GSS

Gender and Labor

The way society divides work based on gender, often assigning higher value and pay to "masculine" roles and lower value to "feminine" roles

Hegemonic Masculinity

The most socially idealized form of manhood that maintains power over women and other men who don't fit the "alpha" norm

Glas Escalator

The phenomenon where men in female-dominated professions (like nursing or teaching) are disproportionately fast-tracked to promotions and higher pay.

Heteronormativity

The social belief that heterosexuality is the only "natural" or "normal" sexual orientation, shaping laws and family structures

Nuclear Family

The traditional model of a household consisting of a mother, father, and their children; often used as the "standard" in policy and media

Care Work

Labor involving the physical and emotional care of others (e.g., childcare, elder care). It is often "feminized"—meaning it is performed by women and socially devalued or unpaid

Neoliberalism

A political/economic approach that favors free-market capitalism, privatization, and massive cuts to social services (welfare).

Mass Incarceration

The unique way the U.S. imprisons a vast percentage of its population, specifically targeting marginalized communities of color.

Prison industrial complex (PIC)

The web of government and private interests that use policing and imprisonment to solve social and economic problems

Abolition

A political strategy that seeks to eliminate the prison system and policing, replacing them with community-based systems of safety

Welfare Queen

A racist and sexist stereotype of women (usually Black women) who allegedly "abuse" the welfare system to justify cutting social safety nets

Media as cultural pedagogy

The idea that media (movies, news, ads) functions as a "teacher" that instructs us on what to value, how to behave, and what is "normal"

Ways of seeing

The concept that how we view an image is not neutral; it is shaped by our social position, history, and power dynamics.

Male Gaze

Representing women in media from a heterosexual male perspective, portraying them as objects for male pleasure.

Oppositional Gaze

A way of looking at media that resists and critiques dominant representations, specifically used by Black women to challenge stereotypes.

Globalization

The increasing integration and interdependence of nations through trade, culture, and technology

Economic Globalization

The global spread of capitalism, often resulting in corporations moving labor to the Global South to exploit cheaper wages.

Political Globalization

The growth of international organizations and policies that govern how countries interact

Transnational Feminism

A movement that examines how globalization affects women differently across the world and seeks to build connections between them without imposing Western valuesA movement that examines how globalization affects women differently across the world and seeks to build connections between them without imposing Western values

War on Terror

The military and political campaign launched by the U.S. after 9/11, which used specific "ways of seeing" to justify intervention in the Middle East.

Recognition

The struggle for groups to have their identities and rights legally and socially acknowledged

Solidarity

Building unity and support among different groups based on shared interests or common goals.

Coalitions

Temporary alliances between different groups to achieve a specific political or social goal

Praxis

The process of applying a theory or idea to real-world action; "theory in practice".

Queer

A term used to describe identities that fall outside of heteronormative or cisgender norms; often used as a political stance against "normalcy"

Mutual Aid

A community-based form of support where people take responsibility for caring for one another rather than relying on the state

Bathroom Politics

The political debate over who is allowed to use public restrooms, highlighting issues of trans rights and gender policing