GNS Midterm Reviewer

Chapter 1 - Theoretical Perspectives on Gender
Gender - socially constructed roles ascribed to individuals
Three major sociological perspectives:

1. Functionalist perspective - society as a system of interconnected parts that work
together to create a stability
- Functional or dysfunctional
- Manifest functions or latent functions
2. Conflict perspective - society as a struggle for dominance among social groups that
compete for scarce resources
3. Symbolic Interactionist perspective - aims to understand human behavior through
individual human interactions
Chapter 2 - Gender Identity, Role and Development
Gender identity - personal conception of oneself as male or female; influenced by biological,

psychological, and social variables
Gender role - outward expression of gender identity based on cultural and social expectations
Gender development - maturation of gender identity
Gender socialization - the process where a child learns the norms that society has created for
his or her gender
Major theories on the development of gender identity:

1. Psychoanalytic theory of psychological development by Sigmund Freud
a. Id - most primitive, immediate satisfaction of desires
b. Ego - rationalization of situations, doing what is reasonable in a certain
circumstance
c. Superego - conscience, the moral judgment an individual has of what is right and
wrong
Stages of psychosexual development
a. Oral stage (birth to 2 years old)
b. Anal stage
c. Phallic stage (5 to 6 years old)
i. Oedipal complex - when a boy disdains his father, has very close
attachment to his mother
ii. Electra complex - when a young girl competes with her mother for the
affection of her father
2. Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura
- Gender identity is developed based on the influence of other people, particularly
parents
Stages of learning:
a. Attention
b. Memory
c. Imitation
d. Motivation
3. Cognitive Development Theory
- Gender identity is developed by the child’s own perception, thinking, and
understanding of the events happening around him or her
Chapter 3 - Gender and Sexuality
Sex differences between men and women

1. Ruben Gur, PhD - females have 15-20% more gray matter than males
2. White matter in males is more evenly distributed; white matter in females is concentrated
in the corpus callosum which makes females more attuned to verbal tasks
3. Blood flow to the brain is faster in women
Chapter 4 - Gender and Family
Homogamy - tendency to choose to marry someone similar in age, education, religion, social
class, and race
Heterogamy - tendency to marry someone not like themselves
Technological Determinism Theory - cultural and societal norms are dependent on the
technology the individuals are consuming
Gender roles in marriage

Functionalism - families operate best when husband and wife do not overlap roles
Conflict theories - marriage and families as made up of individuals with differing amounts of
resources and power, with individual interests to protect and defend
Forms of marriage
Monogamy - permits a man to take only one spouse at a time
Polygamy - marriage where a man can marry two or more women at the same time
Marriage based on authority

Patriarchal family - authority is vested on the oldest male in the family
Matriarchal family - authority is vested on the mother’s kin
Egalitarian family - husband and wife exercise an equal amount of authority
Transition in Parenthood
Motherhood - “motherhood mandate”
- Assumes that it is the women’s obligation to dedicate her life unselfishly
to the raising of her children and to always be on call for her child’s needs
Fatherhood - fathers assume the role of provider, breadwinner, and disciplinarian
Alternatives to Traditional Families

1. Househusbands - men who give up their breadwinning roles to take on household tasks
and child care
2. Mothers and Single-Parent Household
3. Fathers and Single-Parent Household
4. Gay and Lesbian Families and Relationships
Chapter 5 - Gender and Education
“A country which is unable to develop the skills and knowledge of its people and to utilize
them effectively in the national economy will be unable to develop anything else.” - Frederick H.
Harbinson
Education - vital instrument for the improvement of welfare and alleviation of poverty (Eirene P.
Mesa)
- Allows for social and economic mobility
“Insufficient or poor education deprives a person of the means of doing and becoming”
- Education empowers individuals to achieve their goals
Philippine Commission on Women - lead agency that works for the promotion of gender
equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights
Chapter 6 - Gender and Work
1. Traditional Gender Ideology - emphasizes that men’s sphere is work and women’s
sphere is the home
2. Egalitarian Gender Ideology - proposes that power is distributed equally between men
and women and that each group identifies equally with the same spheres
● In 2015 there were only 21 female heads of state in the entire world.
● Women currently hold 24, or 4.8 percent of CEO positions at S&P 500
companies.
● Only 30% of the world’s researchers are women.
● Over 150 countries have at least one actively sexist law.
● Each minute, 28 girls are married before they are ready.
● 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their
lifetime.
● In most countries, women only earn between 60 and 75% of men’s wages—for
the same work.
● There are approximately 781 million illiterate adults worldwide—two-thirds of
whom are women.
● 62 million girls are denied in education all over the world.
● In 2015, only one-half of the world’s working-age women were in the labor force,
compared to 77% working-age men.
● Women with full-time jobs still earn only about 77% of their male counterparts’
earnings.
Table from: Gender and Society Book
All the best in your midterms! Take your time to read each item carefully and try your best to
comprehend. God bless. - Kyla Ibarr

GNS Midterm Reviewer

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Chapter 1 - Theoretical Perspectives on Gender

Gender - socially constructed roles ascribed to individuals

Three major sociological perspectives:

Chapter 2 - Gender Identity, Role and Development

Gender identity - personal conception of oneself as male or female; influenced by biological,

Major theories on the development of gender identity:

Chapter 3 - Gender and Sexuality

Sex differences between men and women

Chapter 4 - Gender and Family

Gender roles in marriage

Marriage based on authority

Alternatives to Traditional Families

Chapter 5 - Gender and Education

Chapter 6 - Gender and Work

Table from: Gender and Society Book

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