Gender

From Geography

Latest revision as of 12:38, 26 October 2012

Gender

In general, gender is a concept that shows the (cultural) differences between man and women. It is often confused with the concept of the sexes. According to Ann Oakley, the following distinction between sex and gender can be made: 'Sex' is a word that refers to the biological differences between male and female: the visible difference in genitalia, the related difference in procreative function. 'Gender' however us a matter of culture: it refers to the social classification into 'masculine' and 'feminine' (Oakley, 1972, p. 16).

Oakley's definition was important because it argued that social inequalities between man and women are not the result of the biological differences between man and women, but that the social inequalities were the result of different variables across time, space and location (Schech & Harris, 2007, p. 86).

Differences worldwide

Worldwide, many definitions and thoughts about gender exist. These thought differ from culture to culture. In some cultures, due to feminism, the social inequalities between man and women became smaller. Especially in the Western world women got more rights and opportunities. In the third world, not all women have the same rights and opportunities as men. In third world countries many women for example are victims of sexual abuse.

Postcolonial and Poststructuralist feminisms made critical analysis of the gender (in)equality in the 1980s.

Gender (and feminist) writers

Important writers about gender and feminism are:

• Elizabeth Grosz

• Ann Oakley

Feminist Geographers

Gender plays an important role in the feminist geography. The feminist theory focusses on the difference that gender makes to a host of social process. Geographical concepts have all been enriched by feminist theory. In stead of people asking questions 'Where does work take place?' it transformed to questions as 'Who works where?' (Aitken & Valentine, 2009,p.46). Researchers often formed seperable men and women categories while doing research. This gives an insight in the differences in spatial experiences of men and wonen. This can contribute to insights in how women are marginalised. In this sense gender is focussed on difference. But gender can also attend the focus on social relations. In here, men and wonen are discrete objects of inquiry to the structured interconnections that intertwine their life experiences (Aitken & Valentine, 2009, p.47). Patriarchy is one of the key structures studied by feminist geographers. There is also a domein called 'gender as social construction'. People, objects, experiences and meanings have no intrinsic meaning until their qualities and boundaries have been framed in discourse. Applied to feminism, gender codings are key elements in establishing difference and policy categories. These feminist geographers are interested in in which discursive categories, like male/female and masculine/feminim, are brought into play at specific times and places. This in order to establish spaces of exclusion and inclusion. They also examine how these explicitly gendered categories sare part of socially constructued ones, such as race, sexuality, production, reproduction, nature, culture and so on (Aitken & Valentine, 2009, p.49).

References

• Aitken, S. & Valentine, G. (2009). Approaches to human geography. Sage

• Oakley, A. (1972). Sex, Gender and Society. London: Temple Smith. Reprinted with new Introduction, London: Gower, 1985.

• Schech, S., Haggis, J. (2007). Culture and development: A Critical Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Contributors

• Page created by Lieke Vogels, 26 October 2012

• Page edited by Michiel van Rijn --MichielVanRijn 14:38, 26 October 2012 (CEST)