What is the male gaze, and how does it impact body image for girls and women?
- The way women are viewed, which objectifies them and asses their sexual desirability and positions as sexual objects
- Keeps women always searching for the perfect look
- It is the dominant cultural way or seeing women is not always achievable
- Women internalize the male gaze and it destroys self esteem
What are the main gender differences reflected in sexuality?
Male: Competition, need for control, masculinity, status for sexual experience, phallicentric, more visual, sexuality
Women: Femininity, sexually selective, love, nurturance, connection and emotionality, intimacy, friendship, love
How does gender affect face-to-face communications?
- disclose more to same gender than opposite
- different language
- Men make more direct declarative statements, women negotiate in private, ask more questions, use more personal pronouns
- Men interrupt women more than women interrupt men
How are media both like and unlike other primary socializing institutions?
Like:
- Reflecting existing gender differences
- Construct gender norms
- Reproduce inequalities making them seem natural
Unlike:
- Not one single entity
- more complex than other institutions
- Lawless
- exposed to media over entire lifetime where as family, school and church loose significance
- Constant exposure
- Continually changing
Describe the gendering of print media for men and women
Women:
- polyvocal
- women are more likely to crossover into men’s print than vice versa
- 4/5 novels are bought by women
Men:
- Monotonal
- Wont read fiction or girly books
Discuss the three challenges to workplace integration that use the term ‘glass’
Glass Ceiling: prevents women from moving up in the workforce with men.
Glass Escalator: effects of sexism outweight the effects of tokenism. When men enter a non-traditional occupation they are promoted faster than women
Glass Cellar: Men being stuck in hard and hazardous jobs
Discuss sex segregation in employment and its gendered implications
Sex segregation: refers to women and men’s concentration in different occupations and industries. Different occupations are presented as better suited for certain genders
Vertical segregation: segregations associated with different levels of education, and experience in the same field of career
Horizontal segregation: segregations with occupations in different fields but have the same level of education and skill
Explain the nature of prevalence of female criminality and violence
- Women are a small minority of offenders
- Women’s reasons for committing crimes are different from men
- Most common crimes are theft, common assault, administration of justice
- 6-10% of prison population is women
- Less likely to re-offend
- Less likely to commit violent crimes
- Kill differently
- Less likely to kill strangers
- Only area of crime where men and women are charged equally is prostitution
- Mad, Bad or Victim usually
How is gendered violence an institutional as well as interpersonal problem?
Institutional:
- Violence is a simple aggression of insecure men desperate to prove their masculinity
- Males are taught in school and media
- Gyms, locker rooms
Interpersonal:
- Wife expectation of men
- Tough manly man
- Family violence (siblings)
- Sexual assault
- Stalking
Eco-Feminist and Marxist views on Pink ribbon campaign
Eco-Feminist: plastics, and the environment are the cause.
Marxist: No progress will be made as long as it is about capitalism. True awareness will never be reached as long as it’s used as advertising.
Define subsistence economy and money based economy
Subsistence economy: ability to work = survival
Money based economy: Women’s work is not valued, not every woman contributes to the wage economy, but every woman works. Women segregate in lower paying careers with devalued work
Two theories on women in mass media:
Reflection: Mass media holds a mirror up to reality and reflects it
Symbolic annihilation: Color, plus-size, realistic women are symbolically annihilated in mass media
Barriers that effect women’s health
- Income
- Location
- Hours of operation
- Language barrier
- Disability barrier
- Lack of childcare
- Lack of choice of doctor
Women’s role in corporate crime
- Corporate crime = accessibility
- Women are the minority in high corporate jobs
- Women receive more media attention, and more severe sentences
Idea of power Feminism
- Isn’t about oppressing someone else to gain power
- Women have to take credit for their successes and help themselves
- Work together with men to alleviate sexism
- Don’t bring men down to women’s level, but bring women up to men’s
3 different bodies for men in conflict with the law:
Imprisoned body: - Structured and regulated, no control - Hegemonic masculinity Free body: - Stigma (tattooed) - Sexuality Ageing body: - No age markers in prison - Can no longer do heavy labour - Society prioritises the youthful body
Three laws of prostitution
- Communication for the purpose
- Living off the avails
- Keeping a common body house
Two Women’s health models
Medical Model: - Everything is fixed biologically - Everything is biological and scientific Holistic Model: - Other causes for problems than biology - Psychiatric help -Mental health and underlying symptoms
