The structures and practices, especially those relating to communication, through which a particular social order is produced and reproduced by legitimizing certain values, expectations, meanings, and patterns of behavior
A social, symbolic construction that includes an internal sense of identity, the external communication of that identity, as well as the cultural expectations assigned to biological sex
Used to describe various circumstances in which individuals are born with anatomical features that do not neatly conform to typical male or female sex classification
Of or pertaining to patriarchy, "rule by the fathers." The term patriarchy generally refers to systems of ideology, social structures, and practices created by men, which reflect the values, priorities, and views of men as a group
The nonliteral meaning of communication. Expresses how a speaker sees the relationship between self and other. May provide cues about how to interpret the literal meaning of a message, for instance, as a joke
The theory that biological characteristics of the sexes are the basis of differences in women's and men's thinking, communicating, feeling, and other functions
A developmental theory according to which children participate in defining their genders by acting on internal motivations to be competent, which in turn lead them to seek out gender models that help them to sculpt their own femininity or masculinity
The division of humans into two sexes and two corresponding genders that are presumed to be opposite, distinct, natural, and enduring. The genderbinary assumes that a person's sex, gender, and sexuality align in socially prescribed ways
Claims that cognitive processes are central to our learning what gender means in our culture and to learning how to perform our gender competently. Related to cognitive development theory
The theory that family relationships, especially between mother and child during the formative years of life, have a pivotal and continuing impact on the development of self, particularly gender identity
Integration of queer and performative theories into a perspective on performances as means of challenging and destabilizing conventional cultural categories and the values attached to them
Critique of conventional categories of identity and cultural views of "normal" and "abnormal," particularly in relation to sexuality. Queer theory argues identities are not fixed but fluid
Theory that individuals learn to be masculine and feminine (among other things) by observing and imitating others and by reacting to the rewards and punishments others give in response to imitative behaviors
A theory that focuses on the influence of gender, race, class, and other social categories on circumstances of people's lives, especially their social positions and the kinds of experiences fostered within those positions. According to standpoint theory, political consciousness about social location can generate a standpoint that affects perspective and action
The theory that individuals develop self-identity and an understanding of social life, values, and codes of conduct through communicative interactions with others in a society