Men and WomenMasculine and Feminine

• The behaviors or roles that go along with ones gender are largely influenced by society

• Western culture vs. Middle East

Gender Identity

• A person’s gender identity is how that person views him-/herself: – “Am I a man or woman, masculine or

feminine?”

Social Norms and Roles

• Norms are accepted and expected patterns of behavior and beliefs established either formally or informally by a group.

• Roles involve activities demanded by the norms.

Many norms/Multiple roles

• Mother/father

• Husband/wife

• Sister/brother

• Teacher/student

• Lover/friend

How Sex and Gender Identity Develop

1. Sex is genetically determined at conception.

2. Hormones secreted by glands directed by the genetic configuration produce physical differences.

3. Society defines, prescribes, and reinforces the gender-role aspect of sexual identity.

Sex chromosomes

• Women XX

• Men XY

Sexuality

• Intersexual: A person who has biological characteristics of both sexes.

• Transsexual: A person who feels psychologically that he or she is actually of the opposite gender.

• Transvestite: A person who gains sexual pleasure from dressing like the opposite sex.

What is androgyny?

• The blending of traits associated with the sexes by society.

Hermaphrodite vs. inter-sexual

• Hermaphrodite : someone who has been born with the distinguishing features of both sexes; they will have a male genital and a female genital. Some have breasts and female features, that would otherwise pass as a woman in every respect; c. Others have male and female genitals but have a male demenor; facial hair, broad shoulders, large hands and feet

• Inter-sexual : a person is born with the genitalia of the female gender and as they gradually grow older into puberty usually a natural change occurs and the organs become that of a male.

• Among the few who have this unique condition, it has been recorded that many go on to have relationships, father children, and have lives just like those who underwent no change.

Environmental Contributions

• Once a baby is born, society begins to teach the infant its proper gender role and reinforce its sexual identity.

What do you think?

• Do think gender roles are more learned or formed by biology?

Role Equity

What is role equity? • When the roles one fulfills are based on

individual strengths and weaknesses, rather than on stereotypical differences between the sexes.

Role Equity

• When men and women are freer to choose gender roles for themselves, especially within intimate relationships like marriage, their chances for success and fulfillment increase.

Changing Male and Female Roles

• The women’s movement has focused attention on gender inequalities and has energized efforts to reduce these inequalities.

• As women change their roles, the masculine role also changes.

The Movement toward Gender Equality

• To say that men and women are equal in all ways overlooks the advantageous, and disadvantageous, differences between the sexes.

• To say that one sex is better than the other because of those differences is stereotyping at its worst.

Lilly Ledbetter

• The Presidents first bill

The movement toward gender equality

• Masculinity and femininity are not polar opposites; most of us are both masculine and feminine, depending on the situation.

• 3 waves of the movement – 1st 20’s voting, property ownership, women’s suffrage

– 2cd- 60’s education, sexual revolution

– 3rd now- policy making changing face of politics

What do you think?

1. Do you think the sexual double standard between man and women still exists?

2. Do you think women and men should have identical sexual behavior standards?

Feminism

• Feminism is not a simple or unified philosophy. Many different women (and men) call themselves feminists, and the beliefs of these groups of people vary quite a bit.

Liberal feminism

• Characterized by individualistic emphasis on equality .

• Society itself does not need a major overhaul, but laws need to be changed to allow women opportunities to become equals in society

Socialist feminist

• Society does need a major overhaul particularly an economic one because power and capital are distributed unequally in our capitalist society between men and women.

• Liberal feminists focus on individual empowerment while socialist feminists focus on collective change and empowerment

Radical Feminism

• Similar to socialist feminism in that it wants a dramatic change to achieve equality and are sometimes grouped together .

• Radical feminists believe that society is extremely patriarchal and until the system is changed it will remain unjust

• A minority believe that men and women need to maintain separate institutions and relationships

Third wave feminism

• Focuses on personal empowerment as starting place for social change.

• Celebrates the construction of individual identities and invites women to define themselves as they wish from our infinite possibilities

Every woman should have

What do you think?

• Do you consider yourself a feminist? • What do you think are the greatest gains

made by the women’s movement?• What effect has the feminist movement had

on men?• What effect has the feminist movement had

on intimate relationships between men and women ?

Quick Quiz

1. The blending of traits associated with the sexes is called

a) Androgyny

b) Transvestitism

c) Transsexualism

d) Intersexualism

Answer: a

• The blending of traits associated with the sexes is called androgyny.

2. Accepted and expected patterns of behavior and beliefs established either formally or informally by a

group are called

a) Socialization

b) Norms

c) Roles

d) Gender

Answer: b

• Accepted and expected patterns of behavior and beliefs established either formally or informally by a group are called norms.

3. Gender Identity is

a) the process by which sex is determined.

b) the same as stereotypical gender roles.

c) how that person views him-/herself.

d) the idea that men and women are equal.

Answer: c

• Gender identity is how that person views him-/herself.