Social Science 10: Gender Studies

• Social Science 10, Term 3, Unit 1 focuses on Gender Issues.

Defining the Terms: Sex

• Sex is biological, referring to being male, female, or intersex.
• Sex refers to an individual's inherent physical anatomy.

Defining the Terms: Gender

• Gender is social and cultural.
• Gender includes social roles, behaviors, capacities, and emotional/social characteristics culturally assigned, not biologically determined.
• Gender manifests as:
  • Gender Identity: Internal concept/perception of self as a man, woman, both, or neither.
  • Gender Expression: External communication of gender identity through behavior, clothing, etc. (masculine/feminine).

Categories of Gender

• Cisgender: Identifying similarly to biological sex (male > man, female > woman).
• Transgender: Gender identity differs from assigned physical sex (male > woman, female > man).
• Genderfluid: Not identifying as man or woman, but rather as one or the other, or both.
  • Male > Masculine & Feminine, Female > Feminine & Masculine
• Gender Nonconforming: Not conforming to gender-based expectations by nature or choice.

Sexual Orientation

• Sexual orientation is defined as being romantically and/or sexually attracted to a specific gender.
• Heterosexual: Sexually/romantically attracted exclusively to the other sex.
• Lesbian: Women emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted primarily to other women.
• Gay: Men emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted primarily to other men.
• Bisexual: Emotionally, romantically, and sexually attracted primarily to both men and women.
• Asexual: Not sexually attracted to others and not interested in sex, but may still be romantically attracted to others.
• Pansexual: Sexually and romantically attracted to people regardless of sex and/or gender.

Existentialism

• Emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development.

Foundations of Human Rights

• Right to life, liberty, and personal security.
• Right to equality.
• Freedom from discrimination.
• Recognition as a person before the law.
• Recognition of equality before the law.
• Commitment to Human Rights
• Preserving human dignity.
• Reminder of moral obligation.

Gender Roles

• Gender roles are societal expectations and behaviors assigned to men and women based on cultural norms and traditions.

Cultural Perspective

• Defined by culture:
  • Power structures: Patriarchal or matriarchal.
  • Work opportunities: Male-dominated vs. female-dominated fields.
  • Differing social classes: Variations in experiences among classes.
  • Family dynamics: Traditional vs. liberal upbringing.
  • Portrayal in media: Representations of men/women; influential figures.
  • Differences in beliefs: Variations based on different beliefs.

Historical Perspective: Subservience of Women

• Subservience is the willingness to obey and willingly serve others.
• Manifested as mothers and wives, mental load of housework, and loss of self-identity.
• Precolonial Women: Enjoyed freedom in acquiring property, social status, political rights, and premarital sexual freedom.
• Colonial Women: The idea of being pure and submissive was promoted, faithful to God, property of the husband, bearer of children.

The Rejection of Male Dominance

• Margaret Mead noted male dominance is not a universal phenomenon.

Friedrich Engels and Gender

• Class exploitation led to changing roles and influence of women.
• Capitalism led to the succession of inheritors.
• Women give birth to laborers, and the female body became subjected to male dominance.

Social Perspective: Socialization into Gender

• From Childbirth: Socialization starts from birth, and parents define the gender of the baby, choices made by the parents (clothes, name, toys).
• From Childhood: Children learn masculinity/femininity when learning and moving in a gendered manner.

Process of Socialization into Gender

• According to Ruth Harley Oakley, there are four stages a child is socialized into Gender:
  • Manipulation: Uses physical and verbal manipulations like dressing a child in a masculine or feminine manner.
  • Canalization: Directing the child to a specific path; directing attention toward gender-appropriate objects, toys, and concepts.
  • Verbal Appellation: Using verbal descriptions for what boys and girls are, as well as descriptions of what is expected.
  • Activity Exposure: Orienting the child into gender-appropriate tasks.

Societal Perspective: Institutions and Gender Ideology

• Institutions influence society about gender.
  • Formal Education: Traditionally prioritizing boys, encouraging them in hard sciences and girls in service-oriented fields.
  • Mass Media: Evolving portrayal of women exhibiting both progress and stereotypes.
    • Caretakers and nurturers
    • Romantic interests
    • unrealistic beauty standards.
  • Bechdel Test: The movie must have (1) two named female characters, (2) that talk with each other (3) about anything other than a man/men
  • Religion: Catholicism teaches wives to be good and obedient, and Islam practices purdah (seclusion of women).
  • Language: Subtly maintains gender ideology; "Mankind" or "-man" used as generic references, while the Filipino language is gender-neutral.

Individual Perspective- Gender Roles and Assumptions

• Family & Household:
  • Men: Working, providing.
  • Women: Caring, nurturing.
• Work:
  • Men: Labor-intensive, strength needed.
  • Women: Service & beautification, mild labor.
• Hyperfemininity:
  • Men: Caring too much about physical appearance; "too soft”.
  • Women: "kikay", "maarte”.
• Hypermasculinity:
  • Men: Toxic masculinity, harmful norms like acting tough, suppressing emotions, and encouraging violent attitudes and behaviors.
  • Women: "tomboy".
• Internalized Sexism:
  • Male to male sexism: Shaming showing emotions; shallow friendships
  • Female to female sexism: "not that type of girl”; “pick-me girl"
• Double Standards:
  • A rule or principle which is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups
  • Dating & "Body counts"
  • Expectations as parents
  • Raising sons vs daughters
  • Dress codes
  • Ageism

Gender issues and challenges in Work

• Unequal Pay: According to a World Bank report, 2.4 billion working women around the globe do not have access to the same economic opportunities afforded to men
  • 178 countries have maintained legal barriers that keep women from fully participating in their countries' economy.
  • In at least 86 countries, women face restrictions in the jobs they are allowed to take on.
  • 95 countries do not have laws that guarantee or aid women in receiving equal pay for equal work
  • In 2022, women, on average, made $0.82 for every $1 that men
  • Female managers are paid $0.90 for every $1 paid to male managers, increasing by 4 cents compared to 2021.
  • The Philippines has closed 78.4% of its overall gender gap, making it the top-performing country regarding gender equality in Asia.
  • Experts predict that pay equity can be achieved by 2059 if the gender pay gap keeps closing at its current rate.

Leave

• Maternity Leaves:
  • Female employees are entitled to a maternity leave of 105 days for a normal delivery and 120 days for a cesarean section (C-section) delivery.
  • This can be extended for another 30 days without pay upon the employee's request, subject to approval by the employer.
  • Male employees are entitled to a paternity leave of seven days, which can be taken consecutively or separately, within the first four weeks after childbirth.
  • Hiring bias and inequality related to maternity leave is a complex issue tied to workplace discrimination, gender stereotypes, and inadequate policies.
• Women are “high-risk” hires, disrupting workflow
• Women returning from maternity leave often face slower career progression, fewer opportunities, or even job loss

Violence

• Violence & Harassment:
  • Percentage of women aged 15-49 who have ever experienced various forms of violence by their current or most recent intimate partner:
• 6.4% Physical Violence
• 2.3% Sexual Violence
• 12.2% Emotional Violence

Moral considerations

• Moral obligation, human rights, and human dignity are foundational principles in the fight against gender injustice and in the protection of women.
• MORAL OBLIGATION
  • A moral obligation compels individuals, communities, and governments to act against gender injustice based on principles of fairness, equality, and respect.
• HUMAN RIGHTS
  • Women's rights are enshrined in international frameworks like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and others.
• HUMAN DIGNITY
  • Human dignity recognizes that every person, regardless of gender, has inherent worth and deserves respect.