Anthropology - Human Diversity
Worksheet #3
Sex & Gender
Part 1
Instructions: Please indicate whether the following are gender or sex characteristics.
1. Having ovaries: sex
2. Giving birth: sex
3. Producing sperm: sex
4. Having testes: sex
5. Having XY chromosomes: sex
6. Taking care of children: gender
7. Providing [food, shelter, etc] for the household: gender
8. Doing well in sports: gender
9. Being neat: gender
10. Being aggressive: gender
Part 2
Below are common gender stereotypes in U.S. society. Your task for this part of the worksheet is to write a reflection as an anthropologist: break them down and determine whether these stereotypes are rooted in biological truths or if they are culturally constructed. Please write down your thoughts; I have put questions beneath each statement to encourage reflection, but you don’t need to answer them all.
1. “Men have more casual views about sex.”
Do you think the reason for this stereotype is because men are biologically different from women (and other genders) or is it because society has taught men to behave certain ways and taught women to behave certain ways? Is it the same in other industrialized cultures? What about foraging cultures?
Why do you think that and where do you think this stereotype comes from?
The most common idea supporting this statement is that because men have higher testosterone levels they have higher sex drives and therefore in order to simply “satiate the carnal desire” they have more casual views about sex. However, with a new study (*) with healthy subjects this has been shown to be completely false - there is no correlation. What is more likely, according to the scientist at the head of the study, is that in our society men are taught from a young age to be more comfortable with their bodies than women, and this leads to disproportionate masturbation rates. This is relevant because although they do not know whether sexual desire or masturbation always comes first, what they do know is most of the time masturbation leads to sexual desire. If men are more comfortable touching their bodies they are more likely than women to be stirring up their sexual desire (also men don’t receive backlash in society if they try to pursue or even talk about pursuing the desire with another individual).
There is definitely a cultural construction of how men and women should think about and respond to sex. Men are seen as strong conquerors (which can be dangerous!) and get “points” for “scoring” a lady. (Heterosexuals especially uphold this. While heterosexuals tend to view gay men as weak, within the gay community gay men also seem to respond to our men-must-have-the-most-sex culture.) The more people they sleep with the more bragging rights they have and the more successful they seem (at least among other men). However, women are seen as weak and emotional so they’re more choosy with their partners (which makes hetero male bragging rights all that much “better.”) and would prefer the encounter to be meaningful. The truth is there are women who have preferences like culturally-approved men and men who have preferences like culturally-approved women (but of course these people are shamed). Our society has assigned a certain “appropriate” code of conduct for each gender in the binary system.
The “man the hunter” hypothesis appears to be a likely origin for this gender stereotyping. Particularly because it suggests that female bodies were fundamentally passive to evolution - so why wouldn’t they be passive bodies in other parts of life too? Passivity is usually associated with weakness (as are emotions). Also if a man is able to take down a bear, shouldn’t he be able to “take down” a woman too if he is truly a man? Plus isn’t a woman’s whole purpose to stay at home and rear children? So what’s the problem with that? The ignorance surrounding females in a society (and other societies around the world) forgets the incredibly important role mothers play, the equality between the sexes, and the variety that exists in nature. This fake science forces a narrative on people that most benefits the men in society who have an inferiority complex and need to assert their superiority above others. And so the culture was kindled.
* livescience.com/21114-testosterone-sex-drive-masturbation.html
2. “Girls suck at math.”
Is this stereotype rooted in a biological difference between girls and boys or is it because of some societal influence, such as barriers to girls interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)?
What kinds of toys are boys vs girls exposed to when they are young? Would this contribute to a difference in their interests in school subjects?
Do teachers have a role in this at all?
The stereotype is definitely from societal influence. It doesn’t make any sense from our evolutionary history that men would be inherently better at math. And modern studies further support environmental factors, not biological ones, that affect success of males and females in certain fields. It is in places where we see greater gender equality that we also see this gender gap shrink (&). But of course our society supports this misconception that men are just biologically more logical and therefore more likely to be skilled in math. This is what leads to people investing more in boys to pursue STEM careers (whether it be parents or teachers etc.). This strong man, weak woman dichotomy can make it difficult for some women and men to accept their more stereotypically female interests because society makes it mean they are weak or doing a “woman’s job” (meaning really something more akin to a “servant's job”). Girls are also actively turned off from STEM careers as people tell them it will be too hard and they won’t be able to be successful.
And early exposure to gender roles through children's toys would definity contribute to a person’s future career goal. People tend to pursue something that they already feel enmeshed in and already know that they enjoy. In other words we are responding to our surroundings when we choose a career. Therefore, if we just look at the two most basic toys associated with gender, cars for boys and dolls for girls, and we assume that those toys are loved by their owners, is it not plausible that a boy might want to go into technology or engineering and a girl might want to become a nurse or a social worker or teacher? People can be interested in many things but in the end we pursue what we were exposed to. How do you know if you like something if you haven’t tried it or thought about it or knew it existed? And how do you develop skills in this same type of unknown area? It is the environment that we provide for our children that plays a statistically significant role in the differences in the ability of men and women, not our biology. Also sure people vary (although all of whom are people), but the individual biological advantages we may have over each other (e.g. flexibility) are negligible when we account for exposure and experience.
& https://www.apa.org/action/resources/research-in-action/share
3. “Women are better cooks.”
Is this stereotype rooted in a biological difference between men and women? Or is it a cultural expectation?
Do you imagine a man or woman in your mind’s eye when you hear the word “chef”? Why?
The grounds for this statement are wholly cultural. I don’t think people even make fake scientific excuses for this. They know this statement is made because women are “supposed to be” in the kitchen.
The annoying thing is a “chef” usually brings to mind a man. Why is that? Because “chef” is a success title. A (successful) man provides for his family and a woman just takes care of the family and the house at home (she does not need to be successful). A chef is rewarded for “his” efforts and provides for “his” family, whereas a woman cook at home is just expected and she does not need to be rewarded.
Side note: Why does it seem like everything in this class is controversial?? Omg more people just need to take this class (with an open mind)!!
Do you think the reason for this stereotype is because men are biologically different from women (and other genders) or is it because society has taught men to behave certain ways and taught women to behave certain ways? Is it the same in other industrialized cultures? What about foraging cultures?
Why do you think that and where do you think this stereotype comes from?
2. “Girls suck at math.”
Is this stereotype rooted in a biological difference between girls and boys or is it because of some societal influence, such as barriers to girls interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)?
What kinds of toys are boys vs girls exposed to when they are young? Would this contribute to a difference in their interests in school subjects?
Do teachers have a role in this at all?
The stereotype is definitely from societal influence. It doesn’t make any sense from our evolutionary history that men would be inherently better at math. And modern studies further support environmental factors, not biological ones, that affect success of males and females in certain fields. It is in places where we see greater gender equality that we also see this gender gap shrink (&). But of course our society supports this misconception that men are just biologically more logical and therefore more likely to be skilled in math. This is what leads to people investing more in boys to pursue STEM careers (whether it be parents or teachers etc.). This strong man, weak woman dichotomy can make it difficult for some women and men to accept their more stereotypically female interests because society makes it mean they are weak or doing a “woman’s job” (meaning really something more akin to a “servant's job”). Girls are also actively turned off from STEM careers as people tell them it will be too hard and they won’t be able to be successful.
And early exposure to gender roles through children's toys would definity contribute to a person’s future career goal. People tend to pursue something that they already feel enmeshed in and already know that they enjoy. In other words we are responding to our surroundings when we choose a career. Therefore, if we just look at the two most basic toys associated with gender, cars for boys and dolls for girls, and we assume that those toys are loved by their owners, is it not plausible that a boy might want to go into technology or engineering and a girl might want to become a nurse or a social worker or teacher? People can be interested in many things but in the end we pursue what we were exposed to. How do you know if you like something if you haven’t tried it or thought about it or knew it existed? And how do you develop skills in this same type of unknown area? It is the environment that we provide for our children that plays a statistically significant role in the differences in the ability of men and women, not our biology. Also sure people vary (although all of whom are people), but the individual biological advantages we may have over each other (e.g. flexibility) are negligible when we account for exposure and experience.
& https://www.apa.org/action/resources/research-in-action/share
3. “Women are better cooks.”
Is this stereotype rooted in a biological difference between men and women? Or is it a cultural expectation?
Do you imagine a man or woman in your mind’s eye when you hear the word “chef”? Why?
The grounds for this statement are wholly cultural. I don’t think people even make fake scientific excuses for this. They know this statement is made because women are “supposed to be” in the kitchen.
The annoying thing is a “chef” usually brings to mind a man. Why is that? Because “chef” is a success title. A (successful) man provides for his family and a woman just takes care of the family and the house at home (she does not need to be successful). A chef is rewarded for “his” efforts and provides for “his” family, whereas a woman cook at home is just expected and she does not need to be rewarded.
Side note: Why does it seem like everything in this class is controversial?? Omg more people just need to take this class (with an open mind)!!
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