Chapter 2: Gender Identity

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Sex/Gender System  Organizing society in a way such that men and women are pressured to perceive themselves and act “opposites” and in which men as a group have more power than women as a group as a result.

Sex/Gender System  1) If female/male were purely biological there wouldn’t need such elaborate rituals and control mechanisms to ensure people stay “appropriate.”  2) Sex/Gender system is an organizing system that is created through a complex interaction between biology and ritual, rules, expectations and action.

Theories of Gender Identity  1) What do we mean by the term identity?  2) Most theories are simplistic. They focus on:  One cause.  Are static over time  Don’t allow for variation across cultures.

Biological Theory of Gender Identity  1) Biological differences exist; as do similarities. We tend to focus on the differences.  A) Hormonal differences and gender identity  B) Brain lateralization theory and gender identity theory

Biological Theory Cont  2) Problems --  It’s hard to show cause/effect (non- spuriousness and temporal order).  Often theories are reductionist and deterministic.  Selective Perception affects what we observe.  Third Genders exist.

Gender and Social Institution and Gender Identity  1) Sex/Gender system, Sexuality, Race/Ethnicity are organizing principles which dictate rules and expectations and teaches people what is appropriate. Roles – prescribed expectations, duties and rights. Gender is built into the rules of society. For examples, Monopoly. You have to have a winner/losers. With Gender, you can only have two genders in our society. When there are more, we make those “others” deviants” or “cheaters.”

Socialization Theory and Gender Identity  1) Peers, Parents, Teachers, Religious leaders teach us through sanctions and expectations what it means to be male/female of various races/ethnicities, ages, classes. 2) Tools of Socialization  1) Regulating Transgressions (punishments)  2) Hegemony – Cultural tools which convince people that there is not other way or organizing except the present way. Thus, oppression is inevitable.  Books, Movies, T.V shows. Parents “protect” their children.

Socialization Theory  3) Problems  Theory sees people as passive.

Symbolic Interactionism and Gender Identity  1) What we become emerges through our relationship with others and interpreting the symbols of society which help us interpret and act upon reality.  2) Tools of SI A) Taking the role of the other – Mead – seeing yourself through others B) Doing Gender

SI  1) Problems  While sees people as active, does not take into account institutions and their affect on gender identity.

Identification Theory and Gender Identity  1) Chodorow– Psychoanalyst  Mothering leads to attachment in girls and individuation in boys. Unconscious process in which boys learn to devalue connections and girls put premium on them.  Tools: Mothering

Identification Theory  Problems:  Too much focus on family  Assumes family form is static and constant

Cognitive Developmental Theory and Gender Identity  1) Stage theory that argues children interpret information about gender as it relates to their cognitive stage.  Tools: Schemas – cognitive stage affects information and how it is interpreted  They learn gender is dichotomous and they must fit in one category. Over time, they learn gender is NOT fluid.

Cognitive Developmental Theory  Problems  They claim gender is fixed at a young age.  Ignore Institutions.