Q&A Hero

Q: Identify the themes (or elements) of what it means to be feminine in the United States. As part of your explanation, be sure you provide brief, concrete examples for the five themes. Finally, discuss one way that parental/guardian communication about gender (as discussed in Chapter 7 of Gendered Lives) may influence understanding of one or more of these themes.

Q: Which of the following is true about romantic relationships? A. Women tend to fall in love faster and harder than men. B. Women perceive of love in terms of taking trips to romantic places, spontaneously making love, and surprising their partners. C. In romantic relationships between women and men, attitudes toward sexual activity have undergone profound changes over the last several decades. D. Women are more likely than men to focus on relationship dynamics. E. All of the above.

Q: Lesbian relationships tend to be A. nonmonogamous. B. low in disclosure and support. C. egalitarian in distributing responsibilities for maintaining the relationship. D. primarily based on doing things rather than talking. E. longer-lasting than heterosexual relationships.

Q: Same-sex schools provide some benefits that are appealing to many students, parents, and educators. However, same-sex schools present issues for trans-people that nongender queer people do not confront. Note three potential problems that trans-people face at same-sex schools that others do not. Then, propose a potential solution to one of those problems.

Q: ANS: Title IX requires that women be provided an equitable opportunity to participate in sports. This does not mean that womens and mens athletic opportunities must be identical, only that women and men are given similar opportunities to participate in athletics and that support for male and female teams is proportionate. Although Title IX has created new opportunities for women athletes, the playing field is not equal. Male athletes and coaches continue to receive more financial resources than do female athletes and teams; mens team often also are privileged in terms of accessing playing fields at prime times. Male athletes also have access to more scholarly support in the form of tutors. Some colleges and universities employ deceptive practices to make it appear that they are meeting Title IX criteria when they are not. Some of these practices include counting male players who practice with women as female athletes and padding the roster of female teams when the numbers are counted only to cut players after the numbers have been recorded.

Q: Describe how gender contributes to how women faculty members are expected to serve the universities for which they work.

Q: Effortless perfection

Q: Kinesics

Q: What does it mean to say that gender should be viewed as a verb, not a noun? How is gender social? Finally, what are the implications of such claims? Your response should be grounded in performative theory about gender.

Q: Cognitive development theory

Q: Your Gendered Lives textbook discusses a number of informal organizational practices that contribute to discriminatory practices in organizations today. Define and discuss two of these practices that you believe are most damaging and explain why you believe this. Finally, pick one of the methods to redress gendered inequity and explain how this solution would help address the discriminatory practices discussed in your essay. What are the benefits and limitations of this method?

Q: How might gendered stereotypes contribute to more subtle forms of discrimination practiced in organizations today? Explain two stereotypes each for women and for men. Provide an example of how they might be enacted in organizational life. How does each of these limit opportunities?

Q: Biological theory suggests that mens and womens brains are formed and develop differently, resulting in different behaviors and characteristics.

Q: Performative theory says that gender is not a thing we have but is instead a thing we do.

Q: Queer theory states that identity categories are limiting and meaningless.

Q: According to psychodynamic theorists, gender identity becomes fixed early in life.

Q: Maternal wall

Q: What is rape culture? How does it affect victims of sexual assault? What should be done to eradicate this problem in our culture?

Q: Define informed consent. Do you think this is an appropriate definition of informed consent? Why or why not?

Q: NOMAS, MVP, and mythopoetics all agree that the current construction of masculinity can be harmful.

Q: When men observe sexist or violent behavior aimed at women and do not intervene, they are enacting bystander behavior.

Q: Sexual harassment

Q: Gender intimidation

Q: One way to pose questions for this (and several other) chapters is to present them as advice column questions, with the students being the experts who respond. Another similar option is to present a question as if it is the students friend asking him/her for advice since the friend knows the student is in a Gender and Communication class. Students tend to enjoy these questions and they give them the opportunity to integrate the material in ways that are applicable to their lives. It is often helpful to integrate material from several chapters in the questions. Some examples include: Dear Gender Communication Expert, I am a female college senior, and I am so frustrated with my boyfriend Seth. Since well be graduating soon, its important to me that we really make sure our relationship is strong before entering the real world. But when I tell Seth that I want to feel closer to him, he ignores me and instead just spent a bunch of money for us to go skydiving! I dont want to jump out of a plane together, I want to talk! When I try to talk about my feelings about it, he barely looks at me and just starts fixing things around the apartment. Meanwhile, he just keeps planning more crazy dates like this. Im afraid he might not want to be with me anymore. What should I do? Scared Senior The framework for the answer to this question can be found on page 184. Dear Scared Senior, It sounds like Seth isnt trying to pull away at all, he just has a different way of showing closeness and affection. See, you have a very feminine idea of intimacytalking about your feelings and the relationshipbut Seth doesnt think of closeness that way. When he plans crazy dates for you or does other tasks for you (like fixing things around the apartment), he is showing you that he cares about you. This is a very masculine way of being close. Masculine people, like Seth, often dont want to talk about the relationship unless they think something is wrong. You may want to talk to be sure things are okay, but Seth may think they are okay and so theres no need to talk. In fact, a date like skydiving may even suggest hes ready to do exciting (though sometimes scary) things with you, much like those youll face as you consider what youll do after graduation. I have two suggestions for you. First, try to remember that Seths actions are a demonstration of his feelings for you. Second, talk to him and explain that while you love that he does things for you, youd also like to spend some time engaging in some more feminine modes of closeness. If you can each try to understand the others perspective, youll be able to appreciate each others efforts more. Good luck! Communication Expert Dear Communication Expert, Im a 20-year-old gay man. My boyfriend, Andrew, is driving me crazy! I really love him, but hes so needy. When we first got together, he was so independent, but now hes bugging me all the time to spend more time together and talk more on the phone. I like hanging out with Andrew, but I feel myself pulling back because its so annoying how much he wants to hang out. Spending time together used to be special, but now I feel like its never enough for him. Even though I care so much, the more he wants to see me, the less I find I want to see him. This would make sense to me if I just werent interested, but I really like Andrew, and I know hes starting to think I dont! Whats going on?

Q: ANS: Both women and men report they value close, same-sex friendships and seek intimacy, acceptance, assistance, and trust in those relationships.

Q: Androgyny is a term describing individuals who feel their biological sex is wrongthat they are really women trapped in mens bodies or men trapped in womens bodies.

Q: The standard practice today for intersex infants is to give them normalizing surgery so their genitalia are consistently male or female.

Q: In a heterosexual relationship, the male partner would be the one most likely to be responsible for remembering the childs doctors appointments.

Q: In heterosexual couples in which the woman earns substantially more than the man, the man performs the majority of household labor.

Q: Which of the following tends to be true about lesbian relationships? A. One partner tends to be expected to be the breadwinner. B. They tend to be based on tangible investments such as money and possessions. C. They tend to be bound by traditional gender roles. D. The partners involved tend to have the most equality of all types of relationships. E. None of the above.