Sociology of Gender Study Notes

Sex: A biological term for ascribed physical differences between males and females; serves as a major organizing principle and basis for stratification.
Intersexed: Individuals with ambiguous genitalia, making sex assignment difficult.
Gender: Socially constructed notions of masculinity and femininity.
Gender Identity: How individuals form identity using gender categories.
Gender Expression: How individuals express themselves via appearance, dress, and behavior.
Gender Roles: Tasks or behaviors assigned to sex-determined statuses.
Transgender: Identity of someone challenging the gender assigned at birth.
Sexuality: Socially constructed meanings of bodily experiences and relations.

Definition: The process of learning cultural norms and behaviors appropriate to one's gender.
Sanctions: Rewards for proper gender behavior and punishments for improper behavior.
Agents of Socialization: - Infancy/Childhood: Family and parents. - Later Life (Meso-level): Corporations, mass media, educational systems, and religious beliefs.
Cultural Concepts: Includes heteronormativity, heterosexism, and homophobia.

Symbolic Interactionism (Micro-level): Gender is socially constructed and actively "done" in everyday interaction; physical sex differences serve as symbols for differentiating rights and rewards.
Structural-functionalism (Meso/Macro-level): Proposed by Talcott Parsons; suggests different but complementary roles: - Expressive: Female, private sphere. - Instrumental: Male, public sphere.
Conflict Theory (Meso/Macro-level): Views males as "haves" and women as "have nots"; men maintain subordinate roles for women to protect their own privilege.
Feminist Theory (Micro to Macro-level): Focuses on Patriarchy (male dominance) as the primary cause of women's oppression, looking at how class, race, and gender intersect.

Gender Inequalities: Persist in families (childcare), schools (higher education), and the workplace (wage gap).
Social Consequences: Includes violence against women and bias in perceived leadership qualities in business and politics.
Intersectionality: The analysis of race, class, and gender as interlocking and mutually reinforcing dimensions of social inequality.

Social Construct: Gender shapes everything from interpersonal relationships to societal institutions.
Path to Equality: Involves both individual agency and structural change.
Judith Lorber (1994): Argues true equality is only possible when gender is no longer used as a basis for dividing the world.