Instructions
To review some terminology:
Sex - physiological characteristics that differentiate male and female
Gender - socially learned behavior, attitudes, and expectations associated with being male and female
1. Write the word "masculine", followed by words that describe masculinity or that would be characteristic of someone who you would identify as masculine. Then, do the same for "feminine".
a. These are gender role stereotypes: oversimplified expectations of what it means to be a man or a woman.
2. What are the consequences for acting outside of the normative gender expectations?
- Gender bending, or gender noncomformity, refers to acting outside of the narrowly defined masculinity and femininity
- Accountability refers to the fact that when we act too far outside of the accepted norms, other people "call us out".
- Can you offer an example (if not from your own life, then from media), of someone bending gender norms and being held accountable?
3. Is it more acceptable for women to act in more masculine ways or for men to act in more feminine ways? Why?
4. Where do we learn these gendered expectations? Give specific examples of how we learn about gender in different settings. (This is gender socialization.)