Gender and Sexuality
Chapter 8
Traditional Sex Roles
• Until fairly recently, the only socially desirable
roles open to women in society were that of wife,
mother and homemaker
• Betty Freidan and the “feminine mystique”- the
myth in society that a woman gains total
fulfillment out of the role of wife and mother
• There was a double standard in society in how
men and women were viewed and treated
» Outdated view of men and women
today
Traditional Sex Roles
• Hierarchy on how men and women have been
viewed and treated has been resistant to change in
society
» Function of culture and socialization
• Male and female differences are largely learned
through socialization
Gender Identity
and Sexual Orientation
• Gender Versus Sexual Identity
• Gender identity refers to one’s sense of maleness
or femaleness in society
» Formed by age three
» Important aspect of one’s self-concept
» Emerges as a significant aspect of
identity during adolescence
Gender Identity and Sexual
Orientation
• Gender Versus Sexual Identity
• Sexual identity refers to a sense of one’s
attractiveness to others comfort with one’s body
and sexual attitudes and feelings
• Sexual orientation-level of attraction to the same,
opposite, or both sexes
» Homosexual orientation
» Heterosexual orientation
» Bisexual orientation
Gender Identity
and Sexual Orientation
• Gender Versus Sexual Identity
• Human sexual development is ongoing
» Birth to death
• Influences on sexual development consist of
» Biological maturation and aging
» Stages of development from childhood
through old age
» Quality of social relationships through the
stages of development
• Transgendered and intersexual individuals are a diverse
group.
Homosexuality
• Homosexuality refers to the sexual preference for
members of one’s own sex
• Female homosexuals are called lesbians
• Alfred Kinsey and his pioneer research on human
sexuality
• Kinsey estimated the homosexual population at 10
percent of the population
• Current studies indicate it is around 1 to 4 percent
of the population
Homosexuality
• In American society, homosexuality has often
been regarded as:
» a sin
» a function of some form of physical
and mental pathology
Homosexuality
• Social- Scientific Perspectives
on Homosexuality
• During the early part of the twentieth century,
homosexuality was viewed as a form of social
pathology brought on by the effects of
urbanization and industrialization
» Homosexuality was an individual
response to the social disorganization
of the family
• Psychologists initially saw it as a illness
Homosexuality
• Alfred Kinsey’ s research and the normalization of
homosexual behavior
» Sexual feelings and behaviors towards
the same sex were not abnormal
» Researchers concluded that
homosexuals cannot be distinguished
from non-homosexuals in
psychological terms
• Thomas Szasz – Psychiatrists replaced the church
in labeling homosexuality an illness
Homosexuality
• Who Becomes a Gay or Lesbian?
• No direct link between genetic traits and
homosexuality
• Large portion of homosexuals attribute their
orientation to early childhood
» Homosexuals tend to support the
biological explanation
Homosexuality
• Who Becomes a Homosexual?
• Social scientists largely attribute homosexuality to
one’s social environment
• Sexual behavior is learned
• There are certain common situations in the
histories of homosexuals
» Dominant or seductive mother and
weak and detached or overly critical
father
Homosexuality
• Who Becomes a Homosexual?
• Homosexuality as a process of labeling that
involves four stages
• 1. Sensitization
• 2. Dissociation and significance
• 3. Coming out
• 4. Commitment
Homosexuality
• Lesbianism
• Differences in the way male and female
homosexuals manage homosexuality
• Function of differences in gender socialization
» First sexual experience is more likely to
occur later and stem out of emotional
involvement
» Female homosexuals have a lower level
of sexual activity
» Female homosexuals are more likely to
stay with their partners for a longer
time
Homosexuality
• The Gay Subculture
• The gay subculture consists of the institutions
within the gay community
» Gay magazines and periodicals
» Bars
» Parks
» Movie theaters
» Public bathhouses
» Businesses
» Social clubs and organizations
Homosexuality
• The Gay Subculture
• A major function of the subculture is that it
provides a way for its members to understand and
accept their orientation
• Homosexual organizations and the pursuit of
political rights
Sexism and Gender Inequality
• Sexism refers to the range of attitudes, beliefs,
policies, laws and behaviors that discriminate on
the basis of gender
• Power and Male Hegemony
• Male hegemony refers to the political and
ideological domination of woman in society
Sexism and Gender Inequality
• Power and Male Hegemony
• Males have greater access to:
» Cultural prestige
» Political authority
» Corporate power
» Wealth
» Material comforts
• Ideology plays a role in legitimizing male
hegemony
Sexism and Gender Inequality
• Stereotyping
• Stereotypes are a source of prejudice and
discrimination
» Feminine mystique
» Masculine mystique
• Stereotypes often place limits on us
Sexism and Gender Inequality
• Sexism and Employment
• Women are concentrated in lower status jobs with less pay
– unequal pay for equal work
• Difference in income is largely a function of
» Women are concentrated in low paying
occupations
» Years of work experience – women are more
likely to have interruption in their work
histories
» Hiring and promotion practices
» For minority women, there is even a larger
wage gap
Sexism and Gender Inequality
• Sexual Harassment
• There has been a lot of controversy on what is
sexual harassment
» From annoying behaviors to serious
forms of sexual assault
• Sexual harassment is any form of sexual
innuendoes to behaviors that adversely affect
one’s employment
Sexism and Gender Inequality
• Sexual Harassment
• Sexual harassment is a growing problem in
schools
» The results of a recent survey found
that 83 percent of girls and 79 percent
of boys have been harassed
Sexism and Gender Inequality
• Homemaking
• Sex roles in homemaking have been changing
• Women still continue to bear the primary
responsibility for homemaking
• Husbands and fathers with working wives that
support non-traditional roles are taking on a larger
share of homemaking responsibilities
Sources of Sexism
• Socialization is the process by which we learn to
act according to our culture and group norms in
society
• Sources of socialization are
» Interaction with others
» Schools
» Work
» Popular media
Sources of Sexism
• Education
• Sexism in schools focuses on
» Female achievement
» Girl’s sports
» More involvement in school politics
• Gender gap in higher education and in certain
disciplines is narrowing but still persists today
Sources of Sexism
• Education
• Research results on sexism in school
» Teachers pay less attention to girls
than boys
» Girls lag behind in math and science
scores
» Girls tend not to choose careers in
math and science
» Sexual harassment
Sources of Sexism
• Education
• Research results on sexism in school
» Textbooks and gender stereotypes still
persist
» Biased tests
» Ignoring other minority girls
• School counselors channeling girls into sex typed
occupations
Sources of Sexism
• The Family
• The role of wife and mother has been a
subordinate role in society
• Increase in working wives and moms and the
juggling of work and family
Sources of Sexism
• Language and the Media
• Language often reinforces traditional sex role
stereotypes
• Media portrays men and women in traditional
roles
• Organized Religion
• Religion has reinforced secular traditions and
gender roles
» Religion has been male dominated
Sources of Sexism
• Organized Religion
• In the last few decades some religions have begun
to ordain women as ministers
» Episcopalians
» Presbyterians
» Reformed Jews
Sources of Sexism
• Government
• The 1964 Civil Rights Act
• Government employment was excluded from the
act
• The Legal System
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and
job discrimination
• Legal protection against sexual harassment
Sources of Sexism
• The Legal System
• Legal access to loans and credit
Sources of Homophobia
• Homophobia refers to fear and dislike of anything
associated with homosexuality
• Homophobia is associated with
» Male gender identity
» Distorted notions of masculinity
• Recent research shows an increase in tolerance
toward homosexuals
• Tolerance has been in part a function of a political
movement on behalf of gays
Social Policy
• The Women’s Movement
• Women’s Movement was officially founded in the
United States in 1848
• Seneca convention and the women’s rights
movement
• Right to vote in the 1920s
• Civil Rights act of 1964
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Social Policy
• The Women’s Movement
• National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971
Social Policy
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Changes in Child-Rearing Practices
Increase the role of fathers in child-rearing
Family and parental leave act
Affordable child care
Changes in the Educational System
Teacher training of gender issues in education
Greater access and equality for women in
education
Social Policy
• Changes in the Legal System
• More enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination
• Comparable worth - equal pay for comparable
jobs
• Reproductive Control
• Abortion rights
• Reproductive education and access to birth control
• Changes in Men’s Roles
Social Policy
• Gay Rights
• Legislation protecting the rights of gays
» Same-sex marriages
» Gays in the military
» Custody of children in same sex
households
» Right to privacy
• AIDS research and treatment
Social Policy
• Future Prospects
• In coming years, the women’s movement is
likely to focus on single-parent families and,
within this group, the special needs of lowincome, female-headed families.
• Another area in which policy changes are
likely is same-sex marriage.