1. Sex, Gender and Sexuality
Chapter 10
Sex, Gender and Sexuality

2. Chapter Outline Sexual Differentiation
Perspectives on Gender Inequality
Gender as Social Construction and Social Structure
Differences in Life Chances by Sex
Gender and Power
The Sociology of Sexuality

3. Sex and Gender Biology differentiates the sexes.
Society differentiates male and female roles.
Gender roles ascribed to men and women vary greatly from culture to culture.

18. Gender Roles Across Cultures
In virtually all cultures:
Women are expected to focus on child-raising.
Men tend to have more power.
Male children are valued over female children.

19. Violence Toward Women
In the U.S. in 1996 more than 840,000 women were murdered, raped, assaulted or robbed by an intimate.
More than 100 million women, in African countries and in Asia, South America, and Europe, have undergone genital mutilation.
In India 6,006 new brides were known to have been murdered in 1997 by their husbands or in-laws.

21. Greg Hardy

22. 4,774,000
The number of women in the U.S. who experience physical violence by an intimate partner every year.

23. 1 in 4 – The number of women who will be victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes
1 in 7 - The number of men who will be victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes
2 in 5 – The number of gay or bisexual men who will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes
2 in 4 -The number of lesbian women who will experience domestic violence(not necessarily intimate partner violence) in their lifetimes

24. Functionalist Theory of Gender Inequality
Focuses on the functions of gendered division of labor:
Reduces competition between men and women.
Makes both sexes specialists in their roles.
Requires an interdependence of men and women.

25. 1 male is enough to ensure the group’s chance of survival
1 woman is not enough
Male became more valuable to society

26. Conflict Theory of Gender Inequality
Subjugation of women to subordinate roles benefits men and capitalism.
Capitalists benefit from a labor market that splits the interests of men and women workers—in favor of men.
Segmented labor market provides a low-wage female labor reserve.

27. Prevent women from gaining political, economic or social power
Afghanistan – Gender apartheid
Taliban prohibits girls from attending school
May not work outside the house
May not leave the house without a man
House windows must be painted black
Societal changes
Married later
Fewer children
Choosing to stay single

29. Symbolic Interaction and Gender Inequality
Sexism arises through culturally patterned interaction in everyday life.
Studies demonstrate differences in the ways boys and girls are are treated by teachers and each other.
Gender Socialization-process of learning how to act like a boy or girl

31. Parents and Gender Socialization
Begins at birth and is established by 3
Child appropriate gifts
Girls play with dolls
Boys play with action figures
Girls handled more delicately at birth
Chores
Grass cutting, shoveling snow, raking leaves
Washing dishes, cleaning windows, dusting

32. School and gender socialization
Boys are 8x more likely to answer questions(4th, 6th, and 8th graders)
Boys are allowed to yell out answers while girls were scolded when answering out loud

33. Peers and gender socialization
Adolescents want to be liked
More respect for traditional gender role
Male football player
Female cheerleader
To oppose this teens could risk rejection

36. Symbolic Interaction and Gender Inequality
Teachers tend to ask boys analytical questions.
Boys in a summer camp setting tend to be ranked based on athletic prowess and aggressiveness.

37. Differences in Life-chances by Sex
There is a gap between the sexes when it comes to doctoral or professional degrees.
The care of children makes it difficult for women to be considered on an equal occupational footing with men.
Labor-force participation by women approaches that of men.

38. Bachelor’s Degrees Earned, by Field, 1971 and 2000
% Female
Field of Study
1971
2000
Business
9.1
49.7
Computer and information sciences
13.6
28.1
Education
74.5
75.8
Engineering
0.8
20.4

39. Bachelor’s Degrees Earned, by Field, 1971 and 2000
% Female
Field of Study
1971
2000
Health sciences
77.1
83.8
Home economics
97.3
87.9
Pre-law
6.0
73.0
Mathematics
37.9
47.1
Social sciences and history
36.8
51.2

40. Labor-Force Participation of Men and Women 16 and Over

42. Reasons Why Women and Men Have Different Jobs
Gendered jobs.Lower paying jobs like nursing and teaching tend to be “women’s work”.
Different qualifications.Women are less likely to have as much experience or education as men.
Discrimination, often based on sexism, works against women’s options in the world of work.

43. Same Job, Different Earnings
Three reasons why men earn more than women who do the same work:
Different titles.
Segmented labor market.
Family responsibilities.

44. Sex Differences in Earnings from the Same Occupation
Median Weekly Earnings
Occupation
Males
Females
Accountants
$953
$690
Engineers
1,126
949
Natural scientists
1,007
726
Computer programmers
968
868
Lawyers
1,439
1,053

45.  Male Disadvantages
Men also pay for the imbalances of power and privilege in gender roles.
Mortality rates for men are higher throughout the life cycle partly due to norms that encourage men to suppress their feelings.

46. Male Disadvantages
The male role does not encourage the cultivation of emotionally supportive relationships.
Men may suffer serious stress from associating self-esteem with net worth.