Discussion post (125 words) and reading summary (200 words)
alikh86
gender_sexuality.pptxGender & Sexuality
Week 6
SOC 101 Online
Announcements
Sex & Gender-- lecture notes based on Nicholson & Fisher camp, chapter by Hildebrandt-- many perspectives in s&g studies
Sex versus Gender
Sex:
Physiological and biological characteristics of a person
Chromosomes
Hormonal profiles
Internal and external sex organs
Categories: male, female, intersex
Terms like, “male” “female”
Gender:
Social/cultural attribute
Describes the characteristics that society or culture delineates as masculine, feminine, or other
Categories: feminine, masculine, androgynous
Terms like, “man” “woman”
Sex versus Gender
Sex differences
The physical and biological differences in individuals
Gender differences
Social expectations about how individuals should act and their respective rights and duties
Gender as a Social Construction
Social Construction:
Individuals are gendered at birth (pink hat, blue hat)
Gender assignment internalized
Response to society’s gendering, “doing gender”
Gender Roles
Gender roles:
Social concept
Behavioral expectations, roles, social norms
Gender role stereotypes:
Characteristics that are perceived as masculine or feminine
Gender Role Stereotypes
Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientation
Emotional and sexual attraction to another person
Socially constructed categories: homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, other
LGBTQA
Acronym standing for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, and Allied
Identity
Gender Identity:
Self concept of male, female, transgender, or other
Sexual Orientation Identity:
Self concept of being gay, lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, or other
Sexual Orientation Theories
Essentialism:
One is born homosexual
Biological
LGBT community should be protected as natural sexual minorities
Critics of Essentialism:
Why should homosexuality be “othered?”
Opens door for gene therapy, “gay gene”
Very male-centric, ignores other LGBT community
Sexual Identity Theories
Social Constructionists
Sexual identity as a social role
The labeling of sexuality created sexual identities, which then were categorized as “normative” or not
Sex, gender, and sexual orientation are contextual (historical period, culture)
Critiques of SC:
Largely ignores LGBT reported connections to biology
Queer Theory
Identities are not fixed
Cannot be categorized or labeled
Consists of many varying components
Separation between what one does and what one is
Heteronormativity is embedded in social institutions
Goal is to destabilize identity categories
Gender & the Labor Market
Gender & the Labor Market
Women, 47% of labor market (2011)
Women earn 82% of men’s median income
“Pink”-collared jobs: stereotypical female-orientated jobs (nurses, secretaries, and elementary school teachers)
Gender stratification:
Job impacts earnings, creates inequality
Integral Maps
Useful tools to conceptualize sex and gender identity & sexual orientation (Wilber)
Integral Map of Sexual Identity
Integral Map of Sexual Orientation
Integral Map (Winters) (Sex, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Sexual Orientation)
Discussion Questions
1. Should people have to label themselves and be put into a category regarding their sexuality?
2. According to Hildebrandt, using biological standards to assess gender are insufficient. If we can’t classify gender based on morphological traits then what measures of gender should be used?
3. Sexual behavior and sexual orientation are very personal topics. What steps can we as a society take to lift the veil of discomfort centered around this topic?
4. Do you think that sexual orientation is as black and white as widely believed?
5. If scientists were to discover what the “gay gene” is, would parents screen their children? What are the major implications of this?
6. Is the term “queer” losing its negative connotation (the goal of Queer Theory)?
