Assignment: Sociology Gender Socialization Question

Use chapter 11, and the video clip, Killing Us Softly (see clip above) to write the two pages:

– Using the chapter and the Killing Us Softly clip, write your two pages on how images like the ones shown and described in the clip contribute to a toxic or warped gender socialization. What do these images say about how women should view themselves and how they are viewed by men, and the larger world? How does the devaluing of women and femininity contribute to the social problem of gender inequality?

chapter 11 in the attached file

The Social Construction of Gender From birth (or earlier), gender expectations influence how boys and girls are treated. -Parents might select pink clothes and dolls for girls, sports clothing and brighter colors for boys. Sex refers to biological identity, being male or female. Gender refers to the socially learned expectations and behaviors associated with members of each sex. Are differences between men/women biologically determined? Biological determinism: explanations that attribute complex social phenomena to physical characteristics. -“Men are more aggressive because of hormonal differences” is a biologically determinist argument. Gender Construction Aggression: Even when men and women as a whole tend to differ on a given trait, within-gender differences can be just as great as across gender differences. Some men, for example, are less aggressive than some women. Nature or Nurture: A person’s sex identity is established at fertilization. Intersexed persons have mixed biological sex characteristics. Gender Socialization Gender socialization: men and women learn the expectations of their sex.

Socialization affects one’s self-concepts, social and political attitudes, perceptions about other people, and feelings about relationships with others. -Not everyone conforms to gender expectations. The Formation of Gender Identity: Gender identity: one’s definition of oneself as a woman or man. -Basic to our self-concept -Shapes our self-expectations -Shapes our abilities and interests -Shapes how we interact with others Gender identity influences numerous behaviors. Transgender people are those who live as a gender different from the one they were assigned at birth. Sources of Gender Socialization Agents of gender socialization include: -family, peers, children’s play -schooling, religious training, mass media Gender socialization is reinforced whenever gender-linked behaviors receive approval or disapproval from these multiple influences. Institutional Basis of Gender: Gendered institutions: the total pattern of gender relations that structure social institutions, including: -stereotypical expectations -interpersonal relationships -the different placement of men/women found in institutions Schools are gendered institutions because they perpetuate specific gender patterns. Gender Stratification & Sexism Gender stratification: the hierarchical distribution of social and economic resources according to gender. -Most societies have some form of gender stratification. Gender apartheid: extreme segregation and exclusion of women from public life. Sexism Gender stratification is supported by beliefs that treat gender inequality as “natural.”

Sexism generates social myths that have no basis, but support the dominant groups over subordinate groups. -Sexism emerges in patriarchies, societies in which men have power over women. Women’s Worth: Still Unequal Gender stratification is obvious in the income gap between men and women. -The income gap persists despite more participation of women in the labor force. Women still earn less than men: they make 80% of what men earn. -The labor force participation rate: the percentage of those in a group who are employed part-time or full-time. -For women it is 54%, versus 66% of men (the United States is an aging society: the large Baby Boom generation [1946–1964] is retiring). Discrimination refers to practices that single out some groups for different and unequal treatment. -It is argued that men have an incentive to preserve their advantages in the labor market. -Women pose a threat to traditional white male privileges, and men may organize to preserve their own power and advantage. Devaluation of Women’s Work Women are concentrated in the most devalued jobs (associated with child care and household labor and “nurturing” occupations). -Only a small proportion of women work in traditionally “male” occupations. -For all women, perceptions of gender-appropriate behavior influence the likelihood of success within institutions. Theories of Gender: Feminism is not a single way of thinking and acting; it refers to advocating for a more just society for women. Feminist theory analyzes the position of women in society for the explicit purpose of improving their position in it. Liberal feminism: inequality for women originates in traditions of the past. Gender in Global Perspective The global division of labor has a gendered component. -Women workers can provide a cheap supply of labor. Worldwide, women work as much as or more than men. -It is difficult to find a single place in the world where the workplace is not segregated by gender. Violence against women and girls is a global epidemic. -One of the most pervasive violations of human rights. Gender and Social Change Many people take for granted freedoms struggled for by earlier generations. These include: -access to birth control -equal opportunity legislation -laws against sexual harassment -increased athletic opportunities for women -more women in political occupations

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource