Women, Gender and Society

1
Women, Gender and Society

• Soc/WMST 308

2
Survey

• 1) You meet a couple and find that the children
  have the womans last name, not the mans. What
  goes on for you?
• 2) You walk into class and see a female professor
  at the podium? What do you expect?
• 3. Equality. What is it?

3
Knowledge

• 1. Knowledge is political. -- powerful people
  who convince others that their interpretation of
  reality is fact.
• What is considered knowledge changes over time
  and across cultures.
• For example Sun went around the earth. How was
  this political?
• Give examples of present day knowledge thats
  political.
• Global Warming. Sex Education

4
Knowledge

• 2. Knowledge is political in what is taught. But
  knowledge is also political in what is absent.
• Think about what subjects are taught in school.
  What is absent?
• 3.Womens studies classes are political. So are
  other classes.

5
Opposite?

• 1) Define what the word opposite means on a
  piece of paper.
• 2) Give some examples
• 3) Justify how those examples are opposites
  using the definition you provided.
• 4) Can you now apply that same definition of
  opposite to men and women? Justify.

6
What is Sex/Gender

• 1) Definitions
• "Butler argues that gender, race, sexuality,
  etc., are the products of a "ritualized
  repetition" of normative understandings
  constructed through relations of power through
  which individuals are compelled to recognize
  themselves and performs their identities." from
  Luann Duesterberg. 1999
• 2) What does it mean to be
• Masculine
• Feminine?

7
What is Sex/Gender

• 1) Gender as a dichotomy ?
• Men and women are not opposites. Evidence. But,
  its important for us to see them that way. Why?
• 2) Gender as androcentric
• We tend to value male characteristics more than
  females.
• 3. Male as norm --
• Men are perceived as the yardstick by which we
  compare women. Evidence.

8
Women and Men Different/ Same

• What does it mean to say that men and women are
  different?
• What does it means to say that men and women are
  the same?
• Inequality/Equality and Problems with Opportunity

9
3 Themes of Class

• 1) Learn the difference between morality and
  analysis
• Define the terms
• Morality value laden judgement about good/bad,
  right/wrong.
• Analysis Questioning why something exists
• Go over survey

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3 Themes of Class

• 2) Understand how gender and our knowledge of it
  is socially constructed.

11
3 Themes of Class

• 3) Understand Contradictions in our thinking
• For example We believe in equality --- except
  for gays/lesbians
• We believe that women deserve equal opportunity,
  except we only feel comfortable with women
  nurturing.