FEM 1100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Patricia Hill Collins, Pink-Collar Worker, Gender Binary

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Women's Studies
• Course: FEM 1100
• Professor: Mythili Rajiva

Document Summary

Biology is not destiny: difference between sex and gender. Sex is biology: born with certain genitalia; gender is what we perform. Gender: social construct vs. sex: natural, male and female, it is the biological. They are not reducible to one another. Sex is the natural producer of gender roles. Through gender it is the process of socialization. Gender depends on the social context, the historical context and culture. Binary: one or the other, male or female, heterosexual or homosexual, good or evil, there is no in-between. Being born male or female leads to particular behaviors, this is based on the born genitals: ex. Being a boy means you are more aggressive and more tough, being a girl you are more nurturing, more fragile, elegant, pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Modesty becomes a huge part growing up: family, school and popular culture are powerful realms that gender norms get made, and reinforced.