Gender and society are intricately linked, influencing and shaping each other.

Gender refers to the

socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities of individuals, while society
encompasses the systems, institutions, and norms that structure human relationships and
interaction. Understanding this relationship is crucial for analyzing how gender norms and expectations
are created, maintained, and challenged within various social contexts.

Chapter 1
Introduction of Gender Studies

Sex and Gender, same or different?

Sex:
 Physical aspect of the human body
 Determined by reproductive organs and hormones
 Fixed at birth

Gender:
 “Psychological”, “social”, or “cultural”. Product of society (“socially constructed”)
 Masculinity and femininity
 Not determined at birth

Sex
 Latin word “sexus” (defined by gonads)
 Assigned at birth by external genital appearance

Gender

 Latin word “genus” (kind or race)

 Defined by one’s own identification as male, female, or intersex
 may also be based on legal status, social interactions, public persona, personal experiences, and
psychologic settings

 Sex is a biological fact, while gender is a social construct (a concept or category that exists not
because of inherent properties, but because people in a society agree that it exists).

 While sex is often categorized as male or female, gender is a spectrum with many identities,
including transgender and non-binary individuals (those whose gender identity falls outside of the
traditional male/female binary).
  Gender identity refers to an individual's personal sense of being male, female, or another gender,
while gender expression refers to how someone outwardly presents their gender.

 Gender identity is how you feel inside and how you express your gender through clothing,
behavior, and personal appearance. It’s a feeling that begins very early in life.

Sociological Theories
1. Functionalist Perspective
The functionalist perspective emphasizes the interconnectedness of society by focusing on
how each part influences and is influenced by other parts. Functionalist perspective explores the
“what ought to be” of a particular individual. The functionalist perspective sees society as a
complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity/unity and stability. This
approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation and broadly focuses on the social
structures that shape society as a whole.

Social order refers to the organized structure of society, including its institutions, rules, norms, values,
and behaviors, that work together to maintain stability and prevent chaos. It's a system that ensures
cooperation and reduces conflict, enabling society to function effectively. Essentially, it's about how people
relate to each other and how society is structured to achieve its goals.
Family primary socialization plays a crucial role in shaping social order by teaching children
fundamental norms, values, and behaviors. This process, which starts early in life, lays the foundation for
individuals to understand and interact within society. Through family interactions, children learn how to
bond, build relationships, and understand concepts like love, trust, and togetherness, all of which are
essential for maintaining social stability.
Education and meritocracy are intertwined in a way that affects social order. Education, ideally, is a tool
to promote meritocracy by allowing individuals to advance based on their skills and abilities, not
background. However, the concept of meritocracy can be viewed critically as a system that justifies
inequalities by attributing social standing to individual effort, potentially obscuring systemic inequalities.
In sociology, the "collective conscience," a term introduced by Émile Durkheim, refers to the shared
values, beliefs, and sentiments that bind individuals within a society, according to an EBSCO Research
Starter. Religion plays a crucial role in shaping and reinforcing this collective conscience by providing a
framework of shared beliefs, rituals, and moral codes that promote social cohesion and order.
Crime, while a disruption to social order, also serves as a tool for social regulation. It highlights societal
norms, defines boundaries, and provides opportunities for social control mechanisms to operate. Social
order refers to the organized ways in which societies regulate and control behavior, and crime, as a form
of deviance, plays a role in maintaining that order.
 Functionalist Perspective

Functionalists argue that gender roles were established well before the pre-industrial era when
men typically took care of responsibilities outside of the home, such as hunting, and women typically took
care of the domestic responsibilities in or around the home. These roles were considered functional
because women were often limited by the physical restraints of pregnancy and nursing and unable to
leave the home for long periods of time. Once established, these roles were passed on to subsequent
generations since they served as an effective means of keeping the family system functioning properly.

2. The conflict perspective

A major sociological lens, views society as an arena of competition and struggle, where groups with
varying power and resources contend for limited resources. It emphasizes inequality and power dynamics,
focusing on how certain groups maintain their dominance and how those with less power resist or
challenge their positions.
Friedrich Engels- The same owner-worker relationship exists in the household, with women
assuming the role of the proletariat.

3. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level sociological theory that focuses on how individuals create
and interpret meaning through their interactions and the use of symbols. This perspective emphasizes that
individuals' self-concept and understanding of the world are shaped by the meanings they attach to
objects, actions, and other people's behaviors.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

o Focus on Symbols:
Symbolic interactionism highlights the importance of symbols, such as language, gestures, and
objects, in shaping human interaction and meaning-making.
o Social Construction of Reality:
It suggests that our understanding of reality is not inherent but is created through social interaction
and the shared interpretation of symbols.
o Iindividual Interpretation:
Individuals interpret symbols and actions based on their personal experiences and understanding,
leading to varying meanings.
o Self-Concept:
Symbolic interactionism emphasizes that an individual's sense of self is developed through
interactions with others and the meanings they assign to those interactions.
o Examples:
1. A handshake might be interpreted as a sign of friendship or business deal,
depending on the context.
 2. A red light might be understood as a signal to stop, but its meaning could vary
in different cultures.
3. The meaning of wearing a certain type of clothing might signal social status,
belonging to a particular group, or personal preference.

Gender Roles

“Gender roles are learned behaviors in a given society, community or other social group. they
condition activities, tasks and responsibilities are perceived as male or female. Gender roles are
affected by age, class race, ethnicity and religion, and by the geographical, economic and political
environment” (Pavlic, Sam-Vargas, 2000).

-Gender roles are a range of behaviors and attitudes considered acceptable and appropriate based
on the assigned sex. Society expects people to adhere to their gender roles. However, the division
between man and woman is based on the most basic difference between the two: child bearing.
This cultivated simplistic generalizations on men and women.

GENDER EQUALITY AND EQUITY

Gender equality, equality between men and women, entails the concepts that all human
beings, both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without
the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. It does not mean that women
and men have to become the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities swill not
depend on whether they are born male or female.

Gender equality refers to equal rights, opportunities, and treatment for all genders,
regardless of sex. Gender equity, on the other hand, focuses on fairness and ensuring everyone
has the same opportunities by acknowledging and addressing existing social and historical
disadvantages that limit access.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Gender Equality:
 Strives for equal rights, opportunities, and treatment for all genders.
 Ensures everyone, regardless of gender, has the same legal rights, access to
education, employment, and is free from discrimination.
 Does not necessarily mean that everyone is treated the same, but rather that all
individuals have the same opportunities and are not limited by their gender.
 Gender Equity:
 Focuses on fairness and addressing the root causes of gender inequality to ensure equal
opportunities.
  Recognizes that different genders may have different needs and circumstances, and that a
level playing field may require tailored interventions or support to compensate for historical
and social disadvantages.
 Aims to remove systemic barriers and create a society where everyone can participate fully
and equally, regardless of gender.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING

-A strategy for making men and women’s concerns and experiences as an integral dimension of the
design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic, and
societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated.
-To empower all individuals, to be accountable, and to ensure integration of efforts in making sure that
gender mainstreaming is holistic rather than just a “band-aid” solution.
Why is gender mainstreaming important?
 Promotes gender equality:
It is a key strategy for achieving gender equality in all aspects of life.
 Enhances policy effectiveness:
By considering gender, policies are more likely to be effective and address the needs of the diverse
population.
 Fosters social justice:
It contributes to a more just and equitable society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
 Improves overall development:
By addressing gender inequalities, gender mainstreaming can lead to more sustainable and inclusive
development.

Summary

 Gender is the socially constructed roles ascribed to males and females. These roles, which are
learned, change over time and vary widely within and between cultures. It is socially learned
behavior and expectations that distinguish between masculinity and femininity.
 The three major theoretical perspectives are: the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective,
and the symbolic interactionist perspective
 Functionalist perspective highlights the interconnectedness of society by focusing on how each part
influences and is influenced by other parts.
 Conflict theory suggests that society is a struggle for dominance among social groups (like women
versus men) that compete for scarce resources. From this perspective, we can view men as the
dominant group and women as the subordinate group.
 Symbolic interactionism aims to understand human behavior by analyzing the critical role of symbols
in human interaction. Gender is something we do or perform, not something we are.