May 8, 2013

1. May 8, 2013 Gendered Toys

2. Let’s talk ‘gender’ • In the 1970’s Gayle Rubin draws the distinction between sex and gender. Sex is a BIOLOGICAL category and gender is a SOCIOLOGICAL category. • Much more often sex and gender is conflated – meaning that when we say “gender” we often are simply referring to biological sexcategories, and even more often to a binary male/female take on biological sex, even when there are OTHER sexes • Gender roles demarcate social and economic activities, access to resources, and decision making and authority

3. Gender, a la Connell Raewyn Connell, 2009, p. 5 “In everyday life we take gender for granted. We instantly recognize a person as a man or women, girl or boy. We arrange everyday business around the distinction”. Can you think of what kinds of “everyday business” Connell is referring to?

4. Gender as Performance • It is not simply male/female --- there are multiple masculinities and femininities • Judith Butler asserts in Gender Trouble (1990) that gender is a performance, rather than a fixed identity. “There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; … identity is performatively constituted by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results” (p. 25). That is, gender is something you ‘perform’ at particular times and in particular situations.

5. Let’s tackle the readings • Choose 3 main points from the article • Put those main points in your own words/define them • Support those main points with an example from the text • Choose a representative quote • Ask a question that takes the reader BACK to the article.