Why we can’t and shan’t measure gender

Human Affairs ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Fúsková ◽  
Lucia Hargašová ◽  
Simona Andraščiková
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Gender Roles ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
Femininity And Masculinity ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe aim of this article is to draw attention to the fact that the constructions of gender - frequently quantified in scientific research (and practice)—are unstable across time and space. In this regard, we look at the genesis of the measures and definitions reflective of the social change and knowledge that has shaped views on the gender dimensions. Our analysis of gender measures shows that the majority are based on definitions that conceive of femininity and masculinity as stable personality traits and that these measures are part of essentialist assumptions on gender roles and gender identity. We consider these measures to be strongly stereotypical and “outdated”. In the second part, we put forward evidence, from research findings, that indicates that perceptions of gender have not just changed over time. Different interpretations of masculinity and femininity exist within specific cultures, social categories and spaces.

scholarly journals PILIHAN KATA DAN KONSTRUKSI PEREMPUAN SUNDA DALAM MAJALAH MANGLÈ KAJIAN LINGUISTIK KORPUS DIAKRONIK

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 138
Author(s):  
Susi Yuliawati
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Gender Issues ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
And Gender

<p>Gender identity, one of the most important social categories in people’s lives, is socially constructed and language is claimed to have a significant role in constructing the gender identity. This paper studies the construction of Sundanese women through five Sundanese nouns referring to women found in the corpus of <em>Manglè </em>magazine, published between 1958–2013. The research employs a mixed-method design in which quantitative analysis is combined with qualitative analysis to investigate how the nouns referring to women are used to construct Sundanese women from the periods of Guided Democracy (1958–1965) to Reformation (2004–2013). The quantitative analysis is used to examine the frequency of word occurrence diachronically. The frequency of word accurrence is subsequently interpreted qualitatively by considering social and cultural contexts, such as the norms of speech levels in Sundanese, Sundanese belief about marriage, and gender issues. The result of analysis shows that women are constructed in various identities by every noun referring to them. The lexical choices used to contruct women are greatly influenced by the social and cultural contexts. </p>

Dropkin, Celia (1887–1956)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Legutko
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Gender Roles ◽  
First Century ◽  
Cultural Stereotypes ◽  
Modernist Poetry ◽  
Artistic Creativity ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa ◽  
And Gender

Celia Dropkin, one of the greatest yet lesser-known Yiddish poets, revolutionized modern Yiddish poetry with her pioneering exploration of gender dynamics. Bold erotic motifs in Dropkin’s poetry shocked her contemporaries, while her poems, written mostly in the 1920s and 1930s, sound au courant in the twenty-first century. In her poetry, Dropkin addressed themes such as sexuality, love, artistic creativity, motherhood, and nature — as well as domination and sexual politics in man-woman relationships. Born in Bobruisk, Belarus as Tsilye Levin, she wrote her first poems in Russian at the age of 10. After her immigration to the USA in 1912, she began writing in Yiddish, making her literary debut in 1918. She was affiliated with modernist groups formed by Yiddish poets in America, such as Di Inzikhistin [Introspectivists] and Di Yunge [The Young]. During her lifetime, she published only one volume of poetry, In heysn vint. Her children reissued the volume after her death, updating it to include her short stories and reproductions of paintings that she created later in life. Dropkin’s modernist poetry shattered cultural stereotypes about the social and gender roles imposed on men and women, making her a path-breaking poet who ‘filled the stillness of Yiddish poetry with a passionate breath’ (Yakov Glatshtayn).

The Intersectionalities of Age, Ethnicity, and Class in Organizations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger ◽  
Renate Ortlieb
Keyword(s):  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Dyadic Relationships ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Age Class ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Diversity Studies ◽  
Academic Debate

The aim of this chapter is to give an overview of the academic debate on age, ethnicity, and class, in particular their intersectionalities within organizations. Although the social categories of age and ethnicity are well studied by diversity scholars, literature on the combined effects of these dimensions for individuals and organizations is still scarce. This holds even more for the category of class. While there exist scattered analyses of class-related issues within the field of diversity studies, up to now there is no analysis that considers the interplay of class with both age and ethnicity. Against this background the chapter examines the age–ethnicity–class intersectionality by concentrating on the three dyadic relationships: age–ethnicity, age–class, and class–ethnicity. It provides a summary of previous research findings, a critical reflection of thinking that relies on social categories, and a discussion of avenues for future research.

scholarly journals Rhythmic Gymnastics vs. Boxing: Gender Stereotypes From the Two Poles of Female Sport

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piroska Béki ◽  
Andrea Gál
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Ice Hockey ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Rhythmic Gymnastics ◽  
Femininity And Masculinity ◽  
And Gender

Abstract In recent decades, women have begun to take up types of physical activity traditionally considered masculine. They appeared in previously one-gender team sports such as football or water polo, and nowadays they are also involved in ice hockey, canoeing, and are active in numerous combat sports as well. On the other hand, men have entered sport fields previously only available to women, such as rhythmic gymnastics. By this, sport can be regarded not only as a scene of gender stereotyping, but also a scene of redefining the concepts of masculinity-femininity in the negotiating of gender relations. Owing to these phenomena, there has been an emergence of studies analyzing sports from a gender aspect as well as the generalizations related to athletes involved in these sports. These studies have primarily focused on the constructions of gender identities and gender roles of women participating in traditionally masculine sports (football, weightlifting, and bodybuilding). This paper presents the results of empirical research designed to explore the opinions of top athletes involved in sports considered to be the most masculine and most feminine by the public and by sport experts: rhythmic gymnastics and boxing. They discussed their own sport and each other’s sport. With the information obtained from the structured interviews (n=22), it became possible to compare their social background, sport socialization and sport selection, as well as their conceptions of gender roles, femininity, and masculinity. As a conclusion of the research, it can be stated that from the aspects examined differences could mostly be observed in the circumstances of sport selection, but representatives of the two sports also diverged remarkably in their judgments about each other’s sport. While female boxers did not voice extreme opinions about rhythmic gymnastics, representatives of the sport regarded to be the most feminine reflected on boxing in a stereotypical and prejudiced way, even given their lack of experience.

Sexuality and Gender Identity: From a Discursive to a Relational Analysis

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Burkitt
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Judith Butler ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Social Formation ◽  
Relational Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sexuality And Gender ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Discursive Constructions

This paper concentrates on the recent controversy over the division between sex and gender and the troubling of the binary distinctions between gender identities and sexualities, such as man and woman, heterosexual and homosexual. While supporting the troubling of such categories, I argue against the approach of Judith Butler which claims that these dualities are primarily discursive constructions that can be regarded as fictions. Instead, I trace the emergence of such categories to changing forms of power relations in a more sociological reading of Foucault's conceptualization of power, and argue that the social formation of identity has to be understood as emergent within socio-historical relations. I then consider what implications this has for a politics based in notions of identity centred on questions of sexuality and gender.

Falling from grace: Gender norms and gender strategies in Eastern Turkey

2010 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 55-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nerina Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
State Violence ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Gender

AbstractThis article calls for a critical scholarly engagement with women's participation in the Kurdish movement. Since the 1980s, women have appropriated the political sphere in different gender roles, and their activism is mostly seen as a way of empowerment and emancipation. Albeit legitimate, such a claim often fails to account for the social and political control mechanisms inherent in the new political gender roles. This article presents the life stories of four Kurdish women. Although politically active, these women do not necessarily define themselves through their political activity. Thus they do not present their life story according to the party line, but dwell on the different social and political expectations, state violence and the contradicting role models with whom they have to deal on a daily basis. Therefore, the status associated with their roles, especially those of the “new” and emancipated woman, does not necessarily represent their own experiences and subjectivities. Women who openly criticize the social and political constraints by transgressing the boundaries of accepted conduct face social as well as political sanctions.

scholarly journals DAKWAH THROUGH INTERNET: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ISLAMIC PREACHERS IN INDONESIA

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Arifuddin Arifuddin
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
The Social ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Use Of Internet

<div><p>The development of information technology (IT), particularly the internet, has benefited people throughout the world in many fields. Considering the advantages offered by the internet, the da’i (Islamic preachers) may utilize such product of IT advancement for disseminating Islamic messages and knowledge (dakwah). This literature review explores the challenges and opportunities of the internet utilization for such religious purpose, by extracting views and research findings from a range of publications, including books and journal articles from several databases. It found that the internet can be utilized as contemporary media for dakwah endeavor as it has many advantages in terms of efficiency, accessibility, scoping, and openness. Some recent global issues including Islamophobia, extremist activities including Islam-related terrorism, and gender equity are seen as challenges to the contemporary Islam. On one hand, these concerns may challenge the use of the internet for dakwah practice, but on the other hand, such issues has opened opportunities for da’i to remedy the situation through valid views described in many forms of dakwah in the internet, educating mad’u for better understanding of Islam. It is further recommended that da’i in Indonesia can consider the internet as media for da’wah. Further research is essential whether to explore the da’i’ interests and acceptance in the use of internet for dakwah as well as the social impacts of such approach.</p></div><strong>Keywords:</strong>

scholarly journals Menstrual Equity, Organizing and the Struggle for Human Dignity and Gender Equality in Prison

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-99
Author(s):  
Amy Fettig
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
The Social ◽  
Eighth Amendment ◽  
Criminal Legal System ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Deliberate Strategy ◽  
And Control

This Essay takes a look at the movement for social change around menstruation, especially through the lens of the criminal legal system and prisons and jails in particular. Part I reviews the issues of period poverty and justice that are driving a larger social movement to recognize that safe and ready access to menstrual hygiene products should be framed through a lens of full civic participation in order to understand its full implications for the lives of people who menstruate. Part II dives into the particular needs and problems of abuse and control that incarcerated and detained people face related to menstruation. Part III examines the growing movement to transform menstruation in America along equity lines that focuses both on the rights of all menstruators while bringing social pressure to bear on behalf of the most vulnerable—incarcerated people, the unhoused, students, and those living in poverty—to demand greater governmental and cultural support for the needs, inclusion, and dignity of all people who menstruate. This Part particularly takes note of the fact that the menstrual equity movement gains strength and force when it centers the leadership and voices of people who menstruate as key players demanding social change and evolution of the culture as a whole. Part IV examines the importance of the momentum and success this social movement represents for potential litigation strategies to develop constitutional jurisprudence regarding incarcerated people and menstrual equity. It observes that the pertinent “evolving standards of decency” that inform Eighth Amendment jurisprudence must and will be influenced by the prevailing movement for menstrual equity as a deliberate strategy to ensure that incarcerated people who menstruate are not left out of the social development and rights framework that menstrual equity demands. At the same time this evolution in jurisprudence represent the opportunity for Eighth Amendment jurisprudence—and constitutional framework generally—to place a greater focus on the need for human dignity as a cornerstone of the law.

scholarly journals Queering Asylum in Europe: A Survey Report

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vítor Lopes Andrade ◽  
Carmelo Danisi ◽  
Moira Dustin ◽  
Nuno Ferreira ◽  
Nina Held
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Research Council ◽  
European Research ◽  
International Protection ◽  
European Research Council ◽  
Survey Report ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

This report discusses the data gathered through two surveys carried out in the context of the SOGICA project. SOGICA – Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Claims of Asylum: A European human rights challenge – is a four-year (2016-2020) research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) that explores the social and legal experiences of people across Europe claiming international protection on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI).

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