SOSC 200Y Gender and Society

Lecture 2: Women vs Men

L2: 11.09.06

Women in society

• Malestream sociology– Biased in terms of issues of interested,

theories and methods

• Official Statistics and social research

– Biology

– Psychology

– Anthropology

L2: 11.09.06

Physiological differences between average men and women

Female Male

Amount of body fat 15% 7.5%

Amount of muscle in body 36% 43%

Heart volume/ml 600 770

Hemoglobin concentration

/gm per 100 ml blood

13.7 15.8

Oxygen content of blood

/ml oxygen per 100 ml blood

16.7 19.2

L2: 11.09.06

Biological and Psychological differences between men and women

• Chromosome:– XX vs XY

• Hormones:– Estrogen vs Testosterone

• Temperament:– Dependency vs Aggression– Sociability vs Object relations

• Brain size and function

• Ability and behaviour:– Verbal vs Mathematical

L2: 11.09.06

Anthropological studies of 224 culturesNo. of cultures in which task is:

Tasks Feminine Shared Masculine

Tasks claimed by Murdock (social structure) to be universally masculine:

Lumbering 6 8 104Mining and quarrying 1 2 35Land clearance 13 44 73Building of dwellings 36 73 100Hunting 0 13 166Fishing 4 56 98Herding 5 12 38Trade 7 56 51

Tasks claimed by Murdock (social structure) to be universally feminine:

Gathering of vegetable products, etc 137 50 20Water-carrying 119 12 7Cooking 158 38 5Manufacture and repair of clothing 95 20 12

L2: 11.09.06

Universal division of labour(The Hunter-Gatherer Thesis)

Man naturally strong Man in hunting Tool-making Male strength Organization, Art,

Culture Human Survival and

Civilization

Women naturally weak Women in gathering Infant dependent/

Female care Caring Instinct Home Based

L2: 11.09.06

Replicate the research

Biological research Untrained sex difference

Trained sex difference

Hemoglobin /gm per kg body weight 26.7% 8.8%

Blood volume /ml per kg body weight 17.2% 1.7%

Heart volume /ml per kg body weight 24.1% 3.2%

• Cognitive research– Intellectual Aptitude, Memory, Verbal skills: no difference– Quantitative skills: no difference before high school– Visual-spatial abilities: males perform better– Cognitive styles: no difference in analytic or computer abilities– Creativity: Unclear

L2: 11.09.06

Other research results• Personality and Temperament:

– Personality: girls describe themselves as more people-oriented– Temperament: unclear

• Communication Patterns:– Verbal: male dominate conversations; female listen. Situational – Nonverbal: males dominate after childhood; female are more

sensitive to nonverbal cues. Situational, cultural factors are important.

• Power-Related Behaviors:– Aggressiveness, Dominance, Competitiveness: Male – Assertiveness, Achievement, Motivations: unclear

from Basow, A (1992) Gender: Stereotypes and Roles, p.101

L2: 11.09.06

Modes of feminist challenge• Bringing women back in: the “add-and-stir” approach• Complex structures of capitalist patriarchy• Inventing feminist theories and methods• Continuing debates

Strategic concern Academic concern

Liberal F. Legislative change Educate the public

Making women visible

Marxist F. Critique of capitalism Theories of capitalist patriarchy

Radical F. Critique of total male domination

Alternative theories and methods