The Social Construction f Race, Class and Gender
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Transcript of The Social Construction f Race, Class and Gender
M U LT I C U LT U R A L I S M I N T H E U S , R O B E RT W O N S E R
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION F RACE, CLASS AND GENDER
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY
• Reality is constructed socially.• Reify – to make real• social construction, that is, it is an idea
created by humans (i.e. doesn’t exist in the biological world but only in the social world) through social interaction and given a reality through our understanding of it and our collective actions.
• Does California exist empirically?
RACE
• Race as we know it is a social construction.• It exists not in the biological world but in the
social world.• Race and ethnicity are social constructions.• They are defined and maintained through
interaction.• They do not exist biologically.• They are reifications, social constructions.
RACE AND ETHNICITY
• Race is a socially defined category, based on real or perceived biological differences between groups of people. • Ethnicity is a socially defined category based on common language, religion, nationality, history, or another cultural factor.
SOCIAL CLASS
• Also a social construction!• Social class refers to a system of stratification
based on access to resources such as wealth, property, power, education and prestige. • Sociologists often refer to it as socioeconomic
status (or SES).
• By the way, what’s the difference between income and wealth?
VALLARTA LOCATIONS
GELSON’S LOCATIONS
WHOLE FOODS LOCATIONS
GENDER
• Surprise! Also a social construction!
• Sex refers to an individual’s membership in one of two biologically distinct categories—male or female. • Gender refers to the physical, behavioral, and personality traits that a group considers normal for its male and female members.
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and Gender
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MALE AND FEMALE MEDIAN EARNINGS, 1959–2008
SEXUALITY
• You guessed it… also a social construction!• Sexual orientation is the inclination to be heterosexual (attracted to the opposite sex), homosexual (attracted to the same sex), or bisexual (attracted to either sex).
Introduction to Sociology: Sex and Gender
1212
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
• Is sexual orientation a continuum rather than a few simple categories?
• Those who are asexual may simply reject any sexual identity at all.