Deck 2: Lenses of Gender

Question 1

Based upon extensive empirical research, it is becoming quite clear that innate differences between the sexes are_____________________.

A) rare and slight
B) pervasive and wide-ranging
C) difficult to detect but very powerful dimensions of biology
D) non existent

Answer 1

rare and slight

Question 2

According to the work of Fausto-Sterling (2000), approximately __% of human beings have significant physical differences that make their classification as male or female problematic.

A) 98.3
B) 64.2
C) 9.5
D) 1.7

Answer 2

1.7

Question 3

In The Science Question in Feminism, Sandra Harding (1986) argues against the pervasive Western cultural belief that science is __________.

A) political
B) ideological
C) apolitical
D) patriarchal

Answer 3

apolitical

Question 4

The selection criteria by which "findings" of significant sex differences are more likely than findings about similarities between the sexes to be published in science journals is known as the ___________.

A) patriarchal bias
B) alpha bias
C) anthropomorphic bias
D) progressive bias

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the three general criteria scientists use to judge causality?

A) the existence of a consistent pattern
B) inconsistency in time ordering (X sporadically occurs before Y)
C) consistency in time ordering (X always occurs before Y)
D) there is no alternative possibility for explaining the relationship between X and Y

Question 6

What is the term for a pattern found in a sample population with a high probability of being true for the population as a whole?

A) Statistical correlation
B) Social significance
C) Statistical significance
D) Statistical configuration

Question 7

Which of the following is true of sex-based testing? There is more________-group variation than _________- group variation.

A) within/between
B) between/within
C) minor/major
D) outer/inter

Question 8

In what year were Canadian women allowed into the University of Toronto's medical school?

A) 1901
B) 1906
C) 1912
D) 1943

Question 9

What is the term which refers to the pervasive organization of social life around gender differences?

A) gender polarization
B) gender dimensionality
C) gender bias
D) gender reductionism

Question 10

How does the work of feminist historical Gerda Lerner, in The Creation of Patriarchy (1986), explain why women have been largely absent from historical accounts?

A) history has been written by men, primarily, who have recorded what men have done and deemed to be significant
B) women have not played a very significant role in history due to their social roles, but this is changing.
C) written accounts of women's contributions in history were lost during the Second World War but are now being discovered
D) women have historically devalued their own contributions, rendering them less likely to be passed on either in stories or in writing

Question 11

The strand of feminism that identifies both patriarchy and social class as combining to oppress women in known as _____________ feminism.

A) socialist
B) liberal
C) radical
D) cultural

Question 12

Which of the following variants of feminism is most likely to view "equality of access" to existing institutions and workplaces as an overarching goal of struggle?

A) cultural
B) radical
C) liberal
D) socialist

Question 13

The early work of the renowned Canadian sociologist Dorothy Smith has focused upon the intersections of gender and _____ on the institutional level.

A) class
B) sexual orientation
C) age
D) race

Question 14

Which of the following statements best applies to the belief that gender equality in Canada has now been achieved?

A) this belief is supported by empirical research
B) this belief is unsupported by empirical research
C) this belief is hard to assess because everyone's definition of equality is different
D) this belief challenges the dominant ideology

Question 15

Two major gender lenses which have likely shaped your own ideas about gender are: (1) the existence of innate sex differences and (2) the belief that______________.

A) some degree of inequality is inevitable
B) equality is undesirable
C) equality is possible
D) equality is unhealthy

Question 16

On most variables, what kind of overlap is found between the sexes?

A) very little
B) a great deal of
C) no
D) complete

Question 17

Of the statements below, which one would all strands of feminism be most likely to agree with?

A) we must develop more equitable social arrangements
B) there are some innate behavioral differences between women and men that cannot be ignored
C) gender equality is not possible under capitalism
D) gender differences should be celebrated

Question 18

Jean is a cultural feminist; she is most likely to argue that:

A) women have unique and valuable characteristics that should be celebrated.
B) lack of pay equity is a key issue in need of being addressed
C) socio-economic divisions and patriarchy go hand in hand
D) the very nature of existing power arrangements need to be deconstructed.

Question 19

The very fact that you have an opportunity to take a course on gender means that post-secondary institutions (such as yours) __________________.

A) have fully embraced the importance of critical gender analysis
B) have made some room for the critical study of gender
C) are ahead of the times, since we are a long way from achieving full gender equality outside of the "ivory tower"
D) are committed to abolishing patriarchy in all of its many forms

Question 20

Why is it particularly challenging to (1) take notice of and (2) think critically about the patriarchy of our own socio-cultural milieu?

Question 21

Provide a critical response to the following statement: "Women are naturally better nurturers than men."

Question 22

How has science been used to keep women out of education and politics? Provide two examples of this phenomenon.

Question 23

Discuss the difference between correlation and causation; apply this to an example of sex and gender differences.

Question 24

Discuss a key component of "gender polarization". Provide an example from your social world

Question 25

Write an essay which critically evaluates the often-stated claim that "we are coming to achieve greater and greater gender equality in twenty-first century Canada". What evidence suggests this is true? What evidence suggests that this is not true? What do you think and what is the basis for your evaluation? Back your essay up with empirical research and consider your own experiences as a potential resource.

Question 26

Develop an essay which critically examines the relationship between social conservative politics in Canada and the "traditional family". Focus your essay upon a particular organization (such as REAL women or the former Reform Party of Canada) and consider how your chosen organization implicitly or explicitly perpetuates forms of gender inequality through policies, practices, and discourses.

Question 27

Compare and contrast two of the following strands of feminism: liberal, cultural, radical or socialist. Discuss how they would each assess the current landscape of gender inequality and what is to be done in the fight for gender equality in Canada today.