Intro to Sociology Quiz 4 (Units 8-9)

gender

• a form of social differentiation; refers to the sociocultural distinction between males and females

• a socially constructed framework that humans have created to make sense of and deal with the sex difference

sex

• refers to whether one is genetically male or female and determines the biological role one will play in production

• women: ovulate, carry a fetus until delivery, provide it with milk after birth

• men: have the ability to produce and transmit sperm

theories of gender identity acquisition

• cultural transmission theory: parents, teachers, and other adults shape a child’s behavior by reinforcing responses that are deemed as appropriate to the child’s gender role and discouraging inappropriate ones

• cognitive development theory: once children identify themselves as males or females, they want to adopt behaviors consistent with their newly discovered status

glass ceilings

a set of invisible barriers that prevent women from advancing

glass walls

barriers that prevent women from moving laterally in positions and thereby gaining the experience they need to advance vertically (ex. major obstacle for women is insufficient work experience)

conflict perspective (gender inequality)

• gender inequality exists because of male dominance

• sexual division of labor is a social vehicle devised by men to ensure themselves for privilege, prestige, and power in their relationship to women

• by relegating women to the home, men have been able to deny women resources needed to succeed in the world

interactionist perspective (gender inequality)

• cultural meanings, including those that give rise to gender inequality, are continuously emerging and changing through social interaction

• people can intentionally change the structure of gender differentiation and inequality by changing the meanings that underlie them

functionalist/social order perspective (gender inequality)

• suggests that a division of labor originally arose between men and women because of a woman’s role in reproduction

• men are instrumental leaders while women are expressive leaders

• idealized structure makes men more powerful and women relatively powerless and dependent on men; functionalism is a powerful justification for gender inequality

feminist perspective

• feminism is an evolving set of perspectives

• women are disadvantaged because society is patriarchal

• the assignment of gender differences is socially costly and repressive

• everyday interactions between men and women recreate and support the gender system

amount (in cents) that women full-time earned for each dollar earned by men

women employed full-time in 2010 earned 81.2 cents for each dollar earned by men

the second shift

working moms with children who perceive their home life as a “second shift”

findings of second shift article

• even when the work was shared, wives felt more responsible for home and children

• men have more control over when they make their contributions; ex. childcare is daily while changing oil is every six months

• women multitask more while men do more leisurely or fun activities with the children

importance of pronouns

useful to avoid clunky phrasing; you can’t tell what pronouns a person uses just by how they look

cisgender

a person who identifies as the gender that they were assigned at birth

transgender

an umbrella term for those individuals whose current gender identity does not match with that assigned for their physical sex. Includes, among others, transsexuals, genderqueer people, crossdressers, and anyone whose behavior or identity falls outside of stereotypical expectations for their gender

genderfluid

a person whose gender identity may change over time; they may identify as different specific genders from time to time or as a combination of genders

emergent norm theory

crowd members evolve new standards for behavior in a crowd setting and then enforce the expectations in the manner of norms

collective behavior

ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that develop among a large number of people that are relatively spontaneous and unstructured

definition of social change

• the fundamental alterations in the patterns of culture, structure, and social behavior over time

• a process where society becomes something different while remaining in some respects the same

convergence theory

stating that a crowd consists of a highly unrepresentative body of people who assemble because they share the same predispositions

contagion theory

• emphasizes the part that rapidly communicated and uncritically accepted feelings, attitudes, and actions played in crowd settings

• crowd members seem to act in identical ways and are dominated by a similar impulse

sources of social change

• physical environment

• population

• clashes over resources and values

• supporting values and norms

• innovation/diffusion

• mass media

different types of social movements

• revolutionary

• reform

• resistance

• expressive

what research shows about GenXers, Millennials, and Baby Boomers

• college-aged GenXers and Millennials were more interested in money, image, and fame compared to college-aged Baby Boomers

• concern for others, interest in social problems, political participation, and willingness to take action to save energy and to help the environment all declined across these generations

the song/artist we analyzed during social change unit

7000 Miles by Ruby Ibarra

SOTDs

misc/funny slides

social movements/revolutions

vehicles whereby people collectively seek to influence the course of human events through formal organizations

why a social revolution occurs

• a good deal of political power is concentrated in the state

• the military is no longer a reliable tool for suppressing domestic disorders

• political crises weaken the existing regime

• a substantial segment of the population mobilizes in uprisings