Gender identity

Question 1

sex

Answer 1

term used to classify people as being male or female based on their biological or physical charactertistics

nature

Question 2

gender

Answer 2

term used to describe the ways in which men and women are expected to behave in society and is often socially constructed as part of the socialisation process

nurture

Question 3

functionalists see that gender is …

Answer 3

biologically determined

Question 4

Parsons (a functionalist)

Answer 4

‘sex role differentiation theory’

• men are best suited to perform an instrumental/breadwinners role
• women are best suited to perform an expressive role

Question 5

Mead

Answer 5

would counter argue the view that gender roles are biologically determined as she would argue that they are learnt through socialisation

Question 6

feminists

Answer 6

patriarchy socially constructs identity and a male dominated society creates and reinforces stereotypes of how men and women should be via the socialisation process

• Oakly
• Skelton +Francis
• Lees

Question 7

Mac an Ghaill

Answer 7

explored how boys learnt to be men in their peer group. Gender power, based on ‘hypermasculinity’, wwas the main source of identity for the ‘macho lads’ who valued the 3F’s (fighting, football and f*ing)

Question 8

Postmodernists such as Stanley and Wise

Answer 8

gender identity is socially constructed, partly through the socialisation process, but also as a result of the decisions and choices we make ourselves, the way in which we exercise agency

Question 9

types of masculinity

Answer 9

• hegemonic
• marginalised
• complicit
• subordinate
• metrosexual

Question 10

types of femininity

Answer 10

• passive
• assertive

Question 11

like a girl- Sharpe

Answer 11

interviewed working class young women about their priorities and compared their attitudes in 1970 and 1990

priorities in 1970:
- love
- marriage ect

priorities in 1990:
- job
- career ect

in 1970, 67% wanted to leave school at 16 but in 1990 67% wanted to stay until 18

1970- 37% of workforce was female
1990- around half

this study shows evidence towards changing gender roles

Question 12

changes in the law

Answer 12

• divorce reform act
• sex discrimination act
• equal pay act
• equality act 2010

Question 13

a crisis for male + female identity?
Faludi

Answer 13

she discussed the reaction of patriarchal society and aims to undermine the success of feminism

independant and successful women were judged blamed for a range of social problems

male backlash as male dominance was questioned

Question 14

Hakim- post feminism

Answer 14

• not all women are disadvantaged
• women have more choice

3 prefered lifestyles
- home centred
- adaptive
- work centred

Question 15

Seildler

Answer 15

Asian girls adopted different types of femininity within the home than they do outside of the home as they do not want to go against izzat

Question 16

the biological view - Wilson

Answer 16

• the need to reproduce requires men to be more promiscuous
• women need to nurture one child and stay faithful to the father to ensure his help in upbringing

Question 17

Oakley - gender role socialisation theory

Answer 17

Gender roles are socialised by families in 4 ways:
- manipulation (encouraging stereotypical behaviour)
- canalisation (using gendered toys)
- verbal appellation (gendered nicknames)
- different activities (girls and baking, boys and fighting)

Question 18

Hey - teenage girls friendship groups

Answer 18

• norms of female peer group are deeply rooted in patriarchy
• power of female peer group

Question 19

campaigns relating to self-confidence in young girls

Answer 19

• ‘Run like a girl’ - Procter and Gamble aimed to challenge this stereotype and make it a postive thing
• ‘Ban Bossy’ - girls shouldnt be branded as bossy because it sends a message to not speak up

Question 20

Jackson

changing female identities

Answer 20

• ladettes spent time drinking, smoking, swearing and disrupting lessons
• fear of being seen as ‘uncool’ and unpopular

Question 21

Denscombe

changing female identities

Answer 21

increase in female risk-taking behaviour, particularly smoking, as being related to a ‘ladette’ culture, where the woman wants to be seen as anything but the stereotype of a woman

Question 22

Connell

Answer 22

• range of masculine identities
• hegemonic mascuinity (macho, dominant) is most common and reinforced
• other forms include: subordinate masculinity (homosexuals) and marginalised masculinity (unemployed)

Question 23

Mac an Ghail - crisis of masculinity

Answer 23

• describes insecurity felt by working class men today
• loss of the ‘breadwinner role’
• decline in traditional male industries like mining

Question 24

Canaan - w/c men in Wolverhampton

Answer 24

• interesting differences in views of masculinity between employed and unemployed men
• when asked what the most important thing about being a man is the employed answered with: fighting and drinking
• the unemployed answered having a job, and that they felt emasculated by their unemployment