Chapter 5

Summary:

In Chapter 5 we learned about:

Sex and gender are not interchangeable terms.

- Sex is the biological characteristics that one is born: our chromosomal, anatomical, hormonal, and other physical and physiological characteristics.

Ex: if we are able to have children

- Gender refers to learned characteristics and behaviors that distinguish ones sex.

Ex: shopping for baby clothes. Most of the clothes are pink for girls and blue for boys.

- The difference in the way men and women express their emotions is that men prefer to be more silent about their feelings, and women express their emotions more candidly.

Gender Roles are:

- Characteristics, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that society anticipates of a male or female.

Nature-Nurture Debate:

- Men and women view some sex-related genetic differences
- Cross-cultural research shows large amounts in the characteristics that are normally attributed to men and women
- Nature and nurture interact to imply our behavior

Why our Gender Roles Differ:

- Gender roles change throughout our life time
- 5 most common explanations for gender role change:

• Sociobiology
• Social learning
• Cognitive development
• Symbolic interaction
• Feminist theories

How we Learn Gender Roles:

- Parents/caregivers
- Teachers
- Peers
- Books
- Popular culture

Instrumental Roles (husbands and fathers):

-“Real men”- which is a protector, procreator, and a provider

Expressive Roles (wives and mothers):

- Provides emotional support
- Provides nurturing qualities that maintains the family
- Supports the husband/father

Benefits of the Traditional Gender Roles:

- Provides stability
- Continuity
- Predictability

Costs of the Traditional Gender Roles:

- The father feels overwhelmed with his responsibilities and maybe unhappy with his life
- Wife may feel little relief from her long list of tasks

Why Traditional Gender Roles Persists:

- Religious beliefs
- Cultural values
- Socialization
- Gender roles may provide a sense of accomplishment in meeting families needs

Gender and Politics:

- Women are less likely to get support to run for political office than men

Interests/ Unusual Items Learned:

Chapter 5 really opened my eyes on how women are still getting treated unfairly in different countries around the world. There is a chart on page 111 in our book that describes briefly how women are treated in different countries.


Discussion:

Chapter 5 is interesting because it opened my eyes to subjects that I knew little about. In a sense, I felt that women have moved forward, until I read chapter 5.

After I read and reviewed the chart on page 111, I couldn’t believe that women in other countries have extremely strict laws that they have to follow. If the women do not follow the “rules”, they can get executed.

Besides the laws, it disheartens me to think that the comments men made just a few years ago about women (page 121, 126) are very cruel and demeaning. I am interested to hear some other points of view on this topic.

Natalie Sebula