Download Ethical issues

Gender Stratification
Formal reading available
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Sex and Gender
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Sex: Biological characteristics that make an individual male
or female (or ambiguous)
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Sex chromosomes
Reproductive organs
Sex specific hormones
Gender: Social and cultural characteristics that differentiate
men and women
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Basic to the understanding of the family
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Factors influencing gender
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Gestational influences (2nd trimester)
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Exposure to high levels of sex hormones during gestation
About 25% of the variation in gendered behavior
May intervene in gendered socialization
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Factors influencing gender
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Gestational influences (2nd trimester)
Biosocial influences
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Biological influences result in “average” tendencies
Variation among biologically similar individuals is accounted for by
social influences
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Factors influencing gender
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Gestational influences (2nd trimester)
Biosocial influences
Evolutionary influences
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Much of the human evolution occurred in hunter-gatherer societies
Evolution of gender selective attributes?
Ethical issues
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(Bio-)Social influences on gender
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Parental socialization
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Gender differences are in part due to conscious socialization and
social learning
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(Bio-)Social influences on gender
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Parental socialization
Media
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Elementary school reading – 2/3 male characters (1989)
TV – Characters in children’s shows are mostly male and undertake
mostly gender stereotyped behaviors (1980’s)
MTV – Men appear twice as often as women and engage in more
dominant and aggressive behavior (1990’s)
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(Bio-) Social influences on gender
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Parental socialization
Media
Early peer groups
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Gender awareness between 2-3 years
Similarity of same-sex peer groups
• Dissimilarity of girl’s behavior in opposite sex peer groups
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Gendered behavior displayed in opposite sex peer groups by 3 years
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(Bio-) Social influences on gender
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Parental socialization
Media
Early peer groups
Children’s preferences
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Even when gender awareness is absent, children prefer gendered
activities
Parental preferences on gender socialization have limited influence
Boy’s preferences for gendered toys and activities appear to be
stronger and emerge earlier
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(Bio-) Social influences on gender
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Parental socialization
Media
Early peer groups
Children’s preferences
Peer groups in adolescence
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Emergence of the awareness of the social self (“me”)
Modification of behavior based on the peer expectations and peer
conformation
• Earlier and stronger for boys
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(Bio-) Social influences on gender
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Parental socialization
Media
Early peer groups
Children’s preferences
Peer groups in adolescence
Subconscious influences (psychoanalytic theory)
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Deep seated psychological influences that are reconstructed in the
family
Infant attachment – continuum of self as an extension of the caretaker
Boys must distance themselves from the mother in order to acquire
gender identity – traumatic transformation of the identity
Boys establish emotional boundaries between self and others
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Discussion: The usual division of labor in
household duties
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How is the work divided?
Why?
How is this division agreed upon by women?
What is that feeling of “entitlement”?
What is the ideology of “care”?
What is the ideology of “help”?
What is the argument of “best fit”?
What is the argument of “does not know how to relax”?
How can a change occur?
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