Gender Lecture 3

Socio Legal Dimensions of
Gender
Lecture 3
By Ms. Ankita Kumar Gupta
Topic to be Covered
• Production of Masculinity and Femininity
Lets Watch…
• Satyamev Jayate Season 3 _ Episode 6 _ “When Masculinity Harms
Men”
Production of Masculinity and Femininity
• If you view masculinity from an integral perspective then there a four
distinct forces that shape your masculinity:
1. Your biology
2. Your psychology
3. The cultures you inhabit
4. The society you live in
• These four distinct forces interact at every stage of masculinity to
shape your experience of being a man. In simple terms biology and
psychology represent the forces of nature while society and culture
represent the forces of nurture.
Biology Of Masculinity
• Maleness is formed at a biological level in the XY sex chromosomes
found in every cell of our bodies. The small proportion of men born
with an XXY chromosome are less masculine.
The Social Construction Of Masculinity
• The nature of masculinity changes over time in parallel with the common social systems that
define a culture or historical era. In the agricultural age, for example, the invention of the plough
revolutionized food production. The plough relied heavily on male upper body strength and
required men to work away from their family while women stayed close to home. To this day the
hard-working dad and the stay-at-home are still recognized as archetypal masculine and feminine
roles.
• As countries evolve from agrarian to industrial to post-industrial systems of economic production,
the nature of masculinity and femininity also evolves. In modern industrial nations, women can
reach the top of their field by adopting masculine traits. As post-modern, post-industrial nations
emerge, feminine skills become more valued.
• The laws that govern sex and gender are also part of the social systems that shape our
masculinity. In countries where men and women have generous and equal parental leave rights,
women earn more and men do more childcare. Is this because the men in these countries are
more feminine, nurturing and caring naturally, or is their masculinity being nurtured in a new
direction by the country’s parental leave laws?
The Cultural Construction Of Masculinity
• The values and beliefs of the communities we are born into play a
huge role in defining our masculinity.
The Psychology Of Masculinity
• The psychology of masculinity is perhaps the most interesting aspect to
explore as it is in our own psychological world that we experience being a
man, being manly and being masculine. Our psychological world is where our
gender identity is formed and where we personally experience the influence
that biology, society and culture have in shaping our masculinity.
• Some biological determinists see gender differences in society as being the
result of men’s and women’s psychological preferences and choices. For social
and cultural determinists, the choices and preferences men and women
express at the micro level are the result of coercion at a macro level. For
example, If we don’t give fathers equal rights and opportunities as parents
through laws and policies at a macro level, then this will effect the
preferences and choices that individual fathers make at the micro level.
• According to the Psychologist Martin Seager who chaired the UK’s first
male psychology conference , there are three ancient rules of
masculinity that create the “male script” that shapes and informs our
experience of being a man. These rules are:
1. Men should be fighters and winners
2. Men should be protectors and providers
3. Men should retain mastery and control
• Masculine psychological development is driven by rights: i.e. my
rights, our rights, everyone’s rights. Feminine psychological
development is driven by care: i.e. my care, our care, everyone’s care.
Is femininity and masculinity a social or
biological construct?
Patriarchy
Different areas of women‟s lives are said to
be under patriarchal control.
• Women’s productive or labour power
• Women’s Reproduction
• Control over Women’s Sexuality
• Women’s Mobility
• Property and other Economic Resources
Lets Watch…
• Gentlemen Kisse kahetey hain (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh6DCBeTTzM)
Thank you

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Socio Legal Dimensions of

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