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52
Instructor’s Manual to accompany
Gendered Lives 13e
53
Introduction: Opening the Conversation
I.
Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz and Julia Wood Introduce Themselves
A.
Authors’ perspectives affect how books are written.
B.
Julia is a “European American, middle-aged, heterosexual, spiritually engaged,
middle-class woman who has been in a committed relationship […] for 46
years.”
C.
Natalie is a white, female, cisgender, middle-class woman who has been in a
committed relationship for twelve years.
D.
Julia became an adult during the second waves of feminism, while Natalie grew up in
a culture that presented far greater opportunities to girls and women than that of
previous generations.
E.
The “simple” demographic information shows that Natalie and Julia are
privileged by their race and economic class as well as their cisgender identity.
II.
The Social Construction of Inequality
A.
It is possible to change society. We do not have to accept discrimination. Because
we construct society, we can reconstruct it.
B.
We need to learn the experiences, perspectives, and circumstances of people in
other social positions.
C.
It is also important to remember the limits of our own perspective and realize that
we do not know everything and our experience is not everyone else’s experience.
III.
Feminism—Feminisms
A.
“Feminism” was coined in France in the 1800s and combines the word “woman”
(“femme”) and the suffix “ism” (which means political position): a political
position about women.
B.
Many people do not call themselves feminists although they believe individuals
should have equal rights, suggesting a reservation of the label “feminist.”
C.
Feminism is not a single belief or position. Most people’s impressions have been
formed by bias in media portrayal, such as the report that feminists burned bras at
a 1968 protest.
D.
Many people avoid using the word “feminist” because it is often associated
with radical protests and male-bashing.
E.
Most feminists are not extremists and most have strong and loving relationships
with people of all sexes and genders.
F.
Both heterosexual men and women who are in relationships with feminist partners
are happier and more satisfied with their relationships than are heterosexual men and
women with nonfeminist partners.
G.
The authors define feminism as including “respecting all people, as well as
nonhuman forms of life and the Earth itself” and being against all kinds of
oppression.
H.
Feminism does not just happen but is a process and an achievement.
IV.
Becoming Aware
A.
Reading Gendered Lives will increase your awareness and knowledge about
gender. Reading it may feel informative at times and frustrating other times.
B.
Becoming aware of injustices equips you to be critical of those inequities. Speaking
out about inequality can be empowering and also frustrating.
54
C.
It is important to remember that our culture is constructed in ways that are
oppressive, and the problem does not lie with individual people.
V.
Why We Wrote this Book
A.
Natalie and Julia wrote this book because they believe change in the way we
enact gender is needed. Research can empower us to make more informed
choices about personal identity and our shared world.
B.
Awareness of inequities must be coupled with realizing that change is possible.
Many blatant forms of sex discrimination have been eliminated. Views of men
have changed.
C.
Gender is increasingly recognized as fluid. LGBTQ individuals enjoy greater
visibility and acceptance.
D.
Changes can lead us to think we are in a “postfeminist era,” but not all inequities
based on sex and gender are history.
E.
The consequences of how we define and embody gender are not abstract but can
affect people’s health and lives.
VI.
Communication as the Fulcrum of Change
A.
We use communication to identify and challenge inequity and to define alternatives to
the status quo.
B.
Most recently, students are leading the way in persuading women’s colleges to rethink
policies that have excluded transgender students.
C.
Other kinds of communication instigate change: social media, discussion in class,
speaking with family.
VII.
The Challenge of Studying Communication, Gender, and Culture
A.
Studying communication, gender, and culture means considering new ideas and
taking risks.
B.
Awareness comes with responsibility to confront inequity.
C.
Although studying gender, communication, and culture can be frustrating, it can also
be rewarding.
VIII.
Features of Gendered Lives
A.
Four features distinguish this book and support the views discussed in the
introduction.
1.
The book uses diverse examples that cover various classes, ethnicities,
races, and sexual orientations.
2.
The language aims to include all readers, using “he and she” instead of
simply “he” and “committed relationships” rather than “marriages.”
3.
There is an inclusion of diverse perspectives including student voices that
reflect widely ranging experiences, values, and identities.
4.
The text encourages active engagement.
Journal Entry
1.
After reading the Introduction to the text, position yourself as an individual studying
gender and communication. Discuss/comment on the importance of acknowledging your
standpoint(s), such as gender, race, class, sexuality, geography, age, and so on, and how
they might affect your perspective on gender issues.
2.
Ask two or three people—friends, colleagues, or family members—to define feminism and
55
reflect on their answers. How do your informants define feminism? Are the definitions
similar to one another or are they diverse? Do your informants define feminism positively,
negatively, or in a neutral fashion? How do your informants’ definitions intersect with
Wood’s discussion of feminism?
Getting to Know You Activities
We have found it desirable to learn students’ names early in the semester as a way of
connecting with individual students more personally within classroom interactions. Creating an
open and comfortable climate in the classroom is one of the most important elements in ensuring
a successful course. There are undoubtedly many different options for learning students’ names.
Here are a couple of activities we have tried and found successful:
1.
Arrange students in a circle. Have the person to your right or left tell her/his name. Let
the next person tell her/his name and the first person’s name. The third student will share
her/his name as well as those of the first two students, and so on, and so on . . . . As the
activity continues around the circle, students become involved in remembering others’
names and also in helping classmates remember names. Be sure that you are the last
person in the activity and recite the names of all the students in the class.
2.
Allow each student to find an item in her/his purse, backpack, or wallet that represents
something about her/him as a person. Let students introduce themselves and share their
items, as well as the stories their items hold. Often students share a picture of a significant
other, a checkbook that never seems to balance, or even a driver’s license that required
three attempts to pass the driving test.
3.
Some instructors find it useful to ask students to fill out index cards on the first day of
class with students’ names, contact information, and why she or he chose to enroll in this
course. We find it helpful to use these cards as not only a way for the instructor to become
better acquainted with the students, but also for the students to help construct the course.
For example, you might ask them to include the most frequent criticism they have heard
concerning gender studies. Then, when you come to the day when the readings on The
Backlash are due a few weeks later, bring these cards back out and address these
comments. This helps create an atmosphere for a diversity of views in a less
confrontational climate.
4.
In Chapter 1, Fixmer-Oraiz and Wood discuss conflicting views many people have about
gender in our era. Ask each student to anonymously write down one issue regarding gender
about which she/he feels either very confused or at odds with peers. Ask them to include
why. Then, collect their papers and redistribute them. Ask each student to read the paper
she/he has received out loud and then answer one or two questions as if those where
her/his own words. As an early exercise in the class, it can serve to help you and the rest of
the class discover what experiences and ideas are being brought into the room.
Suggested Activity: Beliefs about Sex and Gender Issues
The following activity is intended to be completed in two parts. First, individuals indicate a
“generally true” or “generally false” response to each statement on the survey “Beliefs about Sex
and Gender Issues” included with this activity. After each individual has responded to all of the
statements, divide the class into groups of four to five students. Allow the students to discuss
56
their beliefs and feelings on each question and arrive at a consensus response for each survey
statement.
In discussing the survey statements after groups have arrived at a consensus, encourage
students to share the assumptions that guide their perspectives on the statements. The exercise
intends to allow the class to start examining their opinions and beliefs on various gender issues
that will be addressed throughout the course.
You will find thoughts that may help to guide your discussion of particular items as follows.
1.
Women are more empathic than men. The answer is generally false. There is some danger
in statements like this one that assume all women and all men are the same. Essentializing
2.
Young children need an at-home mother at least for the first years of life. Again, the
3.
America’s national policy guarantees parental leaves only if they are unpaid. Again, the
4.
Women generally value friendships more than men. Men and women both value
57
5.
Women generally want to talk “about the relationship” more than men do. The correct
6.
Women’s hormonal swings and PMS make them unsuitable for military service or high
political offices. This question requests an emphatic response of generally false.
7.
Affirmative action policies involve quotas that require hiring certain percentages of women
8.
In American schools, educational opportunities are equal for women and men. It is
9.
Having lower self-esteem than males is a weakness of many females. This question merits
level of self-esteem that should be possessed by all individuals?
10.
Women generally have more natural instincts for nurturing than men do. The correct
58
11.
Feminists are pro-choice in the abortion debate—the decision should be up to the
Beliefs about Sex and Gender Issues
Read the statements listed next. Then indicate whether you think each statement is generally true
or false in the column labeled INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS. Next, discuss the statements with
members of your group and reach GROUP OPINIONS for each. Focus your discussions on
understanding why group members think as they do.
INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS GROUP OPINIONS
Generally
True
Generally
False
Generally
True
Generally
False
1. Women are more empathic
than men.
2. Young children need an
at-home mother at least
for the first years of
life.
3. America’s national policy
guarantees parental leaves
only if they are unpaid.
4. Women generally value
friendships more than men.
5. Women generally want to
talk “about the
relationship” more than
men do.
59
6. Women’s hormonal swings and
PMS make them unsuitable for
military service or high
political offices.
7. Affirmative action policies
involve quotas that require
hiring certain percentages
of women and minorities.
8. In American schools,
educational opportunities
are equal for women and
men.
9.
Having lower self-esteem
than males is a weakness of
many females.
10.
Women generally have more
natural instincts for nurturing
than men do.
11.
Feminists are pro-choice in the
abortion debate—the decision should be
up to the individual women.
Introduction: Opening the Conversation
Multiple Choice
1.
The Industrial Revolution transformed social views of the essence of masculinity from .
A.
courage to strength
B.
physical strength to ability to earn an income
C.
intelligence to physical strength
D.
ambition to attractiveness
E.
none of the above
2.
Fixmer-Oraiz and Wood argue that communication is the fulcrum for change because
A.
change comes through communication.
B.
communication allows us to identify and challenge cultural views.
C.
communication allows us to define alternatives and persuade others.
D.
individuals may be powerful social agents for change through communication.
E.
all of the above are valid reasons.
60
ANS: E
REF: p. 10
3.
Heterosexual men and women report being happier and more satisfied with their
relationships when their partners
A.
define themselves as feminists.
B.
define themselves as nonfeminists.
C.
have the same attitudes toward feminism as they do.
D.
are unconcerned about feminism.
E.
There is no research about relationship satisfaction and feminisms.
4.
If we break the word feminism down to its roots, femme and ism, what does it literally
mean?
A.
In favor of women
B.
Superiority of women
C.
A political position about women
D.
A cultural position about women
E.
Equality for women
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5.
What percentage of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is held by women as of
2012?
A. 50%
B. 30%
C. 40%
D. 25%
E. Less than 19%
True/False
6.
Being feminist is in conflict with being feminine.
7.
Because our perspectives are limited by our social positions (e.g., sex, class, race, sexual
orientation), we can never fully understand the lives of people who differ from us.
8.
The term feminism was coined in France in the early 1800s.
9.
The authors of the textbook agree that we live in a postfeminist society where gender-based
inequalities generally no longer exist.
10.
Terms such as spouse, husband, wife, and marriage are inclusive of all people.
11.
Topic or question should come from class business. See pages 8 to 10 of this manual for
details on this activity.
Identification
62
12.
Socially constructed
13.
Inclusive language
14.
Feminism
Essays
15.
Identify and explain why many people do not identify themselves as feminists, even
when their beliefs and values align themselves with those of feminism.
16.
Explain what the authors of Gendered Lives mean when they mention that privileges
and disadvantages are unearned.
17.
The authors of your textbook talk about privileges and disadvantages that are part of their
social location that they did not earn and explain how their locations shape how they the world.
Choose one privilege and one disadvantage that is part of your social location and explain how
63
it shapes how you see the world.
18.
The authors of your textbook argue that while many believe that we live in a postfeminist
era, in which gendered inequalities have largely been eliminated, we do not in fact live in a
culture of gender equality. What reasons does she use to support her argument?
19.
What reasons do the authors of your textbook provide for preferring the term partner to
terms such as spouse, husband, or wife?
Chapter 1: The Study of Communication, Gender, and Culture
II.
Introduction
A.
The general public’s fascination with gender and communication matched
by college students who are demanding courses in the subject.
III.
Communication, Gender, and Culture as an Area of Study
A.
Today, most colleges offer courses on gender because there is a base of
research to inform teaching.
B.
Research on gender, communication, and culture
1.
Research on gender takes place in many academic fields, including
anthropology, communication, sociology, and so forth.
2.
Researchers use a variety of methods and perspectives to study gender.
a.
Quantitative research methods use data that can be quantified, or
turned into numerical terms, to draw conclusions.
b.
Qualitative research methods look to understand and interpret
experiences that cannot be quantified.
c.
Critical research identifies and critiques the means by which power
relations are created or challenged.
64
d.
Mixed research methods combine multiple methodologies and
approaches.
C.
Reasons to learn about communication, gender, and culture: Studying these topics
serves important goals:
1.
Learning about gender helps you understand how culture influences our
understandings of masculinity and femininity.
2.
It also helps you gain insight about your own gender and become
empowered to think critically about cultural prescriptions for gender.
3.
Your effectiveness as a communicator will be increased as you learn to
understand and adapt to a diverse variety of communication styles.
IV.
Gender in a Transitional Era
A.
Cultural views of gender are in transition, which can make us feel
conflicted about gender issues.
B.
We often struggle to combine new ideas about gender and equality with
traditional notions of sex and gender.
V.
Differences between Men and Women
A.
Pop psychology suggests that men and women are inherently and distinctly
different.
B.
The differences between men and women are not solely biological and
natural. They may also be related to culture, experiences, social class, race,
and sexual orientation.
C.
Essentializing occurs when we assume that all members of a group (e.g., all
men, all women) are the same. It ignores individual variations and
differences among members of the same sex. While this text discusses
generalizations about women and men, it is important to remember that
these are not essential qualities possessed by all members of a sex.
VI.
Relationships among Gender, Culture, and Communication
A.
Sex and gender are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings.
B.
Sex is a designation based on biology and assigned at birth.
C.
Gender is socially constructed and expressed. It includes gender identity,
one’s internal sense of self as a man, woman, or neither; gender
expression, the external communication of one’s gender identity; and
gender role, the cultural expectations assigned to one’s sex.
Sex
1.
Sex is based on external genitalia and internal sex organs. These are
determined by chromosomes.
a.
Most people have two sex chromosomes, which produce female (XX)
or male (XY) people.
b.
For every 500 people, 1 does not have XX or XY sex chromosomes,
meaning around 600,000 people in the United States do not have XX
or XY chromosomes.
c.
Chromosomes can vary (e.g., XO, XXX, XXY, XYY), which means
biologically there are actually more than two sexes.
2.
Another challenge to the traditional dichotomy is intersex
people who have biological characteristics of both sexes.
Doctors are increasingly reluctant to recommend “normalizing”
65
surgery to make infants’ genitals consistently male or female.
3.
Hormones also influence sexual development of male and female sex organs
and how our bodies develop throughout life.
4.
Biology is a significant influence on sex, but it does not determine behaviors.
Environment is also an important developmental factor.
Gender
5.
Gender is neither innate nor stable. We have to learn to behave in
gendered ways.
6.
Gender varies throughout time, geography, within the individual person, and
within relationships.
7.
Consider the United States. Masculinity is associated with strength, ambition,
rationality, and emotional control, while femininity is associated with physical
attractiveness, nurturing behavior, and concern with people and relationships.
8.
Gender is learned. Cultures stipulate the social meaning and expectations of
each sex, so we tend to see society’s view of gender as normal.
9.
Conventional views of both sex and gender are challenged by transgender and
gender nonconforming people. Role models can also embody alternatives to
traditional gender identities.
10.
Androgyny combines qualities our culture considers both feminine and
masculine qualities.
11.
The meanings of gender are arbitrary.
a.
Different cultures have drastically different conceptions of masculinity
and femininity.
b.
Body ideals for men and women change by time, culture, and
geographic location.
c.
Some cultures consider gender to be changeable across the lifespan,
and some recognize more than two genders.
d.
The meaning of gender can even change over time in a single culture or
social group.
12.
Gender is a relational concept. We can only understand masculinity in
relation to femininity and vice versa. Changing ideas about one gender
affects the other.
Beyond Sex and Gender
13.
The term cis functions as a prefix (i.e., cisgender, ciswoman) to designate a
person who fits conventional social expectations of gender.
14.
Sexual orientation refers to the preference one has about romantic and
sexual partners. Heterosexual people are attracted to people of a different
sex, gay men are attracted to men, and lesbians are attracted to women.
Bisexuals are attracted to men and women.
15.
Changing views of gender and sex mean increasing recognitions for people
who don’t fit into orthodox categories. Transgender, or trans, individuals
find their biological sex doesn’t match their gender identity.
16.
Sexual and romantic interests do not necessarily change because a person
transitions from one sex to another.
17.
There are also some people who reject the idea of being one or the other
sex.
66
Culture
18.
Culture is structures and practices that reflect and uphold a particular
social order.
19.
One of the primary practices that structure society is communication. Each
practice communicates society’s view of gender. One practice is a woman
taking her husband’s last name.
20.
Social structures and institutions also uphold gender ideology. Consider the
judicial system and child custody laws.
21.
Western culture is patriarchal, which means the dominant ideology,
institutions, and practices were created by men and implicitly value
masculine perspectives and priorities.
22.
Learning to question these cultural prescriptions for gender empowers you
to choose your own courses of action and identity.
Communication
23.
Communication Is a Dynamic Process
a.
Communication continually changes. Communicative interactions
have no definite beginnings or endings.
24.
Communication Is Systemic
a.
Communication occurs in particular systems that influence how we
interact and what meanings we attach to messages. The largest
system affecting communication is our culture.
25.
Communication Has Two Levels of Meaning
a.
The content level of meaning is communication’s literal meaning.
b.
The relationship level of meaning defines the relationship between
communicators. This level reflects and influences how people feel
about each other.
26.
Meanings Are Created through Human Interaction with Symbols
a.
Humans are symbol-using creatures.
b.
Symbols are abstract, ambiguous, and arbitrary ways of representing
phenomena, which do not have inherent qualities.
c.
Each of us interprets communication by drawing on our past experiences,
our knowledge of the people with whom we are interacting, and other
factors in a communication system.
Journal Entries
1.
Do you think that your understanding of gender differs from the expectations and roles that
characterized the period in which your parents were raised? Comment on your perceptions
of the meanings of gender in a transitional era.
2.
Describe/reflect on: (a) One interaction with your parent(s) or guardian(s) (the earliest you
can remember) that communicated expectations for your gender, and (b) the most recent
interaction with someone who communicated expectations for your gender.
3.
Analyze how current institutions sustain gender roles. For example, how have your
experiences within our educational system worked to shape your perceptions of appropriate
67
gender roles? What are some current judicial or cultural practices that enable gender
inequalities? What are some actions that you and other individuals can take to begin to
empower yourself within our current cultural framework?
4.
What do you think you would do if your romantic partner of many years told you that s/he
felt s/he was transgender? Would you consider staying in the relationship? Would you
consider leaving it? What challenges do you think you would face as a couple? How do
you think your perception of him/her would change? How would your perception of
yourself change? What negative and positive potential outcomes do you perceive would
occur?
5.
Reflect on cultural assumptions about gender as they affect your life. If you are a
biological woman, do you conform to norms of femininity? If you are a biological man, do
you conform to norms of masculinity? How do the people around you respond to the ways
you enact your gender? How comfortable are you with the ways you enact your gender?
Suggested Activities
1.
Shopping for Gender: Consumer culture plays a central role in the construction of
gender. This assignment is designed to help students begin to see and understand that role.
Place students in small groups and either assign or ask groups to choose a store or set of
stores to explore. The assignment works best if each group chooses a different venue:
department stores, malls, boutiques, box stores, books stores, toy stores, sporting goods
stores, grocery stories, card stores, and so forth. Groups should spend approximately 30
minutes at their assigned store looking for messages about gender. Ask students to take
notes about the kinds of products available for boys, girls, women, and men. If they visit a
clothing store, tell them to attend to the color, fabric, and construction of the clothes. For
all stores, instruct students to pay attention to product displays, store layout and
decorations, posters, and packaging. Devote a class period to discussing the groups’
findings. What messages about gender did the various stores communicate and how?
Were there similarities and differences between the gendered messages communicated by
the different stores? What might those similarities and differences suggest about gender
and age, race, and/or socioeconomic status?
2.
Differences, Similarities, and Essentializing: For many of our students, much of the
“research” read and heard about gender and sex comes from pop psychology, and many
come into the course expecting to learn about how men and women communicate as if they
are from different planets. Provide the students with a brief excerpt from John Gray’s book
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. Chapter 1 of the book works nicely for this
exercise, and the book is usually available at most college libraries. (Take care to abide by
education fair use regulations for copyrighted work. Using only Chapter 1 stays within
these guidelines.) Lead a discussion around the following questions:
• What of Gray’s claims do you agree with?
• What do you disagree with?
• Do you think Gray’s descriptions of men and women are consistent with you and
