Chapter 5

Summary:
Chapter 5 covers the concepts different concepts of sex and gender, and what implications they may have for a person throughout his or her life.
Gender/Sex Terms
Benokraitis starts this section by pointing out what is meant by the terms gender and sex. Sex is understood as a biological entity; it dictates one's chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy, among other things. Gender, on the other hand, is a cultural and social construct (like race); it consists of the learned behaviors and attitudes attributed to people of one or the other sex. The author goes on to define other other terms in this section. She notes that humans develop a gender identity which allows them to see themselves as masculine, feminine, or somewhere in between, and generally is chosen based on a person's biological sex. This identity is established early in life and tends not to change too drastically throughout life. Gender roles, in contrast, tell the expected attitudes, feelings, characteristics, and behaviors of males and females in a given society. Since they are learned, rather than being inherent characteristics, these gender roles can--and have--changed over time. People's roles are considered gendered, meaning the practice of treating and evaluating males and females differently based solely on their sex. Gender stereotypes still persist in society; they are assumptions made about how people will think, look, act, and feel according to their sex.
Nature vs. Nurture
There are people who argue fervently that either biology or nurture plays the biggest role in determining human behavior. Those on the nature side of the fence point to sex hormones, unsuccessful sex reassignment surgeries, and health differences between the sexes as evidence to support their claim. Varying hormones levels affect which diseases a person (based on his or her sex) is more likely to get. Other health differences between the sexes include different proficiencies in sense perception, and greater susceptibility to getting certain problems (e.g. depression for women, and skin cancer for men). As a final example from the 'nature' side, the book offers the story of a biological male whose sex was reassigned, but proved to be (tragically) unsuccessful. Those who believe that nurture is the greater indicator of behavior note international differences in male violence rates, global variations in gender roles, and sex reassignment surgeries that are successful. This part of the chapter concludes with these bits of information: 1) men and women do show some genetic differences based on their sex; 2) looking at cross-cultural research, one can see that the characteristics ascribed to men and women can differ greatly; and 3) (probably most important) nature and nurture interact to serve as the basis for human behavior.
Differences in gender roles
It has been shown that gender roles tend to change as our lives progress. Benokratis details five theories that attempt to show why these changes occur. Like some of the theories mentioned in previous chapters, they include: cognitive development theory; sociobiology; feminist theories; social learning theory; and symbolic interaction theories. The author goes on to write that we learn gender roles from multiple sources, chief among them parents, books, teachers, peers, and popular culture. Parents, who provide the first instances of socialization for a child, help with talking, providing life opportunities, and setting expectations. A child uses peers and play to improve their social skills further. Throughout the school years, teachers, guidance counselors, and course selection all play a part in affecting one's life. The media, such as newspapers, magazines, advertising, and electronic mediums can all leave a mark on people's development, too.
Traditional (gender) roles
in this section of chapter five, the author talks about traditional views and gender roles. historically, men played instrumental roles, wherein they proved themselves as protectors, providers, and procreators. Women took on expressive roles, where they served as 'kin-keepers' and provided emotional support, among other things. The positive side of these roles is that they provide continuity, stability, and predictability. One of the major issues with trying to maintain the traditional role is that it can put undue stress on either, or both, parties. In terms of gender roles in adulthood, many women have to work the second shift, meaning that after returning from their place of work outside of the home, they return to their residence to do domestic work. As many women often do more of the housework, they tend to be more stressed than their male counterparts. They also make more household decisions, such as doing household finances and TV watching. On a positive note, fathers today are making strides in spending more time with their children. In the workplace, too, there is room for more improvement in the gender equality category; unfortunately, sexual harassment and gender discrimination still persist. Men lag behind women in pursuing education and following religion, but in the U.S., they far outnumber women in politics. The author argues that men and women are more similar than different in their interactions, and that androgyny (or, blending both masculine and feminine characteristics into one person) may help to alleviate gender role issues. Benokraitis ends the chapter by describing the differences in gender roles globally. She lists countries and their varying degrees of equality for the sexes. It is split into five categories, from most to least equity: 1) top ten countries (e.g. Norway, Ireland); 2) high-rank (e.g. U.S., Australia); 3) middle-rank (e.g countries in Central and South America); 4) low-rank (e.g. Somalia and Palestine); and finally 5) bottom ten (e.g. Saudi Arabia and Chad).

Interesting info:
I was somewhat surprised to learn that males make up more than half of all American actors; there are, after all, more female adults in the country, and I always thought of the acting industry (at least within the last few decades) as more of a female-oriented field.

Question:
The book mentions that Norway is a country where women are the 'last hired, first fired' group, receive less pay than men, and are kept out of the top jobs. It later goes on to say that Norway tops the world in equality for women (according to the GGGI). What do you think of this; is it just showing the sad state of affairs that even the country with the most equity for the sexes still has elements of sexism, or is the job issue just one spot marring an otherwise equitable nation? Is it something else entirely, perhaps?