1. Gender and Sexuality
Dr Rhoda Wilkie
SO 1004

2. Week 10: Becoming Gendered (1)
some commonsense assumptions
sex-gender distinction
gender stereotypes
historical and anthropological evidence?

3. how is gender socially constructed?
Becoming Gendered (2)
how is gender socially constructed?
gender roles, socialisation process and the role of social institutions (e.g. family & school)
summary

4. commonsense assumptions …
there are only two sex/gender categories
interchangeable use of terms
it is ‘natural’: taken-for-granted and it has always been this way?

5. ‘two-sex’ model (Laqueur 1990)
e.g. medical anatomical illustrations of reproductive organs
shift from ‘one-sex’ model
- emphasised similarities
mid 18th century - ‘two-sex’ model
- emphasised binary differences

6. ‘sex’ biological distinction between females and males
female (XX) and male (XY):
chromosomes; hormones; reproductive organs; external and internal genitals and secondary sex characteristics
- assigned at birth – genitals
- fixed

7. ‘gender’ distinction between ‘sex’ and ‘gender’
Ann Oakley (1972) Sex, Gender and Society
social, psychological and cultural interpretation of biological sex
basis of assigning and classifying behaviours and attributes as ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’
‘mapped on’ respectively to male and female?

8. gender stereotypes e.g.:
Masculinity
assertive
rational
strong
active
competitive
unemotional
(culture)
Femininity
submissive
intuitive
weak
passive
cooperative
emotional
(nature)

9. gender: power and inequality?
not just about differences
hierarchically organised and valued
e.g. men and masculinity privileged over women and femininity?
POWER and INEQUALITY?
(‘patriarchy’ – discuss further next week)

10. ‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’
Simone de Beauvoir (1949: 295)
‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’
feminists challenge the idea that ‘biology is destiny’

11. cross-cultural differences
historical and anthropological studies
e.g. Margaret Mead (1935)
- New Guinea
- three societies: Arapesh, Mundugmor and Tchambuli
central role of culture
social change?

12. how is gender socially constructed?
socialisation (see Oakley 1972)
gender roles
lifelong process
social institutions
e.g. family, school, work and media

13. e.g. family…. primary socialisation
parent-child interactions e.g. ‘Adam’ and ‘Beth’
gendered childrearing practices
gendered task allocation

14. deviate from culturally-specific gender role expectations? e.g.:
girls – ‘tomboys’
boys – ‘sissy’
women – assertive – aggressive?
men- emotionally expressive?
gender-neutral childrearing?

15. e.g. school … secondary socialisation
teacher-pupil interaction and expectations
reinforce gender-stereotyped roles
subject - career choices

16. summary … ‘sex’ (male/female) – biological concept
‘gender’ (masculinity/femininity) – social and cultural interpretation of biological sex
cross-cultural and historical evidence
nature v nurture debate

17. In other words … born as human beings (males and females)
become gendered social beings - masculinity and femininity
lifelong process of socialisation - learn and acquire socially and culturally appropriate gender roles and gender identities

18. lecture tomorrow …
sexual/gender ambiguity – intersex/ transsexuals/ transgender?
are there masculinities and femininities?
what about agency (choice) – do we play an active part – is gender something we ‘do’?