Our Gendered Identities

1
Chapter 4

• Our Gendered Identities

2
Chapter Outline

• Gendered Identities
• Is Anatomy Destiny?
• Gender and Socialization
• Gender in Adult Lives

3
Sexism

• Traditional sexism is the belief that womens
  roles should be confined to the family and that
  women are not as fit as men for certain tasks or
  for leadership positions.
• Modern sexism denies that gender discrimination
  persists and includes the belief that women are
  asking for too mucha situation that results in
  resistance to womens demands.

4
Gender and Sex

• Sex includes the chromosomal, hormonal, and
  anatomical components of males and females.
• Gender describes societal attitudes and behaviors
  expected of and associated with the two sexes.
• Gender identity refers to the degree to which an
  individual sees herself or himself as feminine or
  masculine based on societys definitions of
  appropriate gender roles.

5
Masculine Scripts

1. No sissy-stuff - men are expected to distance
   themselves from anything feminine.
2. Big wheel - men should be occupationally or
   financially successful.
3. Sturdy oak - men should be confident and
   self-reliant.
4. Give em hell -men should do what is necessary to
   make it.

6
Femininities

• Women should offer emotional support.
• Ideal woman is attractive, not too competitive, a
  good listener and adaptable.
• Women are expected to be good mothers and put the
  needs of others first.
• Superwoman - successful at a career and a good
  wife/mother.

7
Traits in Men and Women

• How females and males differ on height. Averages
  by sex, but trait distributions occupy much
  common ground.

8
Male Dominance

• A situation in which males assume authority over
  the female.
• On the societal level, male dominance is the
  assignment to men of greater control and
  influence over societys institutions.
• There are no known societies where women dominate
  men.

9
Male Dominance

• Research shows that
• On an interpersonal level, males in groups tend
  to dominate verbally.
• Men talk louder and longer, interrupt other
  speakers, and control conversational topics more
  than women.
• Females restrict themselves more in claiming
  personal space, smile more when smiling is not
  related to happiness, and touch others less in
  groups, but are touched more.

10
Male Dominance In Politics

• Before 1992, there had never been more than two
  women among our 100 U.S. senators.
• As of 2001, there were 13 women in the Senate and
  62 in the House of Representatives women compose
  14 of Congress.
• Surveys report that 92 of the public say they
  would be willing to vote for a woman for
  president, compared to 53 thirty years earlier.

11
Male Dominance In Religion

• Most U.S. congregations have more female than
  male participants, yet men hold more positions of
  authority.
• Women are prohibited from holding Catholic
  clerical or lay deacon positions.
• A majority of U.S. Catholic laypeople and
  theologians believe the Catholic church should
  ordain women priests, the Vatican disagrees.

12
Male Dominance In The Economy

• In 2002, women who were employed full time earned
  77 of what men earned.
• In 2000 in the highest paying occupation, that of
  physician, women made 80,000 while men earned
  140,000 on average.
• Female professionals generally made 67 of what
  their male counterparts did in their longest held
  job.
• Womens earnings in managerial occupations were
  65 of mens.

13
Male Dominance In The Economy

• Men dominate corporate America.
• In 2000, 5.2 of the highest-earning executives
  in Fortune 500 companies were women.
• Racism blocks the path to management for nonwhite
  or Hispanic men, both racism and sexism block the
  path for nonwhite and Hispanic women, who hold
  only 1.3 of executive positions.
• Asian American women are most likely to have
  management or professional roles.

14
Biological Theories of Gender

• In order to continue their genes, individuals
  maximize their own and their close kins
  reproduction.
• Men and women have different adaptive strategies
  and skills encoded in the genes.
• Male and female brains differ due to greater
  amounts of testosterone secreted by a male fetus.

15
Biosocial Theories of Gender Stratification

• Biosocial theorists point to evolution, hormones,
  and behavioral genetics as influences on
  family-related behavior.
• Studies suggest that men with higher testosterone
  levels may be less likely to marry.
• If they marry, they may experience a lower
  quality of spousal interaction, be more likely to
  report hitting their wives, be more likely to
  have extramarital sex, and be more likely to
  divorce.

16
Society Based Gender Stratification

• Structural constraints produce gendered behavior.
• Hubers theory of gender stratification examines
  three stages that vary considerably in the roles
  and status assigned to men and women
• Foraging and hoe societies
• Agricultural societies
• Industrial societies

17
Foraging and Hoe Societies

• Food production is compatible with pregnancy, and
  nursing.
• Women fully participate economically so males
  are less dominant.

18
Agricultural Societies

• Food production is less compatible with pregnancy
  and nursing.
• Men did the heavy work and women's productive
  labor was less visible.
• Patriarchy became established and increased the
  social control exerted over women.

19
Industrial Societies

• Status of women declined as work became separate
  from home and family life.
• Womens contribution to the economy through
  domestic support and reproduction of the labor
  force became virtually invisible.

20
Interaction of Culture and Biology

• Biology and society probably interact to create
  gender-linked characteristics and roles.
• Whats happening in ones environment may
  influence hormone secretion levels.

21
Theories of Socialization

• Social Learning Theory
• Children learn gender roles as they are taught by
  parents, schools and the media.
• Self-identification theory
• Children categorize themselves by age 3 and
  identify behaviors in their families, the media
  and elsewhere that are appropriate to their sex
  and adopt these behaviors.

22
Theories of Socialization

• Gender Schema Theory
• Children develop a frame of knowledge about what
  girls and boys typically do.
• Children's Theory of Gender
• Infants develop a primary identification with
  their primary caregiver and must differentiate
  psychologically and emotionally between
  themselves and their primary caregiver.

23
Girls and Boys in the Family

• Parents handle infant sons more roughly and
  respond more quickly to baby girls.
• Most parents discourage their children from
  playing with other sex toys.
• Parents allocate household chores according to
  the childs sex.

24
Socialization in School's

• More men are in positions of authority
  (principals) and women are in positions of
  service (teachers and secretaries).
• Teachers pay more attention to males than to
  females.
• Males tend to dominate learning environments from
  nursery school to college.

25
Gender and Stress Women

• Women are oriented to others at the expense of
  self, leading to depression, boredom, and
  dissatisfaction.
• Suicide attempts are more common among women than
  men.
• Women have higher rates of mental illness and
  eating disorders.

26
Gender and Stress Men

• Overemphasis on production, competition and
  achievement create anxiety and stress which may
  contribute to shorter life expectancy.
• Physically dangerous behaviors (smoking, unsafe
  driving, drug use, violence) shorten mens lives.
• Hiding their feelings can lead to hidden
  depression and isolation.

27
Gender Differences in Life Expectancy at Birth
19002002
28
(No Transcript)
29
Quick Quiz
30

• 1. Jack believes that a womans place is in
  the home. Jacks point of view is an
  illustration of __________ sexism.
• modern
• neo
• traditional
• post-modern

31
Answer c

• Jack believes that a womans place is in the
  home. Jacks point of view is an illustration of
  traditional sexism.

32

• 2. Consider the statement Discrimination
  against women in the labor force is no longer a
  problem. This reflects __________ sexism.
• neo
• modern
• traditional
• post-modern

33
Answer b

• The statement Discrimination against women in
  the labor force is no longer a problem. This
  reflects modern sexism.

34

• 3. In which of the following religious
  categories are women prohibited from holding
  positions?
• the pastorate within Protestant Christian
  churches
• rabbis in Reform Jewish congregations
• feminist evangelicals
• Catholic clerical or lay deacon

35
Answer d

• Women are prohibited from holding positions in
  the Catholic clerical or lay deacon.

36

• 4. Biological theories of gender difference were
  initially offered by
• biologists.
• primatologists.
• zoologists.
• Geneticists

37
Answer b

• Biological theories of gender difference were
  initially offered by primatologists.