Androcenticism

When researching my word androcentrisim, the online dictionary defined it as, "centered on,
emphasizing, or dominated by male or masculine interest." This means that
in a society the male’s opinion and views are used to describe the overall
general populations. Their actions are also used to exemplify both the male and
female behavior. The way that this description is used is a way to separate men
from women, most time when the women’s behavior deviates from the males they
are viewed as being inferior and out of the ordinary.
In the world today there are many different examples of Americans living unconsciously in an androcentric view of the world. This can be seen on many of the street signs, where most of the signs that we see have cartoon drawn pictures of men plastered on them. Some
example of these pictures can be seen on cross walks, pedestrian signs, and the
default avatars. Though it was found truer in children’s stories and television shows (http://androcentricworld.wordpress.com/), it was also
found that they are more focused around male characters whether their character
is the dominate or not. It is found that girls take up 25% of all animations. Though it is not obvious I do believe that we the in certain, not all, aspects of life the world that we live in has unconscious androcentric views. However, at the same time I do not believe that it is as drastic as the articles I read are trying to make it seem.

Men's Movements

Thesaurus.com describes the men’s movements as “men’s attempt to redefine,” however, this seemingly simplistic sentence offers a variety of definitions.

There are two types of men undergoing a movement; those that want to return to the stereotypical alpha-male and those that want to be free to express themselves and be equal to women. In her article “Tracking the Men’s Movement” Marianna Torgovnick describes the movement of the men that wish to be seen as stereotypical males. Torgovnick illustrates the type of men that are viewed by the world as the alpha male; the man that is supposed to stand proud and provide for his family. Essentially the man that “wears the trousers.” This particular male’s movement is an attempt to redefine the conventional ways of the world and alter the success of the women’s movement. As a result of the women’s movement males lost some of their fundamental privileges, which they now hope to gain back. When women were granted the right to vote, work, and control their own lives conservative men lost their role. They were no longer viewed as the head of the house; their role in society had been completely altered. Their movement is an attempt to regain their dominance in the world and return to the “norm” that defines their clichéd identity.

However, Kenneth Clatterbaugh’s essay “Literature of the U.S. Men’s Movements,” illustrates the movement of the more liberal men. Following the success of the women’s movement there were men that wished to stray away from the image of the typical male. These men wanted to express their feelings and challenge the traditional roles that society had implanted upon them. These men wanted the freedom to be the men that they wished to be. They wanted to do things that society would typically frown upon. They wanted to express their sexuality, reveal their emotions, and even wear pink!

Third Wave Movement

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, feminism is defined as "the theory of the political, economic, and the social equality of the sexes". First Wave Feminism came around during the women’s suffrage movement, where they battled legal constrictions and gained the right to vote. Second Wave Feminism expanded the movement, addressing a wider range than First Wave Feminism, including: official legal inequalities, sexuality, family, the workplace, and reproductive rights. Since the 1990’s Third Wave Feminism has focused more on the individual, and less on a global scale. Third Wave Feminists are encouraged to build their own identities, and to accept themselves if they are less than “traditional”.

Third Wave Feminism is loosely defined as "a philosophy that emerged in the 1990s, and focuses on the economic, political, social, and personal empowerment of women". In general, Third Wave Feminism is criticized for its lack of involvement in politics. The focus on identity issues is criticized because some people don’t consider it a universal concern. The Third Wave is slightly ambiguous due to the fact that there has yet to be a legal achievement or formalized goal associated with it, like the right to vote or even reproductive rights. Overall, Third Wave Feminism pulls away from activism and centers on the philosophy of individual empowerment, and moves to improve the lives of women in every aspect of life.

Queer

While the classic definition of queer as stated by dictionary.com is "strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint", this is no longer the way the word is used in modern context. More recently, queer has be adapted as an "umbrella" term from the LGBTIQ community. The UC Berkeley Gender Equity and LGBT Resource Center defines queer as "An umbrella term to refer to all LGBTIQ people; a political statement, as well as a sexual orientation, which advocates breaking binary thinking and seeing both sexual orientation and gender identity as potentially fluid". This modern day, working definition is affirmed by the BGSU Queer Glossary, "queer is a term which has been reclaimed by members of the gay, lesbian. bisexual, and transgender communities to refer to people who transgress culturally imposed norms of heterosexuality and gender traditionalism. Queer might be broadly defined as resistance to regimes of the “normal.”". Based on the UC Berkely and the BGSU definitions, one can define queer as an all-encompassing term for sexual minorities that are not heteronormative and/or do not follow the gender-binary.

Essentialism (in context of gender)

Essentialism, in general, is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the practice of regarding something (as a presumed human trait) as having innate existence or universal validity rather than being a social, ideological or intellectual construct” Therefore in context of gender, essentialism argues that those members of the same group (namely of the same gender) possess some underlying similarities and characteristics.

In my findings the idea and connotations of essentialism have been frequently debated, specifically in the context of gender. In general, essentialism is making a sweeping statement that the all members of a specific group must share some similar qualities in order to pertain to that group. What these similar qualites are for each defined group vary from person to person. From my findings, I found that specific groups (for example, feminists) change the stance they take to gender essentialism according to context. For example, in “Essentialism and Anti-Essentialism in Feminist Theory”, feminists denounce the essentialist idea that there is no biological evidence that supports only two categories for humans as male or female, and thus gender essentialism is not validated.

However interestingly enough, although essentialism implies concrete traits, the level of gender essentialism accepted varies from group to group. As the British Psychological Society explains, the use of essentialism is not always present in society but rather people’s desire to adhere to this essentialism is most present when there chance for change. It even hints that even sometimes, groups use the ideas of essentialism (the idea that there is a commonality between the members) to prove that other aspects of their groups are different. Thus ironically essentialism is almost used to disprove essentialism. I think this demonstrates that ultimately essentialism, which is supposed to be a rigid and innate quality, is actually very malleable, depending on context and interpretation.

Second Wave Feminism

Second wave feminism is the title of the women’s movement that stretched from approximately 1960 to 1980. According to Georgetown College, there was strong feminist activity in America, Britain, and continental Europe. The movement was a break from the popular image of suburban tranquility popular in the 1950’s, as is detailed by Britannica. The women of the second wave of feminism were inspired in part by working-class socialism and so adopted the habit of holding strikes. According to Pacifica, the movement encompassed a highly-publicized protest against the Miss America beauty contest as well as local demonstrations and groups. Despite the movement’s breadth, it was highly fractal, encompassing black feminists, lesbian feminists, and social feminists. These groups were successful in instituting legislation like Affirmative Action and Title IX, with the only large failure being the Equal Rights Amendment. The second wave of feminism addressed social and professional opportunities, sexuality, and cultural representation. While the second wave tapered off by the 1990’s, some of the groups are still active.

Second wave feminism seems to be the movement we currently associate with feminism. It is the passionate radical movement for every woman. It seems unclear what ultimately brought about the decline of the movement. Perhaps it was a cultural shift of a lack of momentum. Currently our cultural view and enthusiasm for feminism is quite disparate from the second wave. Perhaps the large accomplishments of the second wave leave modern women satisfied and without motivation to activily participate in a feminist movement.

Gender Identity

Gender Identity

Planned parenthood definition

Gender identity is essentially how we feel about and express our gender roles in the form of clothing, behavior, personal appearance, etc. It is not defined by our sex, which is biological and determined by anatomy, and it is not constrained to gender (society’s expectations about how a person of a specific sex should act). Transsexuals, for instance, believe that they are or ought to be of the opposite sex. When someone’s biological sex doesn’t match their gender identity, they are considered transgender.

Gender identity is not fixed at birth, but BritannicaEncyclopedia explains that it is typically established by age three and is difficult to change thereafter. A secondary gender identity can be developed over the core identity along with the development of sex-associated behaviors later in life.

Gender identity is not a learned trait, but something inherent. As Madeline Wyndzen, Ph.D, a transgendered professor, explained, “we do not need learn to be ourselves, we just are ourselves.” Madeline, for instance, is bi-gendered: someone who goes beyond androgyny to embrace different gender roles in different situations.

Gender identity is also viewed from a medical standpoint, as a disorder. Web MD defines gender identity disorder as a condition in which a male or female feels a strong identification with the opposite sex. This person often experiences great discomfort regarding his or her anatomic sex. It occurs more often in males than in females. The cause is unknown, though theories suggest that it is caused by chromosomal “abnormalities, hormone imbalances during fetal and childhood development, defects in normal human bonding and child rearing,” or a combination of all these factors.

Intersex

The Organization Intersex International in the US describes intersex people as those who are “born with a mix of anatomical sex traits that are traditionally considered to be both 'male' and 'female','or atypical for either.'" Intersex individuals may have biological characteristics of both the male and female sexes. There are many opinions on which types of sexual variations count as intersex. The Intersex Society of North America states that some doctors believe that the presence of “ambiguous genitalia” is the only clear sign of an intersex individual. Others say that a person’s brain must be exposed to a mix of hormones before they are born in order to be classified as intersex. Some think that a person has to have ovarian and testicular tissue to be put in this category. This article asserts that because each case of intersexuality is different, “intersex anatomy does not always show up at birth.” Intersexuality may not be discovered until puberty, adulthood, or even death. The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia describes intersex as “a discrepancy between the external and the internal genitals (the testes and ovaries).” It also refers to an older term, hermaphroditism, as a commonly used example. This term came from combining the names of Hermes (the god of male sexuality) and Aphrodite (the goddess of female sexuality, love, and beauty). But the group of intersex conditions is also commonly called disorders of sex development (DSDs) in order to replace “misleading, confusing, and insensitive” terms. The article goes on to describe the symptoms and causes associated with intersexuality.

Sources: The Organization Intersex International US: http://oiiusa.org/what_is_intersex
The Intersex Society of North America: http://www.isna.org/faq/what_is_intersex
The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001669.htm

Transgender

The American Psychology Association defines transgender as a "term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth". Gender and sex are not the same thing. Gender refers to the "levels of masculinity or femininity" (LGBT Resources) a person exudes. A transgender person expresses themselves in a way that is heavily strays, or is entirely opposite, from the usual behavior of their anatomical sex. For exapmle a person may be born a woman biologically but prefers to dress and behave like a man. Trangender is a term used to identify people in this category; however it "is not a sexual orientation" (LGBT Resources). A transgender person "may have any sexual orientaion".

Gender

When I first think of the word "gender," I usually associate the term with "sex". However, as I was looking up the definition of "gender" I was surprised when I found that my original assumptions were incorrect. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the word gender has two definitions. The first definition states that gender is, "a subclass within a grammatical class (as noun, pronoun, adjective, or verb) of a language that is partly arbitrary but also partly based on distinguishable characteristics (as shape, social rank, manner of existence, or sex) and that determines agreement with and selection of other words or grammatical forms. " This definition describes gender as being more of a category that can be split up into other sub categories, in which objects with similar characteristics are "placed" into. The second definition that the dictionary on the word gender is, " The behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex." This definition says that gender is not the actual "sex" itself, but a category made up of different sub categories that categorize different characteristics that come with that sex.

As I continue looking into the word "gender" I found two other definition that correspond with the dictionary definition. According to the World Health Organization "gender" is " used to describe those characteristics of women and men which a socially constructed while sex refers to those who are biologically determined." Likewise , the "Gender and Health collaborative Health project" defines the word "gender" as " gender is to the array of socially constructed roles and relationships , personality traits, attitudes, behaviors, values , relative power and influence that society ascribe to the two sexes on a differential basis." Like the dictionary definition these sources repeat the idea that the word gender is considered more of a category that things or people are placed into because of "like" characteristics.

Using the word gender correctly is important in our class because we will be discussing the ideas surrounding gender, hence the name of the group. To understand the just of the group we must first understand what we have come to learn about. We have not come to learn about anatomy, we have come to expand our thinking of human rights.

Masculine

Most of the definitions that I found for 'masculine' were what I expected. Dictionary.com gave the definition as being characteristic to men or the traits of men, listing strength and boldness. This is a traditional and archaic description, and is usually what most people think of when they hear the word 'masculine'. Other sources offered the idea that masculinity was for the most part a stereotype in the world today. The Media Awareness Network lists the common stereotypes attributed to masculinity in the media. Many stereotypes show men as violent, self-sufficient, and attractive. These are characteristics of the 'ideal' man, and many boys and men wish to become such a man. I think that this stereotype hardly encompasses the all the characteristics and traits of men, and has a terribly narrow view. It is unfair to most men and boys to assume that they are all like this, even if many of them hope to be. Men can need help, and be emotional, but societal views on the point do not allow them to appear in such a manner. If a man is seen as weak, he is scorned and looked down upon by his peers, because the stereotypes are so strong and deeply embedded in modern society.

Heterosexual

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, heterosexual is defined as "relating to, characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward the opposite sex...or involving sexual intercourse between individuals of opposite sex". The term heterosexual can be used as either a noun or as an adjective. The noun is a person who has a sexual orientation to people of the opposite sex. The adjective is the description of a person who is sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex. Some antonyms of heterosexual would be bisexual and homosexual. Heterosexual is the term that people use to describe their sexual orientation as straight or sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex. For example heterosexual females are sexually attracted to or have sexual intercourse with males and heterosexual males are sexually attracted to or have sexual intercourse with females. This is a term that only describe who a person is sexually attracted to.

Before I looked up the definition to this word I pretty much knew what it meant. I didn't think that sexual orientation applied to who you are sexually attracted to I thought it was who you were attracted to overall, not just sexual.

Feminine

According to the free Merriam-Webster Dictionary, feminine can be defined as a characteristic of or appropriate or unique to women. The examples included are feminine beauty and a feminine perspective. However, other sources are not so straight forward. On Brainy Quote, they are not quite so forgiving, going as far to describe the "bad" qualities such as weak, nerveless, and timid.
While I think that both of these definitions are not necessarily wrong, I do not support such a construct. The point of femininity is to define women, to teach them how to be, regardless of what they want. I think that the term feminine is an outdated term that serves no actual purpose to modern society. Additionally, while I appreciate the candidness and straightforwardness of Brainy Quote, I do not believe that it should be something encouraged nowadays. Similar to our points of view, we must make our everyday language progressive to the times, especially considering the impact of gender labels. As of Y2K, feminine has become a dirty word, something that is spoken out of hate as opposed to a compliment that it was developed as. While once girls strived to be described as feminine, it has now become a word synonymous exclusively with “weak” or “dependent”, providing a negative image to both genders. I think that our generation either has to redefine the term again to simply mean a characteristic, or cease using the term whatsoever.

Heterosexism

According to Dictionary.com, heterosexism is "a prejudiced attitude or discriminatory practices against homosexuals by heterosexuals." An example of heterosexism is if a homosexual man applies for a job, but is not given the job solely on the basis of his sexual orientation.

Though perhaps it is a less credible source, I actually agree more with an Urban Dictionary definition of heterosexism: "The false assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual because it is assumed to be the only acceptable and viable life option; this assumption often leads to discrimination based on sexual orientation; a form of homophobia." Though this definition is not bias-free and is somewhat less concise than that of Dictionary.com, I prefer it because it does not assume that only heterosexuals can participate in heterosexism. In fact, I agree with Wikipedia's discussion of the term which states, "people of any sexual orientation can hold such attitudes [of heterosexism] and bias."

Currently, there is a pending act in congress, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would forbid any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the workplace. If this act is passed it would help to fight against heterosexism, but the fact that it is still pending shows that heterosexism is still a huge problem in the United States.

Homosexual

In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, homosexual, as an adjective, is "of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex".

Wikipedia defines homosexuality as "a romantic or sexual attraction between members of the same sex or gender".

My third source was an article written by Dr. Paul Cameron, titled "What Causes Homosexual Desire and Can It Be Changed?" In the article, Dr. Cameron explains the cause of homosexuality based on factual evidence. He determines that homosexuality is "learned". He offers seven pieces of evidence in support of his claim, most of which explain that homosexuality happens at a younger age, becuase younger people are more easily influenced. He also believes that homosexuality can be changed based off of evidence that there are 'ex-homosexuals". He believes that the best way to "eliminate" homosexual behaviour is that "those with homosexual desires need to descipline themselves and abstain from homosexual contact".

Personally, I believe that homosexuality is a choice. Sure, it can be influenced by events at a younger age, but it all boils down to the person making their own choice about their own life. I also believe that we should not try to eliminate homosexuality, but homosexuals should not force their way of life on others and try to influence younger people into becoming homosexuals.

Sexual Orientation

1. American Psychological Association: "An enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women or both sexes."

2. Berkley University LGBT Resources: "The deep-seated direction of one's sexual (erotic) attraction. It is on a continuum and not a set of absolute categories...sexual orientation evolves through a multistage developmental process, and may change over time."

3. NSCU: "The affectional or loving attraction to another person. It can be considered as raning along a continuum from same sex attraction only at one end of the continuum to opposite sex attraction only at the other end."

It should be noted that many sources discussed a widespread confusion about what constitute sexusal orientation. Is it a behavior? A psychology? A combination? Is it developed? Inate? A combination? Is attraction enough to comprise orientation? Are actual sexual acts necessary? Is experiencing the feeling of love requisite? Many were unwilling to offer a definition and leave it at that. Multiple sources struggled also with the terminology used to describe sexual orientation. Homosexual and heterosexual were often deemed insufficient.

I feel most comfortable with the idea of the sliding scale:

{Same Sex Only}------------------------{Both Sexes}-----------------------{Opposite Sex Only}

This system provides for the idea that one might fall somewhere in between the defined options.

The part of this definition that I find most troubling is what actually constitutes an individuals position on the scale. Does the scale measure merely feelings of attraction or are deeper romantic tendancies here constituted? The two ideas are difficult enough to disentangle in the first place.

Gender Terminology Posting Instructions

As a first blog post (well, first for everyone except Rebecca Bernstein, rock star that she is!), I'd like you to write your own encyclopedia entry-style post for the gender-related term that you researched for homework last night.  Aim for about 250 words. That length means that in addition to bringing together the three sources that you found for this word, you'll also have to editorialize a bit and share either your own perspective on the term or perhaps an example or application of the term.

Cite any electronic sources you have by linking to them. For instance, you might write, "The Oxford English Dictionary defines androcentrism in the following way..." If you're using any books, create a little Works Cited entry at the end of your post and use parenthetical citation for any references you make to that book.

If you feel like your sources aren't going to cut it, feel free to investigate further online or in the library, within the time limits.

The title of your post should simply be your term. Make sure you label your post "terminology" in the labels section at the bottom.

Enjoy!