SOC219H5 Midterm: Midterm review
Document Summary
Identify and explain how gender is a fundamental social institution. Gender can be seen as a social institution because there are formal and informal ways in which gendered behaviour is sustained. Gender is fundamental because men and women are still seen as different in today"s society, because genders are ranked and are not treated equal. Men still have more power and continue to make more money than women do for the same work. West & zimmerman argue that western cultures see men and women as different because they are defined based on their reproductive function and the division of labour between men and women seems natural and rooted in biology. West & zimmerman also state that gender roles are learned; they are a socially situated set of demands and they help shape our role identities: explain the key components of gender as a social institution. There are 8 components of gender as a social institution.
