Lesson 1: Sociological
Constructs and
Theories
Introduction to Women’s Studies
Robert Wonser
Sociological Imagination
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C Wright Mills’ term for the ability to shift your
perspective from one that emphasizes the
experiences of the individual to one that
understands the broader social context in which
that individual lives.
It is an awareness that we are a part of
something larger than ourselves and that our
position and personal problems are rooted in the
larger workings of society.
Personal troubles versus public issues
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Using the Sociological Perspective
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In small groups:
How would you explain the following social
problems using the sociological imagination?
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Obesity
Homelessness/Poverty
Unemployment
Marriage
The metropolis
War
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Structural Functionalism
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Society is viewed as an ordered system of
interrelated parts, or structures, which are the
different large-scale social institutions that make
up society (family, education, politics, the
economy).
Each of these different parts of society meets
the needs of society by performing specific
functions for the whole system (society).
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Functionalists on Gender
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Believe that there are social roles better
suited to one gender than the other, and
that societies are more stable when
certain tasks are fulfilled by the
appropriate sex.
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Conflict Theory
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Conflict Theory sees social conflict as the
basis of society and social change, and
emphasizes a materialist view of society, a
critical view of the status quo, and a
dynamic model of historical change,
emerged from the writings of Marx.
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Conflict Theorists
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Power is a key variable for conflict
theorists.
 Believe
men have historically had access to
most of society’s material resources and
privileges.
 Therefore, it is in their interest to try to
maintain their dominant position.
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Symbolic Interactionism
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Symbolic Interactionism sees interaction and
meaning as central to society and assumes that
meanings are not inherent but are created
through interaction.
 Society
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is symbolic interaction.
We create reality through our interactions with
one another and through shared meanings
made possible through language
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Symbolic Interactionism
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Symbolic
Interactionists
emphasize how the
concept of gender is
socially constructed,
maintained, and
reproduced in our
everyday lives.
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Feminist Theory
Feminist Theory looks at gender
inequalities in society and the way that
gender structures the social world.
 Standpoint the idea that a person’s
location in the social world impacts how
they see, understand and interact in the
social world.

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Research Methods
Two types used:
 Qualitative – used for data that cannot be
easily converted into numbers, yields
greater validity but lower reliability,
exposes populations not easily discovered
 Quantitative – data that can easily be
converted into numbers, representative,
greater reliability but lower validity
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Quantitative Research Methods
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Surveys are questionnaires that are
administered to a sample of respondents
selected from a target population.
Survey research tends to look at large-scale
social patterns and employs statistics and other
mathematical means of analysis.
Most commonly used research method in
sociology!
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Quantitative Research Methods
Experiments are formal tests of specific
variables and effects that are performed in
a controlled setting where all aspects of
the situation can be controlled.
 Used to demonstrate cause and effect
 Least commonly used method in sociology
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Qualitative Research Methods
Ethnography a naturalistic method based
on studying people in their own
environment in order to understand the
meanings they attribute to their activities.
 In participant observation the researcher
both observes and becomes a member in
a social setting.
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Qualitative Research Methods
Historical/Comparative
 Comparing one society to another
 Looking at historical trends over time
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Female Baby Names (1880 - 2010)
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Names that have gained
the most popularity,
2004 – 2010
...Or, the names I’ll begin seeing all
the time in 2022-2028
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Sociological Understandings
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To understand something sociologically is not
easy.
It requires a conscious effort to ‘see things
differently’
It requires you to look beyond your immediate
self and your experiences.
It requires you to look at society and the big
picture instead of only your life experiences.
 Why
is this necessary?
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It’s easy to pick out
individual experiences
that contradict the
majority of cases…
This does not undermine
the larger point.
For example: as a group
males are taller than
females, even though
there are individual
females taller than
individual males.
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Matriarchy
Matriarchy – when society (or any social
group or institution) is dominated by
women.
 Is the U.S. a matriarchal society?
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Patriarchy
Patriarchy – when society (or any social
group or institution) is dominated by men.
 Is the U.S. a patriarchal society?

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Historical and Philosophical Roots
of Women's Studies
Like most social change, women’s rights
were achieved (and continue to be)
through collective action (this includes
organized social movements as well).
 These movements have been classified
into ‘waves’
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Feminism and the Women’s
Movement
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Who considers themselves to be a feminist?
Do you know what feminism is?
Feminism is the belief in the social, political,
and economic equality of the sexes and the
social movements organized around that belief.
In the United States, the history of the women’s
movement can be divided into three historical
waves.
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The Women’s Movement (cont’d)
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The first wave was the earliest period of
feminist activism and included the period
from the mid-nineteenth century until
American women won the right to vote in
1920. The campaign organized around
gaining voting rights for women was
called the suffrage movement.
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The Women’s Movement (cont’d)
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The second wave was the period of
feminist activity during the 1960s and
1970s often associated with the issues of
women’s equal access to employment
and education.
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The Women’s Movement (cont’d)
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The third wave is the most recent period of
feminist activity and focuses on issues of
diversity and the variety of identities that
women can possess.
Looks at (or attempts to) all women accounting
for race/ethnicity, class, sexuality differences
noting that not all women benefit/are harmed in
the same manner.
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Cultural Backlash
Why did so few of you consider yourselves
‘feminist’?
 One area of backlash manifested in the
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men’s movement, called male liberationism,
was a movement that originated in the 1970s
to discuss the challenges of masculinity.
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The Men’s Movement
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Although originally broadly sympathetic with
feminism, the men’s movement has now split
into:
The men’s rights movement, a group that
feels that feminism creates disadvantages for
men
The pro-feminist men’s movement, a group
that feels that sexism harms both men and
women and wants to fundamentally change
society’s ideas about gender.
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