1.

Intersex
a. “Not clearly biologically male or female” (glossary). Sometimes this is obvious at
birth due to sex-ambiguous genitalia, but other times it becomes apparent later in
life.
b. The textbook does not really give an example, but points out that intersex is based
on a biological trait and is different from being transgender. Transgender people
identify as a different gender.
c. Intersex is basically when someone’s biological makeup does not favor one
gender but both.
d. In biology, we learned about how flowers or some plants can act as both genders
or change genders based on mating needs. I think this is an interesting example of
intersex.

2. Gender Scripts
a. “Expectations for behavior appropriate for our assigned genders” (pg 146).
b. The way you walk, talk, dress, and activities you choose to do can create
masculine or feminine images and either fit or go against our gender scripts.
c. Gender scripts are the guidelines or narrative society tells us to follow based on
our gender.
d. An example of a gender script is that many girls dance, cheer, or do gymnastics
whereas boys play sports like football. Boys that dance or cheer go against the
gender script, and they might be bullied for this reason.

3. Gender Segregation
a. In the workforce, gender segregation is “the practice of labeling certain fields of
employment as for either men or women” (pg. 148).
b. Women are more likely to hold lower paying positions that involve caretaking,
while men hold a disproportionate share of higher-paying jobs (like science and
technology).
c. Gender segregation is particularly in the workforce and is when women are paid
less for the exact same job and when women are expected to hold less
powerful/prestigious jobs as men.
d. In one of my architecture classes, we read about a heterosexual married couple of
architects. When working with clients, other architects, engineers, interior
designers, etc., everybody expected that the man did all of the work. Everybody
thought that the woman just was his secretary or did simple tasks. In reality, she
did most of the designing, while he ran finances and spent more time at home.
The article was a really powerful example of gender segregation.

4. Glass Ceiling
a. “Unofficial barrier women and minorities face when trying to advance to the
upper levels of an organization” (pg 152). There are no formal rules saying that
women cannot advance through the ceiling, but you might feel like you “bumped
up against it”.
b. In a group of corporations, there is a gap between the percentages of men and
women increased from the managerial to vice presidential to CEO levels.
 c. The glass ceiling is just an invisible wall that women or minorities might face
while trying to exceed or become more powerful/prestigious in society.
d. While picking a business partner, my dad was choosing between a married
couple. He said that he ended up picking the man because the couple had children
and he didn’t want the woman to spend more time at home rather than work.
While he wasn’t intentionally segregating against the woman, my dad allowed the
woman to experience a glass ceiling. She wanted to become a CEO of my dad’s
future home health company, but she could not because she reached the maternal
wall.

5. Glass Escalator
a. This term is not in the textbook, but according to the internet it is when
“heterosexual white men are put on a fast track to advanced positions when
entering primarily female-dominated professions”.
b. “Pink collar” professions are examples of this like nursing, teaching,
librarianship, social work, and ballet.
c. The Glass Escalator is literally how it sounds. White men can take the escalator
and advance to the top of a female orientated job quicker. Women have to take the
stairs and the slower path in order to advance to the top, higher paying jobs.
d. An example of this is in the dance industry. When I was little and I danced
competitively, I noticed that boys got extra points on the scoring rubric just for
being a male dancer. Since the dance industry is predominantly female, the judges
wanted to boost the male dancers and put them on the top. All of the girls had to
work harder to win the competition or get noticed by the judges.

6. Types of Gender Inequalities

a. Gender wage gap: “the difference between wages of men and women” (pg. 150).
Discrimination: men are typically able to gain authority and prestige than women
in the workforce
Inequalities within hetero vs homo sexuals within the workforce
b. The textbook went into detail about a study with transgender men who began their
jobs as women. Many of these men noticed that it was easier to gain authority and
prestige in the same job as men rather than women.
c. There are several types of gender inequalities, however, the most common ones
are within the workforce and particularly within the wage gap and within power
and prestige.
d. An example of a gender inequality I’ve noticed is that male athletes make
significantly more than female athletes. When recruiting for professional sports,
news articles, tv programs, etc., always mention how much the male basketball,
soccer, and other sports’ athletes are making. The women are making
significantly less. I searched it and they make at least 15% less than men. I know
the wage gap is significant in every career field, however, it is interesting how this
one is publicly announced.

How is gender a social construction?

Gender is a social construction because we are raised to fit our personalities and interests into a
bubble based on our genders. Little boys are encouraged to play with cars, to be more active and
fun, and to dress in certain colors and styles. Little girls are supposed to be sweet, play with dolls
or pretend to be caregivers, and dress in pink, purples, and dresses. After our childhoods, we are
faced with gender constructions in the workforce and around our acquaintances.

How is gender an identity?

Gender is an identity because our genders shape our interests and personalities significantly.
Without gender constraints, we might be more aggressive or more of a caregiver than we are
now. Gender just like religion, race, etc. affects the way we act and socialize in society.

How is gender a social institution?

Social institutions are sets of statuses and roles that focus on one central aspect of society.
Gender is an important aspect of society, and our statuses and roles are based around our gender.
Typically men have higher/more powerful statuses in society and take on the more
strong/masculine role in society. Women are caregivers and tend to focus on being organized,
sweet, and centered around our homes. While the roles and statuses of women and men are
changing, they are still centered around these basic ideas making them a social institution.