Question 1

In March 2008, The Advocate published an article by Thomas Beatie, describing his decision to become pregnant. Beatie had undergone sex reassignment surgery but had not had his ovaries or uterus removed, so he was still able to get pregnant when his wife Nancy proved unable to bear children. Despite this fact, he wrote, "To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child. . . . I will be my daughter's father, and Nancy will be her mother." What does this tell you about gender?
A) Primary sex characteristics do not define gender for many people.
B) The transgender community has done away with gender.
C) The transgender community has accepted the principle of human sexual dimorphism.
D) Like many individuals within the transgender community, Thomas is both a trans man and a gay man.
E) Public displays of gender are more important than private displays.

Accepted Answer

Thomas Beatie's statement demonstrates that for many people, gender is not solely defined by primary sex characteristics such as the presence or absence of a uterus or ovaries. Instead, gender is also a social construct that is influenced by factors such as personal identity, relationships, and cultural norms.

Question 2

What two roles did the structuralist Talcott Parsons identify within the family?
A) conflicting and conciliatory
B) instrumental and expressive
C) interactionist and noninteractionist
D) biological and social
E) men's rights and pro-feminist

Accepted Answer

Talcott Parsons identified two roles within the family: instrumental and expressive. Instrumental roles involve providing economic support and making decisions, while expressive roles involve nurturing and emotional support. This division of labor was based on the traditional gender roles of men as breadwinners and women as caretakers.

Question 3

The belief that the experiences of women and men differ as a result of differences in anatomy is called:
A) gender theory.
B) social lens theory.
C) transsexuality.
D) human sexual dimorphism.
E) social constructionism.

Accepted Answer

Human sexual dimorphism refers to the physical differences between males and females, including differences in anatomy.

Question 4

Sociologically, what is the best way for scientists to approach the nature vs. nurture debate?
A) by looking at the interaction between nature and nurture
B) by emphasizing the social nature of gender
C) by looking more closely at the biological origins of gender
D) by assuming that nature only matters for children's gender socialization
E) by looking for evidence that nature influences grooming and body modification

Accepted Answer

Approaching the nature vs. nurture debate from an interactionist perspective that considers the complex relationship between biology and social factors is the most sociologically informed approach. This avoids reducing complex phenomena such as gender to simplistic biological or social determinants.

Question 5

What group of people is challenging contemporary society to broaden its definitions of sex and gender?
A) female engineers
B) female athletes
C) older men whose sex and gender largely match
D) transgendered people
E) housewives

Accepted Answer

Transgendered people are challenging contemporary society to broaden its definitions of sex and gender by advocating for recognition and acceptance of genders beyond the traditional male and female binary. They are advocating for legal protections, healthcare access, and the right to self-identify their gender.

Question 6

The family member who is task driven, breadwinning, and authoritative is taking the ____________ role.
A) expressive
B) patriarchal
C) constructionist
D) instrumental
E) essentialist

Accepted Answer

The description given matches with the instrumental role, which is usually attributed to the male member in a traditional family. The instrumental role involves being task-oriented, earning money for the family (breadwinning), and being authoritative in decision-making. This role is in contrast to the expressive role, which involves being nurturing, emotional, and supportive.

Question 7

According to conflict theory, why are women's contributions to family life devalued?
A) The resources provided by men are ultimately more valuable.
B) Juvenile delinquency and crime decline when both parents work.
C) When no one plays the expressive role, family life remains the same.
D) Women are entering the workforce in greater numbers.
E) As a social group, men attempt to maintain their dominant status.

Accepted Answer

According to conflict theory, men as a social group attempt to maintain their dominant status over women. In order to maintain this dominance, men devalue women's contributions to family life, particularly their expressive role of nurturing and care work. This is because the resources provided by men (i.e. financial support) are ultimately more valued in a capitalist society, and men use this as a means of maintaining their power and control. Women entering the workforce in greater numbers may challenge this dynamic, but the devaluation of women's contributions persists because it is deeply ingrained in societal norms and gender expectations.

Question 8

According to Talcott Parsons and other functionalists, which role are women better suited for?
A) the feminist role
B) the patriarchal role
C) the expressive role
D) the instrumental role
E) the mainstream role

Accepted Answer

According to Talcott Parsons and other functionalists, women are believed to be better suited for the expressive role, which includes nurturing, caring for others, and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Meanwhile, the instrumental role is typically associated with males, which involves being assertive, competitive, and achieving goals. However, it's important to note that this traditional gender role division is heavily critiqued by modern sociologists as being outdated and limiting for individuals' personal and professional development.

Question 9

The roles, traits, and behaviors that are associated with a particular gender are called:
A) social learning.
B) instrumental roles.
C) a sexual continuum.
D) feminism.
E) gender identity.

Accepted Answer

The roles, traits, and behaviors associated with a particular gender are a part of an individual's gender identity, which is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can be influenced by social and cultural factors, but ultimately it is a personal perception of gender.

Question 10

Why are doctors and parents so quick to seek a surgical "fix" for babies born intersexed?
A) Intersexed babies face serious health risks later in life.
B) Intersexed babies may die otherwise.
C) The prospect of an ambiguously gendered person seems threatening and disturbing.
D) Doctors and parents can always tell the sex a baby was meant to be.
E) It is impossible to change a baby's sex later in life.

Accepted Answer

The social discomfort and stigma surrounding intersexuality may drive doctors and parents to pursue surgical intervention to conform the baby's genitalia to a traditional binary sex.

Question 11

Some people suggest that women are better suited to be homemakers because they are naturally more caring and emotional than men. What perspective is being expressed in this statement?
A) an essentialist perspective
B) a constructionist perspective
C) a macro perspective
D) an interactionist perspective
E) a gender role socialization perspective

Accepted Answer

This statement suggests that women have inherent traits that make them better suited for homemaking, which aligns with an essentialist perspective that assumes gender differences are based on biological factors.

Question 12

How do sociologists define patriarchy?
A) female domination
B) gender equality
C) male domination
D) as the head of the household
E) as the leader of the country

Accepted Answer

Sociologists define patriarchy as a social system in which males hold primary power and dominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. It involves the oppression of women, as well as other marginalized groups. Therefore, option C - male domination - is the correct answer.

Question 13

Most sociologists see gender as a social construction and acknowledge the possibility that male-female categories are not the only way of classifying individuals. This perspective is called:
A) a constructionist perspective.
B) an essentialist perspective.
C) a macro perspective.
D) biological determinism.
E) a gender role socialization perspective.

Accepted Answer

Most sociologists view gender as a social construction rather than a biological or essential trait. The constructionist perspective acknowledges that gender is created and maintained through social and cultural norms, rather than being inherent in biology or nature. This perspective also allows for the possibility of multiple gender categories beyond just male and female.

Question 14

People who see gender as immutable and deriving solely from biology are called:
A) essentialists.
B) social constructionists.
C) queer theorists.
D) structural functionalists.
E) globalists.

Accepted Answer

Essentialists view gender as a fixed, biologically determined characteristic that cannot be changed or socially constructed.

Question 15

The Vanatinai, a small group in New Guinea, grant women equal access to positions of prestige, power, and control over the means of production. What kind of society is this?
A) patriarchal
B) functionalist
C) essentialist
D) more pro-feminine than most
E) matriarchal

Accepted Answer

The Vanatinai society is described as more pro-feminine than most because it grants women equal access to positions of prestige, power, and control over the means of production, indicating a more gender-equal or pro-feminine stance compared to many other societies.

Question 16

In addition to who we are, gender identity is also about:
A) how we act.
B) our biological sex.
C) our hormones.
D) our genitalia.
E) our chromosomes.

Accepted Answer

Gender identity is not solely determined by biological sex, hormones, genitalia, or chromosomes. It is also about how a person identifies and presents themselves through their behavior, interests, and self-expression.

Question 17

How many babies out of every thousand are born intersexed?
A) 100
B) 17
C) 35
D) 2
E) 10

Accepted Answer

According to research, approximately 1.7% of babies are born with intersex traits, which translates to 17 out of every thousand.

Question 18

What do functionalists generally believe to be true about gender?
A) Some social roles are better suited to one gender than the other.
B) There are at least three complementary gender roles.
C) Men maintain control of the most valuable roles.
D) The current system of gender stratification is based on conflict.
E) Gender is constructed and maintained through everyday actions.

Accepted Answer

Functionalists believe that some social roles are better suited to one gender than the other, as they view society as a system of interrelated parts that work together to maintain stability.

Question 19

All of the following are secondary sex characteristics, except:
A) facial hair, body hair, musculature.
B) internal reproductive organs.
C) genitals and gonads.
D) hormones and pituitary glands.
E) skin texture.

Accepted Answer

The answer of All of the following are secondary sex...

Question 20

How do most sociologists differentiate between sex and gender?
A) Sex is biological; gender is social.
B) Both relate to genetics, but hormones have a greater influence on gender.
C) Sex comes from DNA; gender comes from hormones.
D) Sex is genetic; gender is about primary and secondary sex characteristics.
E) Gender is biological; sex is social.

Accepted Answer

Most sociologists differentiate between sex and gender by understanding that sex refers to biological differences, such as genitals and chromosomes, while gender is a social construct that refers to the culturally prescribed roles, expectations, and behaviors associated with being male or female. In other words, sex is determined by biology, while gender is determined by society.

Quiz 9: Constructing Gender and Sexuality

What two roles did the structuralist Talcott Parsons identify within the family?

The belief that the experiences of women and men differ as a result of differences in anatomy is called:

Sociologically, what is the best way for scientists to approach the nature vs. nurture debate?

What group of people is challenging contemporary society to broaden its definitions of sex and gender?

The family member who is task driven, breadwinning, and authoritative is taking the ____________ role.

According to conflict theory, why are women's contributions to family life devalued?

According to Talcott Parsons and other functionalists, which role are women better suited for?

The roles, traits, and behaviors that are associated with a particular gender are called:

Why are doctors and parents so quick to seek a surgical "fix" for babies born intersexed?

Some people suggest that women are better suited to be homemakers because they are naturally more caring and emotional than men. What perspective is being expressed in this statement?

How do sociologists define patriarchy?

Most sociologists see gender as a social construction and acknowledge the possibility that male-female categories are not the only way of classifying individuals. This perspective is called:

People who see gender as immutable and deriving solely from biology are called:

The Vanatinai, a small group in New Guinea, grant women equal access to positions of prestige, power, and control over the means of production. What kind of society is this?

In addition to who we are, gender identity is also about:

How many babies out of every thousand are born intersexed?

What do functionalists generally believe to be true about gender?

All of the following are secondary sex characteristics, except:

How do most sociologists differentiate between sex and gender?