Chapter 6 Flashcards
what does the ambivalent sexism theory state?
that chivalry toward women constitutes a type of sexism (called benevolent sexism)
all known human societies have been patriarchal, what does that mean?
certain groups of men organize the society and control how it operates
what is a matriarchal society?
women organize the society and constitute the dominant group
what is the myth of matriatchy?
idea that dominant women governed early societies ancestral women ruled over peaceful, nature-loving societies and people worshipped goddesses over gods (many people believe this)
what is so special about bonobo chimpanzees?
they share about 99% of their genes with humans
what type of society do bonobo chimpanzees have?
dominant female apes govern bonobo groups
sexual (including some same sex sexual activity)
what are matrilineal societies?
trace descent through the mothers kinship line and pass inheritance down from mothers
what are patrilineal societies?
trace descent and pass inheritance through fathers
what is a matrilocal society?
a society in which husbands typically live near their wives families
what is a patrilocal society?
a society in which wives typically live near their husbands families
are matrilineal and matrilocal societies matriarchies?
no because women in these societies hold less overall political and decision making power than men
what is power?
the capacity to determine ones own and other peoples outcomes
what is structural power?
the power to shape societies and social systems (i.e. determining which groups of people have (or lack) access to resources, education, autonomy, jobs…)
patriarchal power is structural
what is dyadic power?
power to choose intimate partners and relationships and to control the interactions that occur within those relationships
who has dyadic power, men or women?
can be both
ex. women sometimes (depending on age, ethnicity, income) have more influence over private matters in relationships and the household
how does the sex ratio in a given environment influence levels of dyadic power that the sexes hold?
sex ratio theory: when men outnumber women, women should hold more dyadic power because they have a larger pool of potential partners and more alternatives to choose from if they grow dissatisfied with current partners (not always true)
how are structural and dyadic powers interconnected?
ex. womens levels of dyadic power impacting how much structural power they have
do all women experience increases in dyadic power when men outnumber them?
no
i.e. in india men outnumber women but women are at risk of bride purchase, partner violence and rape
what does it mean if theres a high sex ratio?
more men than women
what happens when women outnumber men?
men tend to have more dyadic power because they have a larger pool of potential mates
what does sex ratio theory say occurs when women outnumber men?
encourages male promiscuity
discourages male commitment (heterosexual marriage rates decline)
people marry later
divorce rates will climb
what are three different types of power?
force
resource control
cultural ideologies
what is force?
capacity to inflict physical or psychological harm
ex. domestic abuse, emotional abuse, rape, sexual harassment, murder, child abuse, slavery, human trafficking, imprisonment and capital punishment
what groups use force to exert power?
dominant groups
(men, to go against women)
(heterosexual and cisgender people to go against LGBTQ)
(white men against men of color)
what is resource control?
controlling the creation or distribution of essential and desirable goods (money, land, food)
how does resource control give power to dominant groups (i.e. men)?
having access to more resources correlates with safety, health, freedom and quality of life
white heterosexual men have more resource control than other groups, but what is one exception to this pattern?
custody following divorce
what are cultural ideologies?
sets of beliefs and assumptions about groups that explain and justify unequal social hierarchies (it represents reality the way dominant groups see it)
what are examples of group based power dominant groups? (dominant groups controlling cultural ideologies)
androcentrism
ethnocentrism
heterocentrism
what is androcentrism?
a cultural ideology that defines men and their experiences as universal and treats women and their experiences as deviations from the male norm
what is ethnocentrism?
tendency to view ones own culture as the universal standard and to judge other cultures as deviations from the norm
afghanistan doesnt have starbs so they must be poor
what is heterocentrism?
assumption that heterosexuality is the universal and that other sexualities are deviations from this norm
in respect to cultural ideologies how do subordinate groups feel?
allows them to accept their lower status
ex. heterosexual women accepting that her husbands status is above hers
what is privilege?
automatic, unearned advantages associated with belonging to a dominant group (privilege relates to power)
how can members of dominant groups create a bigger awareness for their privilege?
classroom discussions
when they have opportunities over time to interact positively with others from different backgrounds
what is the double jeopardy hypothesis?
hypothesis that individuals who belong to two or more subordinate groups face more discrimination that individuals who belong to only one subordinate group
ex. women of color
ex. women with disabilities
what is the intersectional invisibility hypothesis?
prediction that people with multiple subordinate identities are noticed less than those with one subordinate identity
what is known as the prototypical/ default sex
men
how are women prototypically viewed? what about gay men?
white and straight
white and male
(this is because prototypically if you are apart of a subordinate group, you are not apart of a second subordinate group)
how can invisibility serve as a protective function?
because non prototypical group members receive less notice and attention from others they can escape some discrimination
ex. black men experience higher rates of incarceration and employment bias than black women
why cant men be targets of sexism?
they have more structural power
what is sex based discrimination?
negative or unfair treatment based on sex