Keira Harrow
2. What is gender? Explain and give examples of how conflict and functionalists see gender. How does feminism differ from conflict theory? Give examples. What are two key points west and Zimmerman make about”doing gender” explain and give examples.
Gender is not only achieved but it is constructed through psychological, cultural, and social means. Gender is learned cultural ideas about what it means to be feminine and masculine. You assume sex based on cultural cues. Gender is socially constructed in that gender differences mean different treatment take for example like the president like Johnson stated (July 10) would get different treatment than just a working man. Gender can be a status which is your biological sex which is a category for men and women. Gender has roles in which there are expectations regarding proper behavior, attitudes and activities of males and females. Johnson stated (July 10) that an example would be care giving in that although there are no biological markers for care giving its seen as a woman’s role where she is seen as the caretaker and the man the breadwinner. We come to know our gender roles by what society expects from males and females. We start learning gender in childhood. Take for example education where schools often award kids based on gender. Kindergarten graduation awards where boys were given awards like “most eager learner”, “most scientific” whereas girls were, “all around sweetheart” and “cutest personality” etc.
Conflict theorist see gender as a way to have power and resources, by keeping women subordinate, men maintain power and control over resources. That’s where slavery of women began where women became dependant on men being that they were to stay at home and take care of the family and with no education and no income they became enslaved to a man. Functionalist sees gender as a great thing they say