Flashcards on Introduction to African Studies
Introduction to African Studies: Culture, History, & Society
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Gender Socialization and Roles
103 cards
Card 1
Question: How do many social scientists distinguish the terms 'sex' and 'gender'?
Answer: Sex refers to anatomical or reproductive differences (biological), while gender refers to differences not directly caused by biology (culturally creat
Card 2
Question: Why is the distinction between sex and gender not always clear among scholars?
Answer: There is no firm consensus: some reject 'sex' and use only 'gender', others use them interchangeably; differences arise from varying emphasis on biolo
Card 3
Question: What is the biosocial perspective on gender?
Answer: The biosocial perspective holds that gender is constructed within limits established by biology — biology and society interact to shape behavior.
Card 4
Question: What three characteristics of gender are included in a common sociological working definition (Wharton, 2005)?
Answer: 1) Gender as a process rather than a fixed state; 2) Gender as a characteristic of society as well as individuals; 3) Gender as a system that creates
Card 5
Question: What are the three different frameworks sociologists use to study gender?
Answer: Gender as a characteristic of the individual; as a product of social interactions; and as a characteristic of social institutions.
Card 6
Question: Why are multiple frameworks necessary to understand gender, according to Wharton (2005)?
Answer: Because each framework is necessarily partial and selective; none alone is sufficient to fully understand gender.
Card 7
Question: How do sociologists interested in socialization usually study gender?
Answer: They study gender as a characteristic of the individual, drawing on theoretical work from psychology and sociology.
Card 8
Question: What is socialization in general?
Answer: The process through which a child becomes an individual who respects the environment's laws, norms, and customs.
Card 9
Question: What is gender socialization?
Answer: A focused form of socialization in which children of different sexes are socialized into their gender roles and taught what it means to be male or fem
Card 10
Question: When does gender socialization begin?
Answer: It begins the moment we are born, often signaled by the immediate question 'is it a boy or a girl?'