Kimmel, Chapter One
• Why does every society differentiate people
on the basis of gender?
– 摩梭 (Mosuo)
• Why in almost every society does male
dominance (patriarchy) become the power
system?
Mosuo, a Matriarchal Culture
Three Theories
• Kimmel describes three theories, used for the past
40 years, to explain gender differences
– Interplanetary theory: men and women are different
(and opposite). (nature + nurture)
– Nature
• M and W differ biologically
• Reproductive anatomies, brain structures, muscles, hormones,
etc., are different
• There are differences, but Kimmel says, “more differences
exist among men and among women than between m and w.”
• Sex, ascribed social status
• Mars and Venus, Roman Statues
Nature theories cannot explain historic male domination
– Nurture
• People who see the difference between m and w as
social, not biological, study gender
– Gender, influence of society, an achieved social status; one
learns gender from his/her culture through socialization
– Gender changes through time, refers to behavior; we play-act
feminine or masculine.
– Gender varies cross-culturally; more difference culturally than
m and w universally
– Kimmel sees all of these theories as flawed and
believes that perceptions of difference cause
domination and inequality
Kimmel’s Theses
More differences among men and among
women (among people, really) than
between men and women
Gender varies cross-culturally
Inequalities cause differences
– Inequalities are due to social class and social
position
Gender differences are the product of gender
inequalities
Visibility
Masculinity is
often invisible
within patriarchal
societies
Power and
privilege are
invisible to those
who have them
Perspective and audience influence perception
Masculinity
• Becomes invisible
– Generic standard of a person used to measure
social life
– Invisibility provides status and privilege to
white men
Invisibility
• Those with power and privilege do
not recognize it
– Fish does not notice the water in a fish
bowl
– US Citizens and post 9/11 patriotism
• Invisibility goes unnoticed,
although we measure things against it,
so things we think are gender neutral
aren’t
IVCC Professors
The average person
would likely
interpret this as a fair
scale because all
IVCC faculty
members are judged
by the same
standards.
Kimmel shows that
the system, itself, is
blind to differences
of male and female
experience—that,
indeed, the standards
may be based on
traditional maleprivileged, and not
“objective,” criteria.
Cultural Rules
• Based on masculine standard
– Pregnancy policies
• Wendy Kaminer
http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/7/kaminerw.html
• Anne Crittenden
http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/8/crittendena.html
Current Debate
• Kimmel says we are “At this moment,
having a national debate about masculinity
in this country—but we don’t know it”
• Not just masculinity is at debate but the
nature of nature vs. nurture is up for debate
– Same sex marriage and sexuality
– War records and sensitivity issues
The Plural and the Powerful
• Kimmel explains that gender isn’t an
accurate or explicit term because there are
multiple masculinities and femininities
– Gender varies cross-culturally
– Gender varies over historical time
– Gender varies among men and women within
any one culture
– Gender varies across the span of an individual
human life
• Ruth Useem and Positionality
–
–
–
–
F1
F2
F3
F4
Princess Diana
Julia Roberts
Us
Homeless person
– M1
– M2
– M3
– M4
Prince Charles
Heath Ledger
Us
Homeless person
Note that “us” still overlooks the complexity of our
differences and similarities
• Can we even speak about gender differences
when there are so many differences among
women themselves (and men themselves)
and so many similarities between men and
women?
• Categories are socially constructed
– Checking an M or F on a form doesn’t
represent reality. M and F are pluralized terms.
More Alike than Different
• Most research shows that women and men
are more alike than they are different
– Kimmel: “Women and men are not from Venus
and Mars, but are both from planet Earth.
We’re not opposite sexes, but neighboring
sexes—we have far more in common with each
other than we have differences.”