1.5 Why Study Sociology of Gender?
Why is it important to study sociology of gender? As stated earlier, a core theme in sociology is the origin and nature of inequality. We study sociology of gender to recognize and better understand the inequalities around us and to find solutions to social problems in our society. Chapter Three will apply a sociological perspective to the social problem of sexual violence. Throughout this book, we also will consider the intersectional impacts of gender in terms of inequitable outcomes related to education, access to abortion and healthcare, and income.
Sociology identifies and examines discriminatory policies and practices that are systematically embedded in the existing structure of society. Sociology of gender identifies and examines discriminatory policies and practices against women and those outside of the gender binary.
Another reason to study the sociology of gender is to recognize how individuals do and don’t fit into the world, including how they are viewed and how they view others through the lens of gender. We may be able to understand how gender norms and socialization steer women and feminine-presenting people into teaching jobs in primary and secondary schools, while men and masculine-presenting people tend to be either maintenance staff, coaches, or administrators. Because sociology encourages us to be reflexive, we can also consider how gender norms, standards, and expectations have impacted our personal experiences. The Looking Through the Lens activity at the end of this chapter will give you an opportunity to practice reflexivity.
Sociology of gender helps us ask big questions about how gender and sexuality work in our society. Imagine you have a friend, colleague, or peer who is transgender and has been ostracized by their family, perhaps bullied at school, or lost a job. We can then ask some big questions: Why? Why did people react so strongly? Using the sociology of gender, we discover an interconnected web of culture, power, identity, and socialization.
Patterns of Inequality
By applying the tools and methods of sociology to questions of gender, sexuality, gender expression, and identity, the sociology of gender identifies gender-based inequality and reveals the social processes by which gender is socially constructed, imposed, enforced, reproduced, and negotiated in our everyday lives.
For example, the wage gap is not just an idea or an opinion. Most of us expect that our work will be fairly rewarded, based on our performance, and if some people are paid more than others, it is because they have more skill and experience. However, sociologists, economists, and other social scientists have identified overwhelming data that documents differences in compensation, hiring, promotion, retention, and job satisfaction for the same work between different genders and between PGM and people who are White.
They also record the experiences of individuals and groups through qualitative data methods and compare and contrast those experiences to explain the more nuanced patterns of the wage gap story. This combined research (numerical statistical data and the commonalities in stories) provides evidence of patterns of inequity. In the face of such patterns, we can conclude that the fault for these disparities lies with discriminatory systems and not with individual performance.
Working for Change and Future Activism
Activism and voting are two ways people change social systems and structures (figure 1.11). Social research can also support and inspire social change. When we connect social research with experiences in our everyday lives and the lives of those around us, we start to see patterns of exclusion and oppression, as well as shared interests. When a woman notices that her male colleagues have advanced in position and compensation, data from pay equity can affirm that she is not alone in her experience. When a Black man is continuously passed over for interviews based on his name, research on discriminatory hiring practices can let him know that he is also not alone in his struggle. When LGBTQIA+ people face microaggressions and discrimination at work, research about the experiences of LGBTQIA+ workers can validate individual experiences.
Recognizing these patterns reveals common ground upon which people can work together to create healthier, more positive, and equitable spaces in the world. In the face of unjust systems created and controlled by powerful people who benefit from those systems, political organizers rely on data from social research to help inform coalition-building efforts based on shared interests across differences. Small movements and actions can lead to big changes when we work together.
LEARN MORE: Organizing for Social Justice
To learn more about organizations that organize for justice, equity, access, and equal rights, Check out these websites:
Let’s Review
Looking Through the Lens: Reflexivity
In this activity, you will use the lens of reflexivity to examine your personal biases and blindspots in order to understand how critical self-reflection can help you be a more objective researcher.
Before you begin this activity, let’s acknowledge that fairness and objectivity are important social values. Since you probably want to be fair and objective, it can be tempting to deny your biases or to judge yourself harshly when we discover them. If you notice the urge to deny or judge your biases, try reminding yourself that acknowledging biases and blindspots can help you be more objective and fair.
Step 1. Reread the section of this chapter about reflexivity.
Step 2. Answer these questions:
- Describe your identity in terms of race, gender, sexual identity, income level, faith tradition, and education.
- Describe a person of good moral character.
- Describe a person of bad moral character.
- Describe a time you acted with integrity.
- Describe a time that you wish you had acted with more integrity.
- List any personal biases or blind spots you are aware of.
- List any biases or blind spots that people close to you may have pointed out. (You can pause this activity to ask someone if you want to)
- Write a few sentences about how your race, gender, sexual identity, income level, faith tradition, and education might influence your biases and blind spots.
Step 3. Imagine that you are working on a research project about people who you have identified as having bad moral character. Write a short paragraph about how being aware of your personal biases and blindspots can help you be more objective in your research.
Licenses and Attributions for Why Study Sociology of Gender?
Open Content, Original
“Why Study Sociology of Gender?” by Heidi Esbensen and Nora Karena is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Looking Through the Lens: Reflexivity” by Nora Karena is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Why Study Sociology of Gender? Question Set” was created by ChatGPT and is not subject to copyright. Edits for relevance, alignment, and meaningful answer feedback by Colleen Sanders are licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Open Content, Shared Previously
Figure 1.11. Photo by PDBVerglag is licensed under the Pixabay License.
applies the tools of sociology to explore how gender, including sexuality, gender expression, and identity, is socially constructed, imposed, enforced, reproduced, and negotiated.
the meanings, attitudes, behaviors, norms, and roles that a society or culture ascribes to sexual differences (Adapted from Conerly et.al. 2021a).
a group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture (Conerly et al. 2021).
a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world (Guerrero 20164).
any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion by any person, regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting (WHO 2022).
a limited system of gender classification in which gender can only be masculine or feminine. This way of thinking about gender is specific to certain cultures and is not culturally, historically, or biologically universal.
the process of learning culture through social interactions.
a practice of self-reflection to examine how personal biases, feelings, reactions, and motives influence research.
refers to a person’s personal and interpersonal expression of sexual desire, behavior, and identity.
describes people who identify as a gender that is different from the gender they were assigned at birth.
a group’s shared practices, values, beliefs, and norms. Culture encompasses a group’s way of life, from daily routines and everyday interactions to the most essential aspects of group members’ lives. It includes everything produced by a society, including social rules.
the way our gender identity is expressed outwardly through clothing, personal grooming, self-adornment, physical posture and gestures, and other elements of self-presentation.
a systematic approach that involves asking questions, identifying possible answers to your question, collecting, and evaluating evidence—not always in that order—before drawing logical, testable conclusions based on the best available evidence.
an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual, Plus a continuously expanding spectrum of gender identities and sexual orientations.
are statements that indirectly reference stereotypes to assert the dominance of the aggressor.
