Gender vs. Sex + Gender Roles

4 Corners

1. Males are naturally better at math than females
2. Women are naturally more nurturing and caring than men
3. Men are biologically wired to be more aggressive and competitive than women
4. Women have more privileges than men in today’s society
5. Men are not judged by their appearance as much as women are
6. Men and women are both judged harshly if they break their gender roles
7. Traditional gender roles are beneficial to men and women

Ideal Man/Woman Drawing:
For either gender, as you draw, think about behaviors, physical attributes, and attitudes. What does society say is the ideal man/woman?

1. Girls/Female Identifying- Draw and label a feminine woman
2. Boys/Male Identifying- Draw and label a masculine man

What differences between males and females do you consider biological and which do you consider  social?  Fill out in pairs, then share out with the class. 
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Discussion

1. Where do we get our ideas of what it means to be masculine/feminine? Discuss, with specific examples.
2. What’s the earliest memory you have of being placed into/encouraged to fit a specific gender role? What did that interaction teach you?
3. To what extent do you think different gender roles are useful in society? Why might it be good to have clear gender roles? What are the downsides
4. Do you think gendered behaviors/attitudes are more because of biology (innate) or culture (taught)? What supports this view for you right now?
5. What messages have you received from society about how your gender is supposed to look and act?  Which of those messages do you follow, and which do you choose to ignore?

Reading- Textbook Chunk
Read the following chunk of textbook. As you read, you should make sure the following is included in your notes:

1. Definitions of sex and gender, and the difference between the two
2. Definition of sexual orientation
   1. Why it can be difficult to determine sexual orientation
3. Evidence in support of biological gender roles/behaviors (make a list)
4. Evidence in support of cultural gender roles/behaviors
5. For different socializing institutions (family, peers, schools, mass media, religion)
   1. What messages are received
   2. 2 specific examples of how this works from the text
6. 3 questions you have at the end of this reading.

HOMEWORK: 

1. Finish reading + notes
2. Watch 5 commercials. For each commercial, write down the following:
   1. What are they advertising?
   2. How do we see gender roles/socialization?

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