Gender Studies: Key Concepts and Definitions
Sex and Gender
The sex-gender system explains how societal beliefs, values, and behaviors differ for males and females based solely on biological sex (male or female). While sex refers to biological anatomy, gender is a social construct that varies across time and cultures.
French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir’s book “The Second Sex” (1949) initiated the distinction between biological sex and social gender roles. Her famous statement, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” highlighted the social construction of gender.
Gender studies emerged when it became evident that societal expectations for behavior don’t always align with biological sex, revealing that gender is a learned process, not an innate one.
The term “gender” also helps us understand how biological differences lead to unequal social relations, known as gender inequality. Gender influences the organization of society and the dynamics between women and men.
The distinction between sex and gender gained prominence in the 1960s. Research on intersex individuals in the U.S. demonstrated that sexual identity is not fixed and can be independent of biological sex.
Positive Discrimination
Positive discrimination, also known as affirmative action, aims to address historical injustices by providing preferential treatment to marginalized groups (e.g., based on race, ethnicity, or gender) in access to resources, services, and opportunities. This aims to improve their quality of life and compensate for past discrimination.
Sexism
Sexism is discrimination based on the belief that one sex is inferior to another. It can manifest as sexism against women, men, intersex individuals, or transgender individuals. Each form of sexism has its unique history and expressions of intolerance.
Sexist beliefs assume that individuals can be judged solely based on their sex (male or female).
Feminism
Feminism is an ideology that advocates for women’s rights and interests. It encompasses social theories and political practices that critique historical and contemporary social structures, centering women’s experiences.
Feminist theories examine the relationships between gender, sexuality, and social, political, and economic power.
Machismo
Machismo refers to sexist attitudes and behaviors directed against women. It encompasses beliefs and practices that justify and perpetuate discrimination against women.
Some critics argue that machismo can also discriminate against men whose behavior doesn’t conform to traditional masculine norms (e.g., men with a gay sexual orientation).
Machismo has historically been linked to the division of labor between men and women and the subordination of women in many societies.
Gender Violence
Gender violence encompasses any act of violence based on a person’s female identity that results in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering. This includes threats, coercion, and deprivation of liberty, occurring in public or private settings.
Suffrage
The international women’s suffrage movement, led by suffragettes, advocated for women’s right to vote. They promoted “equal suffrage” (eliminating gender-based voting restrictions) rather than “universal suffrage” (eliminating all voting restrictions, including race-based ones), as the latter was considered too radical at the time.
Androcentrism
Androcentrism is a worldview that places men at the center of everything. Derived from the Greek words “andros” (male) and “kentron” (center), it defines the male perspective as the universal standard, marginalizing other perspectives, including women’s.
Throughout history, androcentrism has led to the invisibility of women in fields like history, philosophy, and science, which have been predominantly shaped by and defined in terms of male experiences and perspectives.
While the idea of androcentrism is now widely recognized as flawed, gender biases persist, and differences in capabilities between men and women are still debated.
Gender Identity
The term “sex” refers to biological differences between males and females, while “gender” refers to socially constructed distinctions and roles assigned to individuals based on their perceived sex.
Gender identity is significantly influenced by psychological, social, and cultural factors.