Sociology of Gender Lecture Notes

Housekeeping

  • Forming small groups:

    • Group choice activity on Moodle.

    • Each group should consist of a maximum of 4 to 5 people.

    • A "getting to know each other" activity will take place on Wednesday.

    • Students must join a group by Monday, January 19, when groups will meet for the first time.

    • Review of any course-related questions arising from the previous Wednesday's class.

Sociologically Defining Sex & Gender

  • Sex:

    • Definition: “the chromosomal, chemical, and anatomical organization of human bodies that determines biological maleness or femaleness” (Kimmel & Holler, 2011, p. 385).

  • Gender:

    • Definition: “the meanings attached to the anatomical differences between men and women, or, according to the feminist Joan Scott, ‘a way of referring to the social construction of the relationship between sexes’” (Kimmel & Holler, 2011, p. 391).

Important Concepts

  • Cisnormativity:

    • Definition: “a cultural and societal bias, often unconscious, that privileges cisgender identities and gender norms, and ignores or underrepresents trans identities and/or gender diversity by assuming that all people are cisgender and will express their gender in a way that aligns with perceived gender norms.”

    • Reference: Egale’s "Trans and Nonbinary Identities and Gender Diversity Terms and Concepts."

Defining Sex

  • Sex is defined based on various anatomical and biological attributes:

    • External genitalia

    • Secondary sex characteristics

    • Chromosomes

    • Hormone levels

    • Internal reproductive system

    • Choices for a baby’s sex are typically presented within a binary framework of either male or female.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

  • Definition: Traits that emerge from heredity and hormone levels, becoming evident during puberty, which include:

    • Variations in body hair, body fat distribution,

    • Hip and shoulder width,

    • Musculature,

    • Chest development.

  • These traits contribute to societal perceptions of an individual's gender.

  • Includes Libido: the sexual drive.

Differences of Sex Development (DSD)

  • Concept Overview:

    • Definitions of ‘male’ and ‘female’ should be understood as loose and overlapping categories.

    • Differences of Sex Development (DSD): umbrella term for individuals possessing anatomical, hormonal, or chromosomal characteristics commonly linked with multiple reproductive roles.

    • DSD was previously termed ‘disorders of sex development’ and is often referred to as ‘intersex conditions.’

Other Terms for People with DSD

  • Hermaphrodite/-dism:

    • An outdated term to describe those with DSD, now considered inappropriate.

  • Intersex:

    • Currently a commonly accepted term for individuals with DSD. Reference to a historical and artistic depiction is noted with the marble statue of Hermaphroditus from 2nd century A.D. Italy.

Fausto-Sterling & Clune-Taylor Contributions

  • “Disorders of Sex Development: De-Queering the ‘I’ in LGBTQI2-S” (2012)

    • Author: Catherine Clune-Taylor, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Duke University.

    • Website: https://www.clune-taylor.com/

  • “The Five Sexes, Revisited” (2000)

    • Author: Anne Fausto-Sterling, Professor Emerita of Biology and Gender Studies at Brown University.

    • Website: https://www.annefaustosterling.com/

Defining Gender

  • Gender can be articulated through various lenses:

    • As a set of social roles and expectations.

    • As a deeply felt internal sense of self.

    • As styles and methods of self-presentation and expression developed in response to societal norms.

  • The concepts of gender and sex are frequently conflated or confused.

Gender Roles, Norms, Stereotypes, and Intersecting Identities

  • Gender roles:

    • Cultural definitions of behavioral expectations assigned to individuals based on their perceived sex.

  • Intersecting identities:

    • Play a crucial role in shaping personal experiences and enactments of gender and gender roles, as well as expectations around such enactments.

Gender Identity

  • Gender identity:

    • A person's deeply felt understanding of their own gender.

    • It is inherently personal, complex, and influenced by the time and space context.

  • Cisgender:

    • Term for an individual whose gender identity corresponds with the sex assigned at birth.

  • Transgender (Trans):

    • Umbrella term encompassing individuals whose gender identity diverges from the sex assigned at birth.

Gender Identity & Expression

  • Types of identities include but are not limited to:

    • Nonbinary,

    • Third gender,

    • Gender variant,

    • Gender fluid,

    • Androgynous,

    • Agender,

    • Gender expansive,

    • Genderqueer,

    • Gender nonconforming,

    • Two-Spirit.

  • Gender expression:

    • Refers to a person's outward presentation in public, which covers:

    • Clothing and hairstyle.

    • Movements, gestures, mannerisms, and habits.

Creating Classroom Guidelines

  • Essential questions for students:

    • What do you require to feel comfortable in a classroom setting?

    • What measures foster your ability to engage in the learning environment?

Next Class: Wednesday, January 14

  • Topics to be covered:

    • Continued sociological definitions of sex and gender.

    • Reviewing Lindsey.

    • Engaging in further activities to get to know each other.