LECTURE THREE: Theories of Gender

Social constructions of gender influences a person's appearance, interests, activities, friendships,

interpersonal styles, romantic relationships, and career decisions. Given the ubiquitous influence
of gender in a person's life, a number of theories have been developed to explain gender
development and differentiation. These theories can be generally divided into biological and
sociological theories
Biological theories
 Gender differences are due to the biological differences/factors between males and
females.
 It is commonly argued that biological differences between males and females determine
gender by causing enduring differences in capabilities and dispositions is responsible for
gender differences in abilities and behaviors.
 The theorists have focused on the role of hormones such as androgen, and testosterone
 The basic biological argument rests upon the assumption that the hormones that
differentiate the two sexes are responsible for their different behaviors in society. For
example it is argued that men have higher levels of testosterone and androgen hence their
greater aggression compared to women.
 This can be seen as the basis of their dominance over females.
 Androgens are a group of hormones that play a role in the development of male traits and
reproductive activity males have much higher levels than females. The differential level
of androgen are responsible for changes in gender‐typed behaviors; increases in
androgens are expected to make behavior more male‐typical and decreases in androgens
are expected to make behavior more female‐typical. Girls with higher androgen display a
higher interest in masculine‐typed toys, stronger spatial abilities, more aggressive
behaviors, and show less of an interest in babies.
 Left-brain dominance is said to lead men to be more rational while their relative lack of
brain lateralization should lead women to be more emotional.
 Goy and Phoenix (1971) conducted experiments on female rhesus monkeys and observed
increased aggression among monkeys injected with testosterone before birth. Goldberg
(1979) argues that testosterone is responsible for male dominance and this explains the
existence of male dominance in every society.

Weaknesses of the theory

 Much of the popular work on gender differences in the brain are based on shaky
evidence, and are commonly exaggerations and even distortions of what appears in the
 scientific literature these differences are exaggerated and extended in the service of
constructing gender.
 And the scientific literature itself is based on very small samples, often from sick or
injured populations.
 It is mainly based on experiments on laboratory animals, and as such the findings are not
applicable to humans in non-laboratory (that is, real life) situations

NB. Biological factors, such as hormones, are at least partially responsible for some differences
that are observed between males and females.

Structural-functionalism

Society is an integrated (unified) system: -Look at society as composed of different parts which

are seen to be interrelated and together form a complete system. Examples of parts that make a

system include institutions such as the family, religion, economy, education and politics.

To functionalists these institutions provide the rules governing behaviors that serve to maintain a

kind of equilibrium and a set of common values that bind people together.

Functionalists argue that gender roles were established well before the pre-industrial era when
men typically took care of responsibilities outside of the home, such as hunting, and women
typically took care of the domestic responsibilities in or around the home.

These roles were considered functional because women were often limited by the physical
restraints of pregnancy and nursing and unable to leave the home for long periods of time.

Roles were passed on to subsequent generations since they served as an effective means of
keeping the social system functioning properly.

Change in the social structure leads to changes in the gender roles and causes a state of
imbalance.
Weaknesses
Theory is criticized for emphasizing the role of norms and shared values in maintaining
equilibrium and down playing the role of individuals.

Critics also argue that functionalism is unable to explain social change because it focuses so
intently on social order and equilibrium in society. Following functionalist logic, women and
men must serve certain functions. Gender roles however, change over time; some disappear and
others come into being.

Conflict Theory

The conflict perspective offers a picture of society strikingly different from that offered by
functionalists. The conflict perspective originated largely from Karl Marx’s writings on the class
conflict between capitalists and proletariat

Whereas functionalism emphasizes society’s stability, the conflict perspective portrays society as
always changing and always marked by conflict. (Economic changes, social changes-family size
and relations, technological changes-female condom, telephone, transport sector –air, water)

Conflict theory states that tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are
unevenly distributed between groups in society and that these conflicts become the engine for
social change.

According to conflict theorists certain social classes such as capitalists, men tend to dominate
and benefit from exploitation of others.

Society is a struggle for dominance among social groups for example struggle for dominance
between men and women and compete for scarce resources. Women strive for equality in a male-
dominated society, women struggling to get employment in urban areas, low income men also
struggling.

When sociologists examine gender from this perspective, we can view men as the dominant
group and women as the subordinate group. The dominant group members create the rules for
success and opportunity in society.

According to the theorists owner-worker relationship seen in the labor force is also seen in the
household with women assuming the role of the proletariat.

This is due to women’s dependence on men for the attainment of wages, which is even worse for
women who are entirely dependent upon their spouses for economic support.

Activity 1

The conflict perspective leads us to ask questions such as:

 Which gender is more powerful and which is weaker?

 How does the powerful gender benefit from the existing social order?
  How is the weaker gender hurt in unequal society?

Respond to the above basing on a society you are familiar with