Kimmel, Chapter One

1
Kimmel, Chapter One

• Why does every society differentiate people on
  the basis of gender?
• ?? (Mosuo)
• Why in almost every society does male dominance
  (patriarchy) become the power system?

2
Mosuo, a Matriarchal Culture
3
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

4

• Mars and Venus, Roman Statues
• Nature theories cannot explain historic male
  domination

5

• 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

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Kimmels 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

7
Visibility
Masculinity is often invisible within patriarchal
societies Power and privilege are invisible to
those who have them
Perspective and audience influence perception
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Masculinity

• Becomes invisible
• Generic standard of a person used to measure
  social life
• Invisibility provides status and privilege to
  white men

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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 arent

10
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
  experiencethat, indeed, the standards may be
  based on traditional male-privileged, and not
  objective, criteria.

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Cultural Rules

• Based on masculine standard
• Pregnancy policies
• Wendy Kaminer http//www.prospect.org/print/V12/7/
  kaminer-w.html
• Anne Crittenden http//www.prospect.org/print/V12/
  8/crittenden-a.html

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Current Debate

• Kimmel says we are At this moment, having a
  national debate about masculinity in this
  countrybut we dont 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

13
The Plural and the Powerful

• Kimmel explains that gender isnt 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

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• Ruth Useem and Positionality
• F1 Princess Diana M1 Prince Charles
• F2 Julia Roberts M2 Heath Ledger
• F3 Us M3 Us
• F4 Homeless person M4 Homeless person
• Note that us still overlooks the complexity of
  our differences and similarities

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• 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 doesnt represent
  reality. M and F are pluralized terms.

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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. Were not
  opposite sexes, but neighboring sexeswe have far
  more in common with each other than we have
  differences.