Ch 10 – Sociology (Gender and Age)
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
sex
answer
-biological characteristics that distinguish males from females. -biologically inherited
question
primary sex characteristics
answer
-reproductive organs(penis and vagina)
question
Gender
answer
-social behaviors and attitudes considered proper for males and females -socially learned -opens and closes the door to property, power, and prestige.
question
Dominant Position in Sociology
answer
-Social Factors are the reason people do what they do -ideas of gender vary greatly from one culture to another, as well as male female positions
question
minority group
answer
-discriminated against on the basis of of physical or cultural characteristics, regardless of their numbers -even though they outnumber males, females are the minority group
question
How did females become a minority group?
answer
-origin of patriarchy-> men dominating society
question
Females(origins of global inequality)
answer
short life spans->many births->childcare and housework->taken for granted work
question
Males(origins of global inequality)
answer
worked away from home->interacted with other tribes->weapons, items of trade, knowledge->prestige and power
question
feminism
answer
the view that biology is not destiny and that stratification by gender is wrong and should be resisted -met with strong opposition by men who had privilege to lose and women who accepted their statuses as morally correct
question
1st Wave of Women's Movement
answer
-radical vs conservative -Conservative branch won the right to vote in the 1920s and the movement dissolved shortly after
question
2nd Wave of Women's Movement
answer
-protest against gender inequalities -equal pay -reform policies on violence against women
question
3rd Wave of Women's Movement
answer
-problems of women in least industrialized nations -reform values in industrialized nations -womens sexual pleasure
question
Gender Inequality in Education
answer
- women outnumber men in college enrollment, bachelors degrees, and masters degrees -college enrollment gap varies by race
question
Pay Gap
answer
-men start and remain at higher salaries in all Industrialized Nations -WHY? -gender tracking/college degrees -gender discrimination/child penalty
question
Violence and Sexual Harassment
answer
-Assaulters/harassers are usually male -Victims are usually female -Most rape victims know their attackers -Only 5% of rape victims inform police
question
Politics
answer
-women outnumber men voters -men outnumber women in political office -women gaining ground, they have more freedom to pursue individual interests regardless of gender
question
Social Construction of Aging
answer
-nothing natural about our views toward aging -defined by culture not biology -attitudes about aging are rooted in society and differ from one cultural group to the other
question
Industrialization and Global Graying
answer
-industrialized countries have higher percentage of elderly -How can nations afford to support their growing elderly population without burdening future generations with impossible taxes?
question
Graying of America
answer
-refers to the growing percentage of older people in the US population
question
life span
answer
maximum length of life possible -hasn't increased
question
life expectancy
answer
the number of years people can expect to live -increased 30 years
question
The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
answer
-in the early US society old age was regarded positively; seen as having knowledge about work skills and great wisdom. Th elderly lost honorable distinction due to industrialization. -mass production->made young workers as productive as elderly -mass education->stripped away elderly's superior knowledge
question
disengagement theory (functionalist perspective)
answer
pensions get the elderly to disengage from their positions and hand them over to younger people. Retirement, then, is a mutually beneficial arrangement between two parts of society. -instead of disengaging, the retired exchange one set of roles for another
question
activity theory (functionalist perspective)
answer
Are intimate activities more satisfying than formal ones? -research has discovered that this varies by person
question
continuity theory (functionalist perspective)
answer
elderly continues their ties with the past -when they retire, many people take on new roles that are similar to the ones they gave up -people who take on multiple roles are better equipped to handle aging -people from higher social classes adjust better to the challenges of aging.
question
Social Security Legislation (conflict perspective)
answer
-social security law required that workers retire by age 65 to provide jobs for the younger generation but congress eliminated the mandatory retirement and made it voluntary. -90% of Americans still retire by 65.
question
Intergenerational Competition and Conflict (conflict perspective)
answer
-60% of tax dollars is spent on social security and medicare -although this has lessened elderly poverty, it has increased child poverty.
