Sociological Perspectives on Gender and Society

Flashcards covering sociological perspectives on gender, the waves of feminism, types of societies, and core concepts related to sex, gender, and sexual orientation.

Structural Functionalism

A sociological perspective that views society as a system made up of interconnected parts, where each part has a specific function that contributes to the stability and order of society.

Conflict Theory

A sociological perspective that sees society as a place where different groups compete for power, resources, and opportunities, resulting in inequality and social conflict.

Symbolic Interactionism

A sociological perspective that explains how people develop their understanding of society, including gender, through everyday interactions, communication, and shared meanings.

Feminism

A movement that advocates for equal rights, opportunities, and treatment regardless of gender.

Legal rights

A period spanning from the late $1800s$ to the early $1900s$ focused on legal rights, including women's suffrage, the right to own property, and access to higher education.

Equality

A period spanning from the $1960s$ to the $1980s$ focused on achieving equal opportunities in work, education, and family life while challenging traditional gender roles.

Diversity and Identity

A period spanning from the $1990s$ to the $2000s$ that recognized women have different experiences based on race, culture, class, religion, disability, and sexual orientation.

Digital Activism and inclusion

A period from the $2010s$ to the present that uses technology and social media to advocate for gender equality and address modern issues affecting women and marginalized groups.

Patriarchy

A social system in which men generally hold more power, authority, and leadership than women.

Theory

An evidence-based explanation of why or how something happens.

Feminist Theory

An academic perspective that examines gender inequality, power, and the social experiences of women and other marginalized genders.

Standpoint Theory

A theory arguing that people's experiences and knowledge are shaped by their social position, such as their gender, race, class, or occupation.

Intersectionality Theory

A theory explaining that people may experience multiple forms of advantage or discrimination at the same time because of their overlapping identities.

Hunting and Gathering Society

Small, nomadic groups who survive by hunting wild animals, fishing, and gathering fruits and plants using simple tools.

Pastoral Society

A society where people raise and depend on domesticated animals for food, clothing, transportation, and trade.

Horticultural Society

A society where people grow crops using simple tools like hoes and digging sticks, leading to the beginning of permanent settlements.

Agricultural Society

A society where people rely on large-scale farming using advanced tools and animal labor, leading to permanent villages and food surpluses.

Industrial Society

A society where factories and machines become the main way of producing goods, characterized by urbanization and mass production.

Post-industrial Society

A society where knowledge, technology, and services become more important than manufacturing, characterized by digital technology and a highly educated workforce.

7 Spheres of Society

The components of society consisting of Family, Education, Economy, Politics/Government, Religion, Media, and Celebration.

Sexual Orientation

The enduring pattern of an individual's emotional, sexual, and/or romantic attraction.

Heterosexual

Being attracted to people of a different gender, also known as straight.

Homosexual

Being attracted to people of the same or similar gender, typically referred to as gay or lesbian.

Bisexual

Being attracted to more than one gender, including genders similar to and different from one's own.

Pansexual

An attraction based on the person rather than their gender identity, or being attracted to people regardless of their gender.

Asexual

Experiencing little to no sexual attraction to others, though still capable of forming romantic connections.

Demisexual

Experiencing sexual attraction only after forming a strong emotional connection or bond with someone.

Intersex

A person born with natural variations in biological characteristics, such as chromosomes or hormones, that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.

Gender

The socially constructed norms, roles, behaviors, and expectations that a culture associates with being a man or a woman.

Gender Identity

A person's self-identification as male or female or as something in between or outside of those categories.

Gender Expression

How a person presents their gender through outward traits like clothing, hairstyle, behavior, and voice.

Gender Roles

The expectations and norms that society assigns to people based on their perceived gender.

Gender Norms

The unwritten rules about how different genders are expected to think, behave, or appear.

Masculine

Outward presentations and behaviors culturally associated with being a man or boy.

Feminine

Outward presentations and behaviors culturally associated with being a woman or girl.

Androgynous

A presentation that blends both masculine and feminine traits, or falls in between the two, resulting in a gender-neutral aesthetic.

Cisgender

When a person's gender identity aligns exactly with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Transgender

An umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Non-binary

A term for people who do not identify strictly as male or female, identifying as both, in between, or a completely different gender.

Genderfluid

People whose gender identity shifts or fluctuates over time rather than remaining fixed.

Agender

People who do not identify with any gender or consider themselves to be genderless.