Glossary of sociological terms
This glossary will define seven different sociological
terms. It will also include a filmed micro teach on gender. The seven terms
that will be defined are:
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Sex
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Gender
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Gender roles
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Masculinity
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Femininity
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Gender identity
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Sexuality
Sex
Within sociology the term sex (Monash university 2004)
refers to the biological differences between males and females, such as
hormones, chromosome’s and internal and external sex organs. According to
Giddens and Sutton (2013) some scientists believe that men and women behave
differently due to their biological differences, however sociologists argue
that this is a reductionist theory as it reduces complex human behaviour down
to simple biological differences. This is known as essentialism as explained by
Giddens and Sutton (2013). As explained by Lawson and Garrod (2006) although
sex and gender are connected to each other they are not viewed as directly
related. However, Haralambos and Holburn (2013) have a different view and say
that sex and gender are almost impossible to define separately.
Gender
Gender is the characteristics that societies and cultures
define as being masculine or feminine (Monash university 2004). As explained by
Haralambos and Holburn (2013) gender is socially constructed and is learnt
behaviour as opposed to being a result of biological differences between males
and females. This is supported by Giddens and Sutton (2013, p.636) “Gender is
linked to socially constructed notions of masculinity and femininity and is not
necessarily or inevitably a direct product of biological sex”.
Gender Roles 
Gender roles are learnt through gender socialization, which
is the learning of what it is to be masculine or feminine, through different
social agencies such as the mass media and schools (Punch, et al 2013). As cited by Giddens and Sutton (2013, p.637)
“They are guided in this process by positive and negative sanctions, socially
applied forces which reward or restrain behaviour”. The functionalist view on
gender socialization is that it is a necessary process in maintaining the
social order (Giddens and Sutton 2013). However as cited by Haralambos and
Holburn (2013, p. 101) “The media have been particularly strongly attacked by
feminists for tending to portray men and women in their traditional social
roles”.
Masculinity
According to Abercrombie, et al (2006) in modern western
society it is considered masculine to be aggressive, independent and active.
Recent research on masculinity (Washington university 2015) found that men who
believe they fall short of these ideals will assert their masculinity in other
ways such as, exaggerating their height, and claiming to be more aggressive and
athletic. Gilmores research into masculinity found that there are three typical
features of masculinity found in most societies these are, men are the
impregnator, men are the provider and men are the protector (Haralambos and
Holburn 2013). However he found that in
Tahiti there is much less of a difference between masculinity and femininity
(Haralambos and Holburn 2013). As cited by Punch, et al (2013, p.222)
“Feminists pointed out that traditional masculinity often disempowered women
and led to their subordination”.
Femininity
Feminine traits tend to be different within different
societies and cultures (Abercrombie, et al 2006). As explained by Haralambos
and Holburn (2013) the dominant traits that are considered to be feminine are passivity,
dependence, emotion and nurturing. This has been challenged by feminists who
believe that these traits disempower women, as cited by Punch, et al (2013
p.221) “Socialization into roles that stress romance, marriage and motherhood
have been seen as particularly restrictive and as providing an effective way of
obtaining female subordination”. According to Abercrombie, et al (2006) in
modern western society it is considered feminine to be sexually attractive,
caring and warm. The mass media is filled with images of the ideal female,
leaving many women dissatisfied with the way they look (Haralambos and Holburn
2013). Many studies have been conducted in this area, as cited by Wolf (1990,
p.10) “thirty three thousand American women told researchers that they would
rather lose ten to fifteen pounds than achieve any other goal”.
Gender identity
Within sociology gender identity is an individual’s
self-identification of being feminine or masculine (Monash University 2004). This
implies that individuals are able to choose their gender role, however in
mainstream society, sex and gender are socially conditioned from a young age (Abercrombie,
et al 2006). As explained by Giddens and Sutton (2013) some individuals are not
comfortable with these associations and show persistent discomfort with their
biological sex or discomfort with the expectations of their gender role, this
is known as gender identity disorder. Gender identity disorder can arise as
early as childhood, and this disorder is poorly understood in mainstream
society and culture (Monash University 2004).
Sexuality
Sexuality is considered a taboo, and a highly personal
subject (Punch, et al 2013). As explained by Giddens and Sutton (2013) sexual
orientation is the direction of an individual’s romantic attraction. The most
common sexual orientation is heterosexuality, which is the attraction to a
person of the opposite sex (Giddens and Sutton 2013). Homosexuality is the
attraction to a person of the same sex, and bisexual is the attraction to a
person of either sex (Punch, et al 2013). According to Giddens and Sutton
(2013) in some non-western cultures same sex relationships are accepted and
sometimes even encouraged, for example the Batak people of northern Sumatra. However
in other cultures, such as modern western society homosexual relationships are still
not universally accepted, and are not given the same sanctions within social
policy and the law as heterosexual relationships (Punch, et al 2013). Feminists
argue that heterosexual relationships promote a patriarchal structure, this is
where the male of the household oppresses the female, this is particularly true
of Muslim women as they are more restricted by the family structure than other
women (Haralambos and Holburn 2013).
Further reading links
http://www.criticalmediaproject.org/cml/topicbackground/gender/
Reference list
Abercrombie, N., Hill, S. and Turner, B.S. (2006) The Penguin dictionary of Sociology.
London: The Penguin Group
Ann-Maree Nobelius., 2004. What is the difference between
sex and gender?. [online] Monash University. Available at:< http://www.med.monash.edu.au/gendermed/sexandgender.html>
[Accessed 24th November 2016]
Deborah Bach., 2015. Manning up: Men may overcompensate when
their masculinity is threatened. [online] University of Washington. Available
at: <http://www.washington.edu/news/2015/06/22/manning-up-men-may-overcompensate-when-their-masculinity-is-threatened/>
[Accessed 1 December 2016]
[Filmic Representation of gender] n.d. [image online]
Available at:< https://uk.pinterest.com/profresh/sociology/>[Accessed 8th
December 2016]
[Gender Identity] n.d. [image online] Available at:<
http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/you-wont-believe-the-latest-option-for-gender-identity/>[Accessed
8th December 2016]
[Gender sterotypes] n.d [image online] Available at:<
http://www.herslate.com/2016/02/gender-stereotypes-and-gender-roles/>[Accessed
8th December 2016]
Giddens, A., and Sutton, P.W. (2013) Sociology. 7th edn. Cambridge: Polity Press
Haralambos, M. and Holburn, M. (2013) Haralambos & Holburn sociology: Themes and perspectives. 8th
edn. London: Collins Educational
Lawson, T. and Garrod, J. (2006) The complete A-Z sociology handbook. 2nd edn. London:
Green Gate Publishing services.
[Male and Female relationship sign] n.d. [image online]
Available
at:<http://www.psdgraphics.com/psd-icons/male-and-female-signs/>[Accessed
8th December 2016]
[Masculinity and Femininity myths and stereotypes] n.d.
[image online] Available
at:<https://uk.pinterest.com/mlshooter25/negative-masculinity-tyler-d/>[Accessed
8th December 2016]
Punch, S., Harding, J., Marsh, I., Keating, M. and Harden,
J. (2013) Sociology: Making sense of
society. 5th edn. Harlow: Pearson/Education
Wolf, N. (1990) The
beauty myth: How images of beauty are used against women. London: Vintage
poster, images drawn by myself.
