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:

  • Identify the components of gender identity and gender role
  • Explore personal history regarding the development of gender identity and gender role (gender socialization)
  • Identify ways in which perceptions of gender may be impacted by the media

Teaching

Sex and Gender  

Sex: The Biological Dimension  

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.  

You are probably aware that the roles and expectations of men and women in our society are sometimes very distinct.  As much as times are changing, many of us are still socialized to believe and live by certain expectations for 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.   The key in this discussion is to realize that gender and sex are not the same concept.  The sex of a person is determined by their genetic inheritance.  The gender of a person is how well they fit into the expectations and roles of their society.   In our society, we are beginning to examine different roles and expectations for women and men which are challenging our sense of gender identity.    


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.   For this discussion we will focus on different periods of human history characterized by the technology and their social structures.  

Hunter and Gatherer Societies  

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.    It is reasonable to assume that women spent a great deal of time pregnant and would not be able to participate in the hunting process at that time so it is no surprise to see that the tasks assigned to them were centered around the camp.  

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.   So here we have the first civilizations and the division of labor in the household has begun.  

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   Pastoral societies, however, were dominated by herding animals.  Herding was done primarily by men, and women played a relatively small role, and thus had a relatively low status in society.   Labor becomes a needed commodity in many families so the role of women becomes focused on producing children.  Polygamy is common as the more wives a person has the more children they can produce.  The number of wives a person has becomes a sign of his wealth.   

Agrarian Societies  

Agrarian societies develop the ownership of property and later, the development of land-owners, or Lords.  (thus the term "Landlord")   Men become more involved in food production and in the ownership of land.  Practices of passing property from generation to generation through the male side of the family are solidified. 

Women, who continue to be viewed of as property, are secluded and subordinated in business and in society.   The goal of a woman at this time is to marry into a wealthy family.  The bride is "given away" in the ceremonial passing on of responsibility from one man to another, but not without some property to accompany her (dowry) to increase her value to the man.  

Industrial Societies  

As factory work becomes more prevalent as the primary means of production women's role in society tends to decline further.  Gendered division of labor tends to subordinate women even more.   Even in this country, during WWII, when many women replaced absent men in industry; they experienced a push in their status but were soon replaced by the men as they returned home.  

Post-industrial Societies  

In those societies which support service and information based economies women are much more involved in the workplace, but many of them have double responsibility.  

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.   If gender is a social construct, a part of our culture…it is transmitted in the same ways that other aspects of our culture are passed on…through socialization.   Just as we can look to numerous sources of information about values, careers, norms and expectations in other aspects of our lives, so we can look to these same sources to see what they teach us about gender.  

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".   Do you think this could play a role in the formulation of gender roles in our society?  

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.  

There have been many studies about the relationship between gender and "math and science" curriculum.  There is a long history of girls fare worse in math and science subjects than their male peers, while the boys fare worse in language arts.  At first there was speculation that this was a result of differences in the male and female brain structures, but more recent work is indicating that hit is much more a function of the interaction between teachers, students and their peers.  

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.   Just some food for thought!  

Sports and Gender Socialization  

Competitive sports continue to be dominated by men though women are starting to make a very significant stand in this area.   During the developing years there is an emphasis on participation in sports that is much stronger for boys than for girls.  The sports themselves, though this is changing, are often different for boys and girls.   Consider the sport of football and the gender related issues that come up if the "non-traditional" person wants to play the sport or become a cheerleader.  

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  

This is an interesting subject too. 

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.   When one looks to the models of the genders that are portrayed in TV and the movies we see that there are more male characters, more traditional roles for men and women, men are portrayed as more aggressive, and women are shown to be divisive and manipulative to get their way.   Magazines also play a role in encouraging stereotypes of body type, weight, beauty, youth and sexuality for women.  

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.   In human development we talk about individuals undergoing a change at midlife.  A midlife event (sometimes a crisis) happens and some perspectives change.  In the study of Human Development we look at what is called the Androgyny Shift of midlife.   During this stage in life it is fairly common that the different sexes will take on characteristics of the traditional gender roles of the other sex.   Middle-aged men often become more sensitive and caring and in tune with family needs and issues while middle-aged women may become more assertive and active outside the home.  

KVCC is a great place to observe these trends!  


Perspectives on Gender 

Functionalist Perspective  

The FP may note that as a social organization, the family functions more efficiently with a division of labor.  Thus any family will look to the most qualified individual for a particular task and that task will be assigned to that person.   The functionalist also view that a person's standing in the social order is a function of their choices in life.  This may provide some explanation for the differences in jobs attained by women and men and the difference in pay:   Men and women expend different amounts of energy on work related tasks. Women make occupational choices that allow them to spend more time with the kids and family. In some sectors of the economy there is an over-crowding of women thus forcing the wages down due to the excessive availability of workers.

Conflict Perspective  

The CP supports that the gender gaps in the economy and elsewhere are a function of male dominance of society.    Although the importance of physical power is not as important in industrial and post-industrial societies, men continue to have power over the household as "heads of the household", control over property, earning power and dominance in the government. Some attest that the ownership of the means of production (primarily men) is extended into the power over women.  

  • Gender segregated work
  • Pay inequity
  • Work at home

Feminist Perspective  

Although principally a form of the Conflict Perspective, the Feminist Perspective has a number of diverse perspectives on the issue of gender inequality.  

  • Liberal Feminism: gender inequality is equated with equality of opportunity.  The solution is through the creation of opportunity for women.
  • Radical Feminism: contend that male dominance is the source of all forms of human oppression from gender issues to racism and classism. Solutions rest in social change brought about through radical legislation and revolution.
  • Socialist Feminism:  contends that women are exploited by the economic forces as they provide a dual role in the economy of both a worker and a homemaker.  In this manner they are both paid and unpaid for their labor.  Solutions rest in the restructuring of work place culture and a realization of the importance of homemaking in the economy.
  • Multicultural Feminism: it is important to realize that issues of social class, color and disability are all magnified by gender.  A black person may be oppressed but more so if the person is a woman.

Images in the Media

Explore Masculine images in advertising here
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/marlboroman/

United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality
http://www.un.org/womenwatch

Gender and TV Roles
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/TF33120/gendertv.html

 

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

  1. Using the textbook and your own personal experiences, write a paragraph describing an event in your life in which you learned some aspect of your gender identity.
  2. Provide a 1-paragraph summary of what you learned from watching the movie "Killing us Softly"

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.