Deck 8: Sex and Gender

Question 1

Constraints on women's lives and discrimination against women is called:

A)sexual egalitarianism.
B)sexual hierarchy.
C)sexual construction.
D)gender stratification.
E)gender ideology.

Answer 1

gender stratification.

Question 2

The hijras in India are:

A)a group of individuals who serve as priests in the goddess cult.
B)individuals who were born male,but have had their genitals removed.
C)individuals who were born female,but have had their genitals removed.
D)born with both male and female genitalia and function as bisexuals.
E)a low caste of non-sexed individuals.

Answer 2

individuals who were born male,but have had their genitals removed.

Question 3

The hijras perform at:

A)birthdays.
B)holidays.
C)deaths.
D)weddings,childbirths,and deaths.
E)weddings and childbirths.

Answer 3

weddings and childbirths.

Question 4

In many societies,the transition from one social status to another is formalized by:

A)rites of passage.
B)reincarnations.
C)rituals of rebellion.
D)symbolic rites.
E)pilgrimage rites.

Question 5

This theory holds that female subordination is based on women's universal role as mothers and homemakers.

A)manhood puzzle
B)culture and personality
C)gender stratification
D)male/female dichotomy
E)public/private dichotomy

Question 6

Which of the following Mexican artists is best known for her aesthetic expression of gender ideology and political identity?

A)Angelina Beloff
B)Malu Riviera
C)Maritza Morillas
D)Frida Kahlo
E)Maria Ortiz

Question 7

Which the following best defines gender stratification?

A)It is the gendered separation of males and females in relations of production,distribution,and consumption within a society.
B)It is a collection of norms and values that elevate males and male dominance over females in society.
C)It is the way gendered activities and attributes are differentially valued and related to the distribution of resources,prestige,and power in a society.
D)It is a system in which males are valued above females and hold strict power,prestige and authority in a society.
E)It is a male-dominated society in which all important public and private power is held by men.

Question 8

Why do the Sambia practice homosexuality?

A)They believe that men cannot remain good hunters unless they are fertilized with the youthful energy of young boys.
B)They believe that young boys are not naturally fertile and cannot attain puberty without semen from others.
C)They believe that from birth boys should apprentice with other men and learn sexual relations from men,not women.
D)They believe that homosexuality instills a sense of creativity and self-fulfillment in their young boys.
E)They do not practice homosexuality;in fact,they are highly opposed to it.

Question 9

Prior to the arrival of Europeans,the Tahitians initiated and expressed sexual intimacy by:

A)eating coconuts together.
B)dancing provocatively for each other.
C)singing to each other.
D)smelling each other.
E)kissing each other.

Question 10

What is meant by the concept of "deep play" in anthropology?

A)It is a form of psychological intimacy that is shared between women and men.
B)It is an expressive form of culture that displays social structure and cultural concepts associated with identity.
C)It is a theoretical concept that is associated with the social construction of gender ideology.
D)It is a performative aspect of culture that determines social relations and class consciousness.
E)It is another term for sexual intimacy.

Question 11

An alternative gender role in Tahiti is called:

A)transvesti.
B)mahu.
C)hijra.
D)two-spirit.
E)eunich.

Question 12

What do mahu,kathoey,and two-spirits have in common?

A)They are eunuchs.
B)They are all individuals who are born male and female and live intersexed lives.
C)They are groups of individuals in different cultures who cross over the gender divide between male and female.
D)They are individuals in Native American cultures who are born male,but have their genitals surgically removed.
E)They are different types of rituals in which androgynous individuals perform.

Question 13

What is a weakness inherent in the "manhood puzzle" approach to puberty?

A)It cannot be used cross-culturally.
B)It proposes a universal definition of masculinity and does not take into account the cultural variation of masculinity within and between cultures.
C)It proposes that men and women do not have biological aspects of gender and are,instead,wholly cultural constructions.
D)It argues that boys cannot become men unless they are challenged and meet obstacles successfully.
E)It assigns a very Western notion of sexuality to both men and women cross-culturally.

Question 14

The Spanish bullfight is an aesthetic performance.The "matador" has the primary goal of displaying his behavior as:

A)violent and aggressive.
B)strong and masculine.
C)animalistic.
D)honorable.
E)shameful.

Question 15

Female rites of passage tend to be performed:

A)at a young girl's birth.
B)at menarche.
C)at menopause.
D)after a young woman becomes pregnant for the first time.
E)at the time of first sexual intimacy.

Question 16

The ages at which sexual activity should begin and end are:

A)biologically determined.
B)physical laws.
C)cultural constructions.
D)natural laws.
E)social laws.

Question 17

What is the "manhood puzzle"?

A)It is a theory that argues that the more young boys are tested,the better men they become in later life.
B)It is a psychological drama in which men and women play roles of opposition in order to construct a viable society.
C)It is a game that anthropologists use to determine how challenging the rites of passage are for young men and women as they enter puberty.
D)It is an actual maze through which young men must pass in order to be declared "men" - it is found among the Sambia (New Guinea).
E)It is an approach that questions why attaining manhood is filled with obstacles in so many cultures.

Question 18

Which anthropologist was most instrumental in demonstrating that gender is a cultural construction?

A)Margaret Mead
B)Victor Turner
C)Clifford Geertz
D)Ernestine Friedl
E)Peggy Sanday

Question 19

In which New Guinea society did Margaret Mead find that both men and women were expected to act in ways that Americans consider "naturally feminine"?

A)Arapesh
B)Tchambuli
C)Mundugamor
D)Samoa
E)Ndembu

Question 20

Peggy Sanday argues that men's dominance is not universal and is attached to:

A)their productive duties.
B)their association with hunting and wild animals.
C)the public/private division of space.
D)ecological stress and warfare.
E)religious ideology.

Question 21

The totality of a society's ideas about sex,gender,and gender relations are called its gender stratification.

Question 22

In general,women's contribution to the food supply in pastoral societies tends to be:

A)dependent on the number of children they have.
B)dependent their husbands.
C)very large.
D)seasonal.
E)quite small.

Question 23

All of the following are culturally associated with female genital operations except:

A)preservation of a girl's virginity before marriage.
B)symbolism of her role as a marriageable woman.
C)emphasis on a female's economic significance to her matrilineage.
D)emphasis on the moral importance and value of the female.
E)identification of the maturation of a girl to a woman.

Question 24

Which of the following societies had the highest amount of gender egalitarianism?

A)Tlingit
B)Nukumanu
C)Mundurucu
D)Yanomamo
E)Tuareg

Question 25

The main source of female solidarity in horticultural societies is:

A)proximity to neighbors.
B)cooperation and bonds among female kin.
C)the seclusion of men into men's houses.
D)children.
E)female rites of passage.

Question 26

In Inis Beag,Ireland,there is a long tradition of "dirty" joking in order to publicly share tales of sexual exploits and activities.

Question 27

In all human societies,young boys must "prove" themselves at puberty.This is a cultural universal.

Question 28

In their extreme form,female genital operations are called:

A)female circumcision.
B)female violation.
C)female mutilation.
D)genital mutilation.
E)genital circumcision.

Question 29

How would scholars best depict the relationship between women's status and the global economy?

A)Women have made dramatic advances in the global economy and now face little discrimination in the workforce.
B)Women have confronted further erosion of their social status as a result of the global economy and are not in favor of continued expansion.
C)Women have faced both advances and losses as a result of the global economy,but it has allowed more opportunity than traditional agriculture.
D)As women's status rises,the global economy expands and improves.
E)As women's status declines,the global economy suffers.

Question 30

All of the following conditions tend to increase the gender inequality in society and cause women to lose significant social status except:

A)wet rice agricultural production.
B)the advent of foreign aid and development programs.
C)the use of plows and mechanization in agriculture.
D)involvement in the cash economy.
E)increasing numbers of children.

Question 31

In foraging societies a most important source of women's power is:

A)the number of children they produce.
B)the size of their households.
C)the political influence that they hold.
D)the amount of food they contribute.
E)their physical beauty and prowess.

Question 32

Which of the following undermines the traditional Tuareg women's status today?

A)the exposure the Tuareg have had to neighboring patrilineal societies
B)the incorporation of the Tuareg into a larger nation-state society
C)the family incorporation into a wage economy
D)the migration of men to cities
E)All of these undermine their status today.

Question 33

Today,with the greater understanding of the complexity and variability in gender stratification systems,anthropologists focus on studying:

A)whether male dominance is truly universal.
B)how much cultural variation exists between matriarchy and patriarchy.
C)how widespread matriarchy is.
D)the incidence of gender stratification cross-culturally.
E)the interaction between gender ideology and patriarchy.

Question 34

Male dominance in society is called:

A)patrilineality.
B)patriarchy.
C)patrilocality.
D)patricentrality.
E)patriotism.

Question 35

What has been the overall effect of the rise of cash cropping in the global cash economy?

A)Men are able to afford larger families (more children)which allow women a more significant role in the domestic economy.
B)Families are now able to purchase goods and services that used to be provided by women in their families.
C)Both men and women have encountered very high rates of poverty and are migrating in record numbers to urban areas.
D)Women have become poisoned by handling the pesticides used in the agricultural fields.
E)Children are being involved more and more heavily in agricultural labor.

Question 36

When a society has a men's house where women are excluded,it is classified as:

A)sexual egalitarianism.
B)patriarchy.
C)sex segregation.
D)gender ideology.
E)gender stratification.

Question 37

In which kind of society would you anticipate the greatest gender equity?

A)pastoral
B)foraging
C)industrial
D)agricultural
E)horticultural

Question 38

Every culture recognizes distinctions between male and female.

Question 39

The public/private dichotomy is not universal.

Question 40

What colonial power first settled among the Nukumanu?

A)Great Britain
B)Holland
C)Spain
D)Germany
E)France

Question 41

Discuss how the bullfighting in Spain demonstrates gender stratification,and describe similar activities in the U.S.that also demonstrate gender stratification.

Question 42

Educational and career opportunities on Nukumanu have led to an increase in sexual egalitarianism on the island.

Question 43

What was the most direct impact of European expansion on women's roles in indigenous societies?

Question 44

The distinction between public and private roles in pastoral societies tends to be very marked.

Question 45

What is female circumcision,and why is it practiced in some African societies? Discuss this using a culturally relative point of view.

Question 46

Are the Tuareg a matrilineal,patrilineal,or nonunilateral society? How does this affect the status of women?

Question 47

What is the social and cultural significance of gender and gender relations? How does the construction of gender reflect the construction of society itself?

Question 48

The Tlingit today continue to have gender egalitarianism despite,and also because of,European influence.

Question 49

All anthropologists agree that male dominance is universal.

Question 50

Define gender stratification and discuss how it impacts our social,political,and economic lives.

Question 51

Distinguish between sex and gender.

Question 52

What is the cultural construction of gender?

Question 53

Name four functions of male rites of passage.

Question 54

Female circumcision is practiced on approximately 100 million women worldwide.

Question 55

How did the public/private dichotomy change in small-scale societies after the arrival of Europeans? Why did these changes occur?