Concepts in Gender and sex - edited.pptx

Gender

1. Concepts in Gender and sex By MR. KATEREGGA JAMES

2. © 2009 The McGraw Hill Companies 3 The Social Construction of Gender So-called “natural differences” have been used to justify unequal opportunity in education, employment, politics, and more Women were once thought incapable of succeeding at college because of their biological makeup Our cultural suppositions are more rooted in our social constructions of what is natural than in biological limitations

3. Which picture refers to gender? Sex differences?

4. Sex : biological differences between males and females Refers to who we are as males and females Sex indicates biological characteristics of man and woman . People are born male or female. With very few exceptions they remain male or female throughout their lives in terms of their biological make-up. The biological differences between men and women are identified at birth . For example: only women can give birth; only men can have sperms … Sex

5. © 2009 The McGraw Hill Companies 6 Sex and Gender Gender : the social and cultural significance we attach to those presumed biological differences Refers to what we become as men and women, which occurs through socialization GENDER is the social construction of men’s and women’s roles in a given culture or location. Gender roles are distinguished from sex roles, which are biologically determined.

6. Sex Gender Biological At birth Universal (everywhere) Can’t change naturally - Only women can give birth and breastfeed the children Social Result of trained or educated Various (different form societies to societies, cultures to Can be changed over time - Women can become a president - men can take a good care of children

7. Social Role : cultural guidelines for how a person should behave Gender roles : expectations regarding proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females according to society or culture Gender Identity : perception of oneself as male or female Gender identity is how a person feels about and expresses their gender role; through clothing, behaviour and personal appearance. Some people feel that their gender identity does not match their biological sex. This person may identify as transgender.

8. © 2006 Alan S. Berger 9 Gender and Inequality Gender stratification refers to the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women. Men and women differ in their access to privilege, prestige, and power. Traditionally, men have been first in line when it comes to who gets what, when, and how. Sex is a biologically determined characteristic, while gender is a socially constructed characteristic. All societies use anatomical differences to assign gender roles. Gender identities are the conceptions we have of ourselves as being male or female. Sexism operates at both an individual and an institutional level .

9. © 2006 Alan S. Berger 10 Sources of Gender Differences Gender roles can be seen as arising from biological development or cultural contributions. The biological aspects of gender consist of the physical differences between men and women. Gender roles probably represent the earliest division of labor among humans.

10. © 2009 The NcGraw Hill Companies 11 Gender Roles Gender-Role Socialization Boys must be masculine: active, aggressive, tough, daring, and dominant Girls must be feminine: soft, emotional, sweet, and submissive

11. © 2009 The NcGraw Hill Companies 12 Gender Roles Gender-Role Socialization Occurs through influences of parents, older siblings, mass media, religious and educational institutions, and other adults

12. © 2009 The NcGraw Hill Companies 13 Gender Roles Men’s Gender Roles Stay-at-home fathers still rare Must prove masculinity at work and in sports Nonconformists often face criticism and humiliation Multiple masculinities : idea that men learn and play a full range of gender roles

13. Gender Stereotypes: How Do We View Men and Women? Gender Stereotypes: Broad categories that reflect our impressions and beliefs about females and males All gender stereotypes refer to an image of what the typical member of a particular social category is like.

14. question If Joe is active, independent, competitive, and aggressive. Is Joe male or female?

15. Instrumental Traits (Roles ) are traits associated with males They describe individuals who act on the world and influence it Expressive Traits (Roles ) are traits associated with females They describe emotional functioning and individuals who value interpersonal relationships

16. Children’s Stereotypes of Boys and Girls Boys are… Girls are… 5-yrs-old 11-yrs-old 5-yrs-old 11-yrs-old Strong   Emotional   Aggressive   Gentle   Disorderly   Soft-hearted   Cruel   Affectionate   Coarse   Weak   Ambitious   Appreciative  Dominant   Excitable  Adventurous  Sophisticated  Independent  Fickle  Loud  Meek  Jolly  Submissive  Steady  Talkative  Confident  Frivolous 

17. Why do we assume this is a girl?

18. Gender Stereotypes Children understand gender stereotypes by the time they enter kindergarten Their understanding grows throughout elementary-school years They begin to understand that gender stereotypes do not always apply

19. Children learn very young that we do not live in a gender-neutral society By the age of 4, a child’s knowledge of gender-stereo-typed activities is extensive

20. Consider the reaction of one 6-year-old to a boy named George who likes to play with dolls: Why do you think people tell George not to play with dolls? Well, he should only play with things that boys play with. The things that he is playing with now is girls’ stuff Can George play with Barbie dolls if he wants to? No! What should George do? He should stop playing with girls’ dolls and start playing with G.I. Joe Why can a boy play with G.I. Joe and not a Barbie doll? Because if a boy is playing with a Barbie doll, then he’s just going to get people teasing him… and if he tries to play more, to get girls to like him, the girls won’t like him either

21. Between the ages of 3 and 7, gender-related issues are very important to children. This is the time when they are starting to firmly classify themselves as boys and girls…. They are starting to know that they will always be boys and/or girls.

22. As children develop they learn that gender stereotypes don’t always apply Older children are more willing than younger children to ignore stereotypes when judging children

23. © 2006 Alan S. Berger 24 Gender and Power Patriarchy is a form of social organization in which males dominate females. In general, women fare better in rich nations than in poor countries. Matriarchy is a form of social organization in which females dominate males. No matriarchal societies are known to exist or to have existed. Sexism is the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other. It underlies patriarchy and harms men, women, and the society as a whole. Patriarchy is not inevitable because modern technology has eliminated most of the historic justifications for it . SEXISM is the ideology of male supremacy. It allows men to believe that they are needed for the existence of women, to protect women and to give them identity. Cultural sexism leads to exclusionary practices (that keep women from participating in development), i.e. giving preference to boys for education.

24. © 2006 Alan S. Berger 25 Gender and Socialization. Gender roles are attitudes and activities that a culture links to each sex. Parents treat male and female children differently from birth. Peer groups reinforce these differences. Boys and girls play different kinds of games and learn different styles of moral reasoning from games. Curricula in schools further reinforce a culture’s gender roles. The mass media, especially television, also serve this function.

25. GENDER EQUALITY GENDER EQUALITY is where all human beings, both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles, or prejudices. Gender equality means that the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favoured equally. It does not mean that women and men have to become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female. GENDER EQUITY refers to fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs . This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities. In the development context A gender equity goal often requires built-in measures to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages of women. Hence, both gender equity and equality must be pursued in a complementary manner where gender equality is the ultimate goal. In other words, in order to achieve gender equality, it is often necessary to pursue gender equity measures.

26. GENDER MAINSTREAMING is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality . Gender mainstreaming is not just about women’s health; it is a process for identifying and acting upon the gender-related factors that affect women’s and men’s health. This is important as gender norms, gender roles and gender relations impact on women’s and men’s health in different ways. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION refers to policies that take into account race, ethnicity, or gender to promote equal opportunity and to redress historical disadvantages resulting from discrimination.

27. GENDER-SENSITIVE TEACHING Gender-sensitive teaching pays attention to gender differences both in creating syllabus and in class conduct. It means introducing students to gender dimension of the presented contents, including publications that take gender-sensitive approach into the courses readings, and giving homework assignments that demand from students to think about gender dimension of the subject. Gender-sensitive approach to teaching provides equal opportunity to both female and male teaching staff across disciplines, attracts students of different genders, and is inclusive for transgender individuals as well. Gender-sensitive teaching is thus more inclusive, while stimulating critical thinking.