final- social construction of gender

Question 1

sex vs. gender

Answer 1

• sex: ascribed characteristic; treated as a biological category, based on observable morphological traits (genitalia, facial features, body size)
• gender: ascribed and achieved characteristic; treated as a social category, maps social roles, rewards, duties and characteristics based on sex categories

Question 2

define gender as a social institution

Answer 2

• gender predates our entrance into the social world
• it has a recognizable pattern that is enforced
• it systematically motivates certain behaviors and constrains others
• it organizes social relations with one another
• it is tied to many other social institutions (work and education)

Question 3

define performing gender

Answer 3

• the idea that gender is something inscribed in daily practices, learned and performed based on cultural norms of femininity and masculinity.

Question 4

define biological dimorphism

Answer 4

• sex differences in size, color, patterning. Compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, humans are not that biologically dimorphic

Question 5

define gender as a social status

Answer 5

• gender as a form of status is not fixed (ex: queen elizabeth II was made into an honorary man in saudi arabia; albania’s sworn virgins: women who become honorary men and are treated as such)
• gender is a hierarchical status system
• gender is cultural

Question 6

what is the main argument of Fausto-Sterling’s Dynamic Systems Theory of biology and culture?

Answer 6

• that biology and culture are interconnected and should not be viewed as separate entities.
• the need to understand how social systems influence biological processes, such as bone development, throughout an individual’s life will help create a more comprehensive understanding of health, behavior, and gender

Question 7

what is the lesson of osteoarthritis in Fausto-Sterling’s Dynamic Systems Theory of biology and culture?

Answer 7

• demonstrates the interconnectedness of biology and culture in osteoporosis is the discussion around the frequency of osteoporosis in women compared to men
• osteoporosis occurs four times more frequently in women than in men depends on various factors such as how osteoporosis is defined, the populations studied, and the life cycle stages compared