CULTURE SOCIETY & GENDER

• Culture

  Largely involved in defining gender in societies
• Gender as a cultural construction

  Gender is a product of how societies and their culture adapted to the conditions of their natural and social environment
• Hunting and gathering society

  • Gender differentiation evident in division of labor
  • Male members physically stronger, in-charge of hunting
  • Females manage home, gather plant resources
• Agricultural societies in Cordillera

  • Ifugao communities attribute planting to female members
  • Male Ifugao members associated with rituals involving slaughtering animals
• Factors shaping gender and gender roles in a society

  • Adaptive strategy and environment
  • Economy
  • Type of political systems
• A group's adaptive strategy shapes gender roles in the society
• Biological Structure

  • chromosomes
  • hormones
  • genitalia
• Feminine characteristics - in a particular group may not be considered a feminine trait in another
• Characteristics considered to be masculine may be different from culture to culture
• A particular culture's own definition of gender is still subject to change especially when social change in the society is in progress
• As norms, values, and ideas in a specific society is modified, it is also a possibility that their definitions of masculinity and femininity will change
• Due to the rise of feminist movement

  Social change occurred in USA that modified citizen's view of women's social roles and capabilities
• Culture


  Dictates appropriate characteristics for each gender
• Society


  Propagates definitions and characteristics of gender
• Socialization among different social groups


  Members of society learn and shape their conceptions and expectations of what is feminine and what is masculine
• Families


  Encourage behaviors and characteristics suitable for each sex (male or female) and discourage those that are not
• Agents of socialization

  • Families
  • Peers
  • Church
  • School
  • Media
• Gender constructs are so embedded in people's social and psychological
• Heteronormative society


  Propagates the worldview that heterosexuality is the norm
• Males are expected to act 'manly' and females, 'womanly'
• Gender conceptions are constantly being challenged by the LGBT and feminist movement
• The LGBT and feminist movement struggle to normalize gender equality, not only for men and women, but also for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and other categories