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Gender Studies: Ms. Aroosa Arooj

The document discusses the social construction of gender. It defines social construction as the meanings and connotations placed on objects/events by society that are then adopted by its inhabitants. Gender is a social construct according to theories like gender performativity, which state that gender is not biological but is performed through behaviors learned from socialization agents like family and media. The nature vs nurture debate questions how much gender is determined by biological sex vs social and environmental influences.

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Bilal Malik
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54 views14 pages

Gender Studies: Ms. Aroosa Arooj

The document discusses the social construction of gender. It defines social construction as the meanings and connotations placed on objects/events by society that are then adopted by its inhabitants. Gender is a social construct according to theories like gender performativity, which state that gender is not biological but is performed through behaviors learned from socialization agents like family and media. The nature vs nurture debate questions how much gender is determined by biological sex vs social and environmental influences.

Uploaded by

Bilal Malik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Gender Studies

with Ms. Aroosa Arooj


LEC03(2-B)
Topics of the Day

• Social Construction of Gender


What is Social Construction?

• Social construct concerns the meaning notion or connotation placed on an


object or event by a society, and adopted by the inhabitants of the society
with respect to how they view or deal with the object or event.
• Invention or artifice of the society: It seems natural but ain’t
• Social Constructionism is applied to many disciplines of social sciences.
• Social Constructionism is an umbrella thought under which other thoughts
flourished
• Essentialism (antonym of constructionism)
• “Things exist with inherent meanings attached to their existence.”-
• “What goes around comes around.” (every act of a human being create a
huge impact. Little things have absolute reality)
• Example: China Famine
• Honeybee and ecology
Social Constructionism

• Reality is a social construct.


• They believe that reality is always embedded in social situations.
Language is a key-tool to reality
Content vs. Context. (interdependence)
Language has been evolved by the passage of time
Euphemisms
Einestein E=mc^2
Truth is a rollercoaster ride. Trend of walking on the roads and desert
• C.H Cooley’s theory, “Looking glass self.”
Society is like a glass in which you see your image but this glass is different than the
normal image.
It shows you what you really need to become. Not what you really are.
• George Herbert Mead’s theory:
• I what you are
• ME What society asks you to be
Theory of Sign

• All the language in the world are present in the form of signified or signifier.
• Signifier: The physical existence (sound, word, image) i.e apple
• Signified: Characteristic/Connotation/description attached to signifier i.e
freshness (different minds different perceptions)
• Female is a signifier
• Weak/Submissive is signified
• Example: Mankind landed on the moon
Judith Butler: Gender Performativity Theory

• A central concept of the theory is that your gender is not an inevitable fact but the repetition of
performances of males and females in accordance with social norms.
• Identity is built on the pile of social and cultural experiences
• No inner self
• Biological sex is also a social construction—Gender subsumes sex.
(there can be different personalities/no 100% maoe or female)
• Traditional view of masculinity and femininity needs to be addressed
• Critics
Structural Functionalism

• This perspective sees society as a complex system and looks at both social structure
and social functions.
• Stability and Solidarity: it comes in the social structure by working together and
social functions mean division of labour.
• The division of labour is derived from predefined Gender roles. Such as Women take
care of home while men provide the food for the family.
• Thus, gender like other social institutions, contributes to the stability of the society.
Process of Socialization

• Social contruction relies on the process of socialization. Where individual


learn and internalize customs, habits, and values.
• Primary
• Seconday
• Gender socialization occurs through four major agents: family, education,
peer groups, and mass media
• “the act that one does, the act that one performs is, in a sense, an act that’s
been going on before one arrived on the scene.” (Gender Trouble)
Nature Vs. Nurture Debate

• The nature debate states that gender is biological. This explains a strong
relationship between sex and gender of a person
• Case study of David Reimer
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUSps5MMqmQ
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQJHPQpf6mI&t=61s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL5E4Im5HYg
• Reiner’s analysis
A study by Reiner and John Gearhart, MD, of Johns Hopkins university, finds that biology—in
particular is the hormonal influences on developing infants’ brains– programs children to
eventually identify as either male or female, almost regardless of social influences, at least in
the case of the children he studied.
14 Children
It’s fair to say that some people in the world of psychology have held that [gender] is socially
derived, learned behaviour,” says Reiner. “But our findings do not support this theory
Other Theories

• Social Learning Theory: Learning occurs through reinforcement and


imitation and individuals learn attitudes and behaviours through social
interaction.
• Cognitive Development Theory: it emphasizes on the developmental nature
of socialization proves and the active role a child plays in cheating his or her
identity.

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