SOC 2104 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Couvade, Hypermasculinity, Purdah
Document Summary
Spanning the world: cultural constructs of gender difference. Biological determinism: the idea that biology determines gender and gender differences. Psychological models: gender is a result of development. Margaret mead through anthropological work saw gender as not something that was deeply biological but rather learned and a part of an ideology which cultures share. Arapesh no gender differences, everyone is emotional and caring. Mundugamor tribe of wealthy head hunters were there is no gender differences and everyone is aggressive. Men do a lot of the calm housework and women are economic providers. Mead urged her readers to admit men and women are capable of being molded into a single pattern as easily as a diverse, opposing one. However, she faced harsh criticism for cultural determinism. The centrality of the gender division of labor. Functionalism (school of thought): maintains that a sex-based division of labor is necessary for the preservation of the society.
