Let’s Talk About Gender Lesson 10b: Gender as a Socially Constructed Status

Gender A socially constructed status that is a key dimension of a person’s identity Influences how others perceive you and interact with you A key part of our social relationships Can also be seen in our social institutions We are often unaware of how much gender impacts us Cross-societal variation suggests that gender roles are learned

The Hua of Papua New Guinea Focus on male-female difference But believe gender can change over one’s lifetime Believe the body contains “nu” A life giving substance Females born with it, men without Men want to avoid nu, but acquire it from women At middle age: Men have so much nu they become Figapa Women have lost so much, they become Kakora

How many genders are there? It depends Though two in the US, more in other groups Gender crossing When one adopts the roles of the opposite sex In the US, seen as a part of sexual orientation, but there is more to this social phenomenon Individuals in these societies are not ostracized or stigmatized Instead are valuable members of the group

Males who Act like Women Berdache or “two spirits” Native American males who act like women Not part man/part woman; rather carrying both male and female spirit They are a separate third gender Perform valuable functions in birth and marriage

Males who Act like Women Hijras of India Religious community of males who are seen as neither man nor woman Undergo a voluntary surgery Dress as women, but are more coarse and aggressive in their speech Also have ritual importance

Females who Act like Men Sworn Virgins of Albania In a heavily patriarchal group, women can be powerless if they are unmarried and their father dies Women who take an oath of virginity can be recognized as men Dress like men, can head the family, carry weapons, own property and move freely in public

We are Taught Gender Begins at birth What do we do with children after they are born in the hospital? Why? Continues with those who nurture children Can you think of behaviors that are encouraged of one sex and discouraged from the other? Toys R’ Us What toys do little boys play with? Little girls?

The Beauty Myth Mass media also teaches us gender The beauty myth How are women and women portrayed on television, in movies, and in advertisements? The beauty myth Naomi Wolf Femininity entails maintaining aesthetic beauty Objectifies women, encourages discipline, and creates an added financial burden

Gender Stratification Differences in wealth and power between men and women Patriarchy Form of social organization where men dominate women Sexism The belief that males are biologically superior to females Deeply embedded in society

Naturalization of Sexism When something is naturalized, a social reality is reframed as biological Women are view as being biologically inferior to men What are some arguments for this view? What is the difference between men and women? Stratification and sexism has led to the feminization of poverty Where more women exist in poverty than men Women make up roughly 70% of the world’s poor

Exam Review Questions What is the difference between sex and gender? How do males and females differ biologically? Is sexual behavior universal? Are there any universal sexual taboos? How many genders are there? When did the first and second waves of feminism begin? What is the belief that males are biologically superior to females? What is it called when males socially dominate females? How are ideas of gender institutionalized? What did the tea part show K. Anne Pyburn in “Worthless Women”? What did Blueboy tell us about gender in “Sitting on the Outters”?