ANTH1220 Week 11

Sex

Male and female, in biological terms. Most human females have XX chromosomes, and most human males have XY chromosomes

Gender

Purely social, cultural roles based on the biological categories of sex. It is a person’s internal experience of their identity as male, female, both, neither, etc. There are cultural expectations about gendered behaviour in all areas of life

Sexuality

The way people experience, and express themselves though sexual activities. Some cultures have very strict ideas of sexual practices while others don’t

Heterosexual

A sexuality where: boy-girl

Homosexual

A sexuality that includes gay and lesbian where respectively: boy-boy and girl-girl

Bisexual

A sexuality where: you like boys and girls (2 genders)

Pansexual

A sexuality where: you’re attracted to anyone regardless of their gender

Asexual

A sexuality where: you don’t engage in sexual thoughts/desires

Queer

An umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual or cisgender

Heteronormativity

When you think heterosexuality is the norm. Same-sex practices may be tolerated but are still expected to marry

The genderbread person

Created by Sam Killerman, it shows how identity, attraction, expression, and physical characteristics combine into a person’s gender/sexuality. Ientity is not the same as expression, sexuality, etc.

Primatologists were influenced by what in the 1950s?

They were influenced by human gender stereotypes in their own societies. They concluded male hierarchy was the only thing going on. However, they found that most primate groups were made of related females while males were outsiders. Females can also be competitive and often mate with male “friends” rather than “alphas”

What are the primate sexual differences?

Male and female primates are both competitive and cooperative. Females do spend more time in taking care of children, males are a bit bigger. Chimps and bonobos are our closest relatives but are completely different

What did Euro-American scholars believe about in women?

They thought that women were unfit/couldn’t go for higher education, voting, working outside the home, and hold political office. Though there was no statistical difference in the cognitive abilities of boys and girls. What differences exist seem to be the result of culture

Is there a biological difference in aggression between boys and girls?

There is no clear biological difference between boys and girls. Boys who grew up with less sisters were more aggressive. Aggression in boys appears to be linked to experience rather than biology

“Man the Hunter” theory

A biased theory. These ideas were supported by sociobiologists. These theories were based on the assumption that men were only hunters. The idea was that men did the important stuff, while women stayed taking care of children. That, men were the drivers of human evolutions. However they were contradicted by the evidence

Arapesh

A group that Margaret Mead studied where both men and women were gentle, nurturing, and cooperative

Mundugumor

A group that Margaret Mead studied where both men and women were aggressive, violent, and ruthless

Tchambuli

A group that Margaret Mead studied where gender roles were reversed (from the west)

What did Judith Butler say about gender?

That gender is also performative, that most people work at their gender on a constant basis

Women and feminist theories of gender

Women’s issues were not seriously regarded in anthropology until the 1970s. Early writings focused on the determinants of women’s subordination to men (thought to be that men universally dominated women). Argued that colonialism caused women’s subordination. Nowadays, feminist anthropology has been influenced by postmodernism, queer theory, and the scholarly response to neoliberalism

How have gender studies changed how men are being seen?

Men were taken as th norm of their society. But now gender studies allowed men to be seen through the eyes of gender. Male is not a standalone category. New studies showed that masculinity is constructed through initiation, friendships, marriage, and fatherhood.

What percentage of people are born intersex?

1.7% of people

Variant gender

A gender that accommodates people in a variety of ways

Two-spirit

A variant gender, early europeans were shocked to find these people in first-nations groups. Variant genders like this almost disappeared due to colonialism and residential schooling in Canada

Gender ideology

A coordinated set of ideas about gender categories, relations, behaviours, norms, and ideals. It is embedded in family, economy, politics, religion, etc.

Patriarchy

A gender hierarchy that positions men as the rulers of private and public life. Contemporary Euro-american patriarchy is linked to capitalism in the 1600s. In India, patriarchy is linked to agriculture and the state during the Vedic period (1500-800 BCE)

Matriarchy

A gender hierarchy that positions women as the rulers of private and public life. There are many egalitarian societies, but no evidence of matriarchal ones

How do the Igbo men experience patrilineal societies?

They struggle to earn money, consumer items to help them. Without money Igbo men can’t have a masculine identity. They can’t do anything, take care of kids, build nice houses, clothes, etc.

Intersectionality

It occurs when different categories of inequality complicate experiences of inequality

Sojourner syndrome

When race, class, and gender change the way people experience oppression

Misogynoir

Coined by Moya Bailey, the intersection of racism and sexism