselves. Just visit any local toy or department
store and look at the color schemes, which delineate the "boy" toys
from the "girl" toys. Then look at the activities that are encouraged by this. We see "girl" toys that
emphasize cooking and mothering roles while we see "boy" toys as
emphasizing adventure and violence.
Teachers and Schools and Gender Socialization
Throughout all levels of schools we see gender messages being transmitted. Teachers provide important feedback about gender through their contact with students, classroom interactions and assignments.
Consider that the difference between girl's and boy's math
and science abilities are minimal all through grade school. It is in Jr. High that we see a drop in
the achievement scores of girls in these subjects. Some have thought that it
may be that during Jr. High girls are socialized to think more about attracting
the attention of boys than of succeeding in math and sciences. To attract the boys they need to pay
more attention to their appearance and to the political and social interaction
skills they will need to be successful.
Sports and Gender Socialization
Now, I know what you are saying,…"This is
happening…girls are joining the football team and boys are joining the
cheerleading squad"…I know…this is true. However consider how these individuals' gender identities
are viewed by the rest of the school. Do we see the girl as having attained some "masculine" traits
while the boy has attained some "feminine" traits?
Mass Media and Gender Socialization
There is a video in the Lender Library
called "Killing us Softly" which discusses the way in which women are
portrayed in the media, primarily in advertising. This is a must see for anyone who thinks that we have come a
long way in giving a fair shake in the media to both sexes.
Adult Gender Socialization
Men and women are taught about appropriate gender related behavior in school and in the work place. This continues into adulthood as these values and expectations are
ingrained in the society around us.
KVCC is a great place to observe these trends!
Perspectives on Gender
Functionalist Perspective
Conflict Perspective
The CP supports that the gender gaps in the economy and
elsewhere are a function of male dominance of society.
Although principally a form of the Conflict Perspective, the
Feminist Perspective has a number of diverse perspectives on the issue of
gender inequality.
Images in the Media Explore Masculine images in advertising here United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality Gender and TV Roles
This is a preview of Jean Kilbourn's film "Killing Us Softly"...the library has this film. Click HERE to download the Study Guide for Killing Us Softly Assessment Lesson 16 Quiz
Possible Class Discussion For this discussion we will refer to the Study Guide for Killing Us Softly. Select ONE question from the "Post Viewing Question" in the Killing Us Softly handout. Write out the question and your answer. Watch one hour of prime time television...and answer the "What did you notice?" question.
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