Sociology of Gender - Essay Example

?Summary The first article to be reviewed for the purpose of this paper is by Janet S. Chafetz d, ‘Feminist Theory and Sociology: Underutilized Contributions for Mainstream Theory’. This article critically looks at varied feminist theories that have evolved in the last two decades within sociology. The author opinions that though very weak theoretical efforts have been taken to produce the topic, it could transform sociological comprehension of social stratification by the interesting argument it puts forward, that, “the three forms of oppression are not separate and additive, but interactive and multiplicative in their effects”. The next summary is of the film, Two Spirits, directed by Lydia Nibley and produced and written by Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley. It traces the real life story of Fred Martinez, a Navajo teen, whose life came to an abrupt halt at 16 years, when he was brutally murdered by another young man named Murphy. The film interestingly follows a historical timeline as it explores Fred’s carefree and brave life as a nadleehi (a male-bodied individual with a female personality) and at the same time investigates traditions that were once extensively prevalent among the indigenous people of North America. With the looming threat of an entire tradition being wiped out from among the natives, the film slowly returns to the brutal crime that took place on 16th June, 2001 in Cortez. It explores the murder site where Murphy, viciously bludgeoned Fred to death with a rock, just for being different and later bragged about it to his friends saying he, “bug-smashed a fag”. Following narratives by Paula Mitchell, Fred’s mother, Richard La Fortune, activist of the Yupik tribe, and Cathy Renna, a leader in the LGBT community, the viewer gets a very clear picture of the vile nature of the hate crime that was meted out to young Fred. This film is created so that people can understand, accept and be compassionate about issues of gender diversity and at the same time recognize and celebrate it, in view with the wiser, traditional American cultures. The director’s attempt through this film seems to be – ‘to transform through sharing’. The last article for review is the introduction chapter of the book titled, ‘The Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality’ written by Sandra Lipsitz Bem. This chapter reviews the historical transformation of America’s social consciousness with regard to philosophy and treatment of women. It traces historical beliefs regarding women in religious light and how it later took biological leanings. It depicts how these beliefs were further challenged by the women’s rights movement in the mid-nineteenth century and later by feminist advocacy in the early 1960s. However, the author believes that even within these changing times there exist “lenses of gender” which seek to infuse male power into social institutions and social reality, methodically and invisibly. Identifying the three lenses of gender as being – androcentrism, gender polarization and biological essentialism, the author considers them to be ways by which culture is reproducing male power. If a path can be devised to stop these discourses and enculturation, the author trusts that the feminist agenda in America can finally be achieved. Why do men hold the most powerful economic and political positions across the globe? Functionalist theorists believe that society is made up of interdependent parts, each of which plays their part in maintaining the smooth functioning of society. Their inherent belief in stability and social control is further enhanced by the common values and belief systems that the people share. This conviction in the idea of social equilibrium is asserted by values regarding family, marriage and gender roles. The conflict theorists are often viewed as being complete opposite to functional theorists because of their view that consensus is only achieved in society through exercise of power and control. They view patriarchal systems as institutionalized mechanisms which promote power imbalances and inequality. Through patriarchy centered concentration of wealth and endogamous marriages, conflict theorists state that dominance of men and subservience of women is ensured. Symbolic interactionists assert that the concept of gender does not exist independently but emerges from a socially constructed course. It is derived from the interaction with others and is best understood as the enactment of a scene operating from a script. Hence, if symbolic interactionists were to explain gender imbalances in powerful economic and political positions across the globe, they would state that the gender roles are prearranged to follow a set script. What social policies would theorists offer as mechanisms to make this situation more gender equitable? Functional theorists would promote social policies on education, social security and healthcare supported by the welfare state as it would ease the burden on the family roles. In such a household then, women will be able to reprise their role merely as nurturers and extend it to career achiever, also with growing freedom for the male from his needs providing role, some of the domestic chores could be divided to ensure a more gender equitable situation. Three Lenses of Gender Sandra Lipsitz Bem in her book outlines three lenses of gender, namely, androcentrism, gender polarization and biological essentialism. The first lens, androcentrism is defined as the postulation well imbibed in Western thought processes that men’s experience are the norm while the views of women are those of the “other”. Taking men as the norm, according to Bem, people infer actions of others as being divergent from the standard. These norms clearly show a systematic and endemic bias. The second lens that Bem talks about is, gender polarization. She defines it as the conviction that men and women stand opposed to each other in a spectrum which is rigidly defined by processes of acculturation and biology. The last lens outlined in Bem’s book is biological essentialism, “which rationalizes and legitimizes both other lenses by treating them as natural and inevitable consequences of the intrinsic biological natures of women and men”. Proposing her interactionist theory, she states that accepting that men and women are intrinsically different from one another; these differences should be respected not undervalued. Which do you think is the most harmful to women and why? Gender inequality today is perpetuated most deeply by culturally constructed connections, which are powered by gender polarization. Therefore, I believe that gender polarization is the most harmful lens for women since it restricts them and their sexuality. What it essentially does is eliminate gender categories in between the male and female spectrum thus creating two very distinguishable sets. While doing so it attaches to each set a certain consciousness which is highly biased. It reinforces ideals of dependency, emotional instability and consumerism among women thus, establishing for them very low self-esteem and self-worth. Comparing and Contrasting Branches of Feminist Theory Lindsey in her book, ‘Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective’, studies the different branches of feminist theory in a view to deal with the associations of gender with other social categories. How each category constructs gender to meet their specific needs and concerns, she claims result in different feminisms, based on this construct, she provides us with: Liberal Feminism, Cultural Feminism; Radical Feminism; Socialist Feminism; Multicultural and Global Feminism and Ecofeminism Chafetz on the other hand believes that even though most feminist theories focus much of their attention on gender, it is not the only feature which defines it. The branches of feminist theory according to Chafetz are: Neo-Marxist Theories; Cultural and Social Macrostructural Theories; Rational Choice and Exchange Theories; Network and Status Expectations Theories; Symbolic Interactionist and Ethnomethodological Theories and Neo-Freudian and Role Theories While Lindsey’s view on feminist theory is more traditional in its approach and takes on only one perspective, Chafetz’z description is much more explanatory and illuminating. Lindsey’s approach seems very contextual and fits the needs of the Western world; however it forgets to address the intricacies present in more complex societies. Both authors discuss in their ambit Marx-inspired feminist theories. They talk about how, when industrialization began, women were denied opportunities of waged labor since they were seen merely as instruments for reproducing and maintaining current and future labor forces but since the introduction of a global capitalism model, women have been sought by new-age capitalists to supply cheap labor. References Bem, Sandra Lipsitz. "Introduction." Bem, Sandra Lipsitz. The Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality. Binghamton, NY: Yale University Press, 1994. 256. Chafetz, Janet Saltzman. "Feminist Theory and Sociology: Underutilized Contributions for Mainstream Theory." Annual Review of Sociology 23 (1997): 97-120. "The Sociology of Gender: Theoretical Perspectives and Feminist Frameworks." Lindsey, Linda L. Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective. 5th Edition. NJ: Pearson, 2011. 528. Two Spirits. By Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley. Dir. Lydia Nibley. Perf. Craig Benally. Prods. Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley. 2009. Read More