Dr. Sara DiazWGST 280: Gender, Sexuality, and Popular CultureGonzaga University

Hegemonic Gender Ideologies

Reminder

• Next Autobiography due on Wednesday by midnight.• No class on Friday, BUT Watch Codes of

Gender film before Monday, when we will discuss it in class.• Another autobiography journal entry due

Monday 9/29 as well!!

WGS 101: A CRASH COURSE

Central Concepts

• Social Construction (vs Essentialism)•Gender•Race•Class• Sexuality•Privilege• Intersectionality

Social Construction Theory

• Differences between people are the result of complex socialization processes rather than inherent, biological or “essential” differences.

• Essentialism – the idea that differences between people can be reduced to some essential (unchangeable and inherent) difference (often biological, sometimes religious).

Examples of Biological Determinism

• Women are nurturing because they bear children, therefore they should stay home and raise children.• Women are more emotional than men and

therefore not well suited for jobs that need rational decision making. • EG President, example of premenstrual syndrome

• Men are better at math and science and therefore should go into fields like engineering, architecture, physics.

WGS 101: Sex vs Gender• In WGST we do not use “gender” and “sex” interchangeably.

• “Sex,” sometimes called “assigned sex,” is the biological category we assign people do based on perceived differences between anatomy (specifically genitalia). Eg. male, female.

• “Gender” is the process of socializing males to be “men” and females to “women.”• Gender is not something we achieve.• It is something we actively do or perform in order to conform to

social norms, expectations, and roles.

WGS 101: Sex vs Gender

Binary Sex/Gender SystemSex Category Male FemaleGender Man/Boy Woman/GirlGender Expression Masculine Feminine

WGS 101: Definition of Gender

Gender is a social construction that establishes our definitions of self, our relations with others, and

our life chances...Moreover, is not just an individual attribute. Instead, it is part of the social structure of society and thus has an institutional

component...

--Margaret Anderson, Thinking about Women, p. 30

Power Dynamics

• Power differentials between “Men” and “Women” had to be justified during the Enlightenment period when the first discourse about “equality” of human kind emerged.

• One way this was achieved was to “naturalize” the social differences between “Men” and “Women.”• Hegemonic Gender Ideology

WGS 101: Hierarchical BinariesMan

WomanHuman

AnimalParent

ChildWhite

BlackRich

Poor

Heterosexual

HomosexualWestern

EasternAble

DisabledChristian

MuslimCisgender

Transgender

Impact of Gender

• There are different rules for the behavior of males and female in all aspects of our lives.• Because we live in a society that places

higher value on men (among other social categories) these rules result in differential access to power and resources.

Privilege

The social positioning of one group over another group that leads to unearned, systematic advantage for those who are

privileged and unwarranted systematic disadvantage for those who are

subordinate.

Intersectionality• Feminist framework• Oppressions,

institutions are mutually reinforcing• Racism is reinforced

by sexism which is reinforced by classism.

Intersectionality

•We all occupy multiple social locations•Our identities cannot be reduced•Mix of privileged and subjugated

positions•Oppressions are not additive • a black woman is not simply twice as

oppressed as a white woman

Intersectionality

• System of Domination• Interlocking, mutually reinforcing• All the “isms” work together•Not all privileges and oppressions are

equivalent to each other• “There can be no single-issue politics”

– Audre Lorde

Hegemonic Gender Ideology

• According to Lorber and MM, how do we learn to do gender?•What are some consequences for us if we

resist hegemonic gender ideologies?•What does it mean to “internalize

oppression”?•Why is “neutrality” with regard to

hegemonic ideologies problematic?

Hegemonic Gender Ideology

•What are some concrete examples of the effects of “intersectional” oppressions?•Why is it important that as we think about

gender we think about other categories of oppression, too?•What does it mean to be a “good” ally?

Hegemonic Gender Ideology

What role does popular culture plan in maintaining hegemonic gender ideologies?