Sociology Exam 2

Sex

Socially agreed upon biological criteria for classifying persons as females and males

Gender

Social meanings of masculinity and femineity

Gender Identity

A sense of ourselves as women, men, nonbinary, etc.

Gender Socialization

the process through which individuals learn the gender norms of their society and come to develop a gender identity

Gender Norms

the set of rules for what is appropriately masculine and feminine behavior in a given culture

Sex Role Theory

early childhood socialization is an influential determinant of later behavior

Feminist Psychoanalytic analysis

gendered personalities developed as a result of exclusively female mothering

Doing Gender

conceptualizes gender not as an innate trait, but as a routine ongoing interactional accomplishment

Candace West and Don Zimmer

Developed the Doing Gender theory

Gendered institution

social structures where gender is used as an organizing principle, creating, maintaining, and reinforcing gender inequality

determining gender

the socially constructed roles, behavior, expressions, and identities, and societies assign to individuals, distinct from biological sex

Biology based determination of gender

refers to classifying humans into binary categories (male or female) based on chromosomes, hormones, genitalia

identity based determination of gender

gender is an internal, self-identified sense of self - man, woman, or nonbinary - rather than a fixed biological trait

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

a composite measure of an individuals or groups social standing and economic position, based on education, income, and occupation

social mobility

the movement of individuals, families, or groups between different social class positions within a stratification system, often measured by occupation, income or wealth

Social Class Persistence

the tendency of individuals to remain in the same social class as their parents, resulting in low intergenerational mobility and the reproduction of economic and social inequality over time

Wealth

the total value of all assets - including property, stocks, and savings - owned by an individual or house hold, minus any debts (net worth)

income

the total, regular flow of financial resources received from wages, salaries, investments, or government transfers, often measured for individuals or households over a specific period

tokenistic racial fallacy

states that the success or inclusion of a few people of color in position of power or influence proves that racial barriers no longer exist

individualist racial fallacy

the mistaken belief that racism consist only of intentional, malicious acts by individuals (prejudice/stereotypes), ignoring systematic, structural, or institutional racism

legalistic racial fallacy

the mistaken belief that abolishing racist laws automatically eliminates racism from society

ahistorical racial fallacy

the belief that United States History (specifically the long history of legal racial oppression) is irrelevant to modern race relations

fixed racial fallacy

the belief that racism is a static, unchanging entity, constant across time and space

Socially-imposed ethnicity

the external categorization of individuals into ethnic groups by dominant social, political, or institutional forces, rather than personal self-identification

symbolic ethnicity

an concept that ones ethnicity doesn’t have a social cost on thier life

individual level of racism

the prejudiced beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of individuals that support or perpetuate racism

organizational level of racism

the policies, practices, and procedures within specific organizations that produce racially inequitable outcomes, favoring white individuals while disadvantaging people of color

systemic level of racism

sociological concept defining how racism is deeply embedded within the policies, practices, and laws of institutions that produce unequal outcomes for people of color

De Jure Segregation

the legal separation of groups in society, enforced by government laws, regulations, or public policies

De facto Segregation

the separation of groups (typically racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic) that occurs "in fact" or reality, rather than by legal requirement

intersectionality

a sociological framework analyzing how multiple social identities—race, gender, class, sexuality, ability—intersect to create unique, interlocking systems of privilege or oppression