The women’s movement and the consequent development of feminist ideas in the 1960s and 1970s influenced the question of gender and began emphasise the importance of gender as a concept of its own. (Howson, 2013, 51). To understand the differences between male and female, it is important to formulate a basic distinction between gender and sex. The key distinctions to note are based around biology and social arrangements. Oakley (1972, cited in Howson, 2013) refers to gender as the ‘psychological, social and representational differences between men and women, which are socially determined and culturally variable’.
By the time we reached late childhood and adolescence our concept of gender identity and sexual orientation is firmly entrenched (Wood, 2010). Our behavior, aspirations and attitudes is also strongly influenced by the gender role expectations in particular cultures. This essay will relate, contrast sex and gender in society and how important it is for sociologists to distinguish them both. The term “sex” is the natural biological genetic makeup that distinguishes males from females and in particular the sexual organs and their characteristics. Bodies are, so we think, natural, God- given, sacred, hardwired.
This implies that all people can be placed into either category, when it isn’t in fact this simple. Sex is an attributed status, whereas gender must be learned. The learned behaviours of what it is to be a ‘woman’ in society is one engulfed in many inequalities. In this analysis of gender issues, I would like to particularly focus on women and gender equality. The question to be looked at is ‘What does it mean to be a woman?’Although there has been some progress in the past 30 years, particularly in women’s education and employment equality, there are still many inequalities and also more inconspicuous issues affecting the women of today including domestic violence and rape and sexual abuse and I would like to look further into this.
Additional differences between men and women are that they differentiate as they often inhabit different social roles as well as occupational. Finally, sexual reproduction is a biological constant that is ultimately related to men and women being different since a woman is defined as childbearing and child rearing (Eagly, 1987) and promotes intimacy between the men and women. Furthermore, men often employ their power over women as well as their sexual relationships, which at times women counter power through sexuality by using sexual attractiveness to control the man. Therefore, concerns about power and the differences regarding the sexuality are bound together. Modern context in where social movement and increasing gender and equality threaten the traditional male dominance may be directed on those woman who challenge the power of a man and the status (e.g.
Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation? Explain. Our gender is our social and legal status as men or women. And sexual orientation is the term used to describe whether a person feels sexual
Nature is our DNA/genes. It is all about the biological factors that affect development. Nurture is how we are brought up. It is all about the socioeconomic and environmental factors which affect development. Historically, some philosophers and theorists have argued that we are born to be the way we are.
Benevolent sexism seems to be the more prevalent version of sexism today, in all the articles that were reviewed this seemed to be the most dominant and destructive form of sexism in the work place. Hostile sexism is more obvious and aggressive but benevolent sexism takes on the form of paternalistic behavior and the gives the appearance of a more favorable attitude towards women. This is actually sexist because
Samuel Junior Moses Dr. John Frongillo Writing in literature Com 1102 04/23/2015 The Prevalence of Stereotyping Stereotyping is an overly simplified attitude people hold towards another person due to race, gender or ethnicity. Stereotyping affects us by allowing us to see what we expect to see, and we have a tendency to twist and distort the characteristics of others until it fits our ideas of a particular group stereotype. Sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, and physical ability are various categories which exist in stereotyping. The most prevalent and controversial forms are sex and race. In the story the “How to date a brown girl (black girl, white girl, or halfie)” by Junot Diaz, the narrator stereotypes girls base on gender,
“Feminists can produce a positive stereotype, considering that women work just as hard as a man, inside and outside of the home. It’s unfair that women who participate in the feminist movement are accused of being butch or trying to live in a “man’s world”. They are not trying to live in a man’s world; they just want to co-exist be equals, not dominant, like men feel they need to.” Sanbonmatsu, K.
Lukas argues that the gender pay gap is solely based on career choices between men and women. Women may choose a more relaxed, traditional or laid back position, while men may have to work jobs that require longer hours and overtime which contributes to more pay and higher pay checks. Lukas is not alone in her belief that pay discrimination has long been