Exam 8: Sexuality and Gender

According to the text, what sort of play does GI Joe encourage?

In 1967, the gender gap in earnings was first reported. What has happened to the gap since then?

List the advantages of single-sex schooling for girls.

Outline the Marxist (social conflict) explanation of the root of male domination.

According to the text, women tend to earn less than men because the skills required of "women's work" are less valued.

Identify the meaning of the term masculinities.

Why do men commit more frequent (and more harmful) acts of aggression against women than women commit against men?

Describe the consequences of homophobia. Explain how heterosexuality is sanctioned.

Even though Katie does a completely different job than her brother Kevin at the processing plant, their wages are the same because they are based on the level of skill, training, and responsibility that each of them needs for the job. What do sociologists call this situation?

Naomi was as a hired as a hardware engineer last year. For the most part she gets along very well with her predominantly male colleagues. She is aware that a supervisory position is about to open up, but is concerned that she may not have an equal chance at the promotion. Every fall, the boss organizes a guy's weekend retreat at his family cottage, and Karen is worried that being excluded from this social event outside work gives her male colleagues an unfair advantage. What do sociologists call this kind of employment barrier?

Men commit more frequent and more harmful acts against women because men, on average, are physically more powerful than women.

Research the platforms of Canada's and your province's political parties. Which of the parties, if any, put forward policies that are intended to encourage gender equality, most specifically pay equity and child care policies.

Define essentialism. Research some current examples of cultures and social norms that illustrate each of the four criticisms of an essentialist argument.

Explain why homosexuality has become less stigmatized over the past century.

When a company rewards women and men differently for the same work, which of the following is it engaging in?

Alexandra has recently graduated with a heavy equipment operator diploma from a community college. She had excellent grades, and did especially well in the practical courses. Her co-op work placement supervisor wrote her a glowing reference letter. She cannot understand why even though many of her male classmates have already found work in their field, she hasn't even been offered an interview yet. The only work she has found is as a waitress. What do sociologists call this employment situation?

Ellen is the CEO for a large multinational advertising firm. Most of her employees consider her highly competitive and aggressive. While she is married and does have a child, her husband, a musician, stays home with the child. What does the existence of this couple suggest?

What is the evolutionary explanation for the claim that mothers have a relatively greater investment in their children than do the fathers of those very same children?

Research suggests that babies develop a full-blown sense of gender identity by the time they are between the ages of 2 and 3 years.

Spend an evening conducting a content analysis of TV programs and advertisements. Identify the gender roles and ideals that are dominant. Comment on whether any progress toward gender equality is evident in current media.