SOSC 200Y Gender and Society Lecture 2: Women vs Men.
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Transcript of SOSC 200Y Gender and Society Lecture 2: Women vs Men.
SOSC 200Y Gender and Society
Lecture 2: Women vs Men
L2: 11.09.06
Women in society
• Malestream sociology– Biased in terms of issues of interested,
theories and methods
• Official Statistics and social research
– Biology
– Psychology
– Anthropology
L2: 11.09.06
Physiological differences between average men and women
Female Male
Amount of body fat 15% 7.5%
Amount of muscle in body 36% 43%
Heart volume/ml 600 770
Hemoglobin concentration
/gm per 100 ml blood
13.7 15.8
Oxygen content of blood
/ml oxygen per 100 ml blood
16.7 19.2
L2: 11.09.06
Biological and Psychological differences between men and women
• Chromosome:– XX vs XY
• Hormones:– Estrogen vs Testosterone
• Temperament:– Dependency vs Aggression– Sociability vs Object relations
• Brain size and function
• Ability and behaviour:– Verbal vs Mathematical
L2: 11.09.06
Anthropological studies of 224 culturesNo. of cultures in which task is:
Tasks Feminine Shared Masculine
Tasks claimed by Murdock (social structure) to be universally masculine:
Lumbering 6 8 104Mining and quarrying 1 2 35Land clearance 13 44 73Building of dwellings 36 73 100Hunting 0 13 166Fishing 4 56 98Herding 5 12 38Trade 7 56 51
Tasks claimed by Murdock (social structure) to be universally feminine:
Gathering of vegetable products, etc 137 50 20Water-carrying 119 12 7Cooking 158 38 5Manufacture and repair of clothing 95 20 12
L2: 11.09.06
Universal division of labour(The Hunter-Gatherer Thesis)
Man naturally strong Man in hunting Tool-making Male strength Organization, Art,
Culture Human Survival and
Civilization
Women naturally weak Women in gathering Infant dependent/
Female care Caring Instinct Home Based
L2: 11.09.06
Replicate the research
Biological research Untrained sex difference
Trained sex difference
Hemoglobin /gm per kg body weight 26.7% 8.8%
Blood volume /ml per kg body weight 17.2% 1.7%
Heart volume /ml per kg body weight 24.1% 3.2%
• Cognitive research– Intellectual Aptitude, Memory, Verbal skills: no difference– Quantitative skills: no difference before high school– Visual-spatial abilities: males perform better– Cognitive styles: no difference in analytic or computer abilities– Creativity: Unclear
L2: 11.09.06
Other research results• Personality and Temperament:
– Personality: girls describe themselves as more people-oriented– Temperament: unclear
• Communication Patterns:– Verbal: male dominate conversations; female listen. Situational – Nonverbal: males dominate after childhood; female are more
sensitive to nonverbal cues. Situational, cultural factors are important.
• Power-Related Behaviors:– Aggressiveness, Dominance, Competitiveness: Male – Assertiveness, Achievement, Motivations: unclear
from Basow, A (1992) Gender: Stereotypes and Roles, p.101
L2: 11.09.06
Modes of feminist challenge• Bringing women back in: the “add-and-stir” approach• Complex structures of capitalist patriarchy• Inventing feminist theories and methods• Continuing debates
Strategic concern Academic concern
Liberal F. Legislative change Educate the public
Making women visible
Marxist F. Critique of capitalism Theories of capitalist patriarchy
Radical F. Critique of total male domination
Alternative theories and methods