This lesson introduces gender as both a system of social differences and a system of power. It explains gender ideology and shows how patriarchal ideas can persist in everyday practices, even when people consciously support equality.
In cultural constructions of gender, societies assign behaviors, activities, and expectations to gender categories or realms. These categories do not merely describe differences. Some activities and roles are treated as more important, authoritative, or powerful than others. Gender therefore organizes both social difference and relations of power.
All flashcards
Gender ideology
A coordinated set of ideas about gender categories, relations, behaviors, norms, and ideals embedded in institutions and cultural practices.
Being given away in a wedding
A tradition that can portray a bride as transferred from her father to her groom.
Matrilineal descent
A system in which kin-group membership or inheritance passes through the mother's line.
Obstetric fistula
A childbirth complication involving ruptured tissue between the bladder and vagina.
Masculinity in the Igbo example
A continuing social project involving relationships, responsibilities, and access to resources.
Quiz questions
In a matrilineal kinship system, what does descent through the mother's line establish?Answer: Kin-group membership or inheritance follows the maternal line, but women do not necessarily hold authority.
What did Marija Gimbutas propose about Neolithic European communities?Answer: They were peaceful and woman-centered before patriarchal Indo-European pastoralists conquered them.
In Allison Heller's research on obstetric fistula in Niger, how could mothers support affected women?Answer: They could advocate for hospital care and help negotiate acceptance with relatives and neighbors.
Why might women with severe obstetric fistula wait longer for surgery in the clinics Heller followed?Answer: Clinics often treated milder cases first because surgery was more likely to succeed.
In Daniel Jordan Smith's account of Igbo communities, what can make adult masculine expectations difficult to meet?Answer: Many recognized responsibilities, including bride wealth and family support, require substantial resources.
Based on Introduction to Anthropology by Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, Marjorie M. Snipes (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.