Question 1

"Welfare queen" is an insulting term for a woman who is believed to be cheating the government by collecting excessive welfare payments. Although empirical research indicates that very little welfare fraud actually takes place, what nugget of sociological truth is contained in the phrase "welfare queen"?
A) Women are far more likely to cheat and steal than men.
B) Those who use welfare to its fullest extent tend to live very well, as indicated by the word "queen."
C) Like kings and queens, those who use welfare tend to have inherited status from their parents.
D) The use of the word "queen" reminds us that women are more likely than men to live in poverty.
E) The use of the word "queen" accurately describes the population on welfare, as it includes many gay men and transvestites.

Accepted Answer

The term "welfare queen" inadvertently highlights the gendered aspect of poverty, where women, due to various social and economic factors, are more likely to live in poverty and thus more likely to be recipients of welfare.

Question 2

A boy receives a B+ on his English paper, with the teacher's comment, "Brilliant insight, but you're lacking focus and have some typos." How is this typical of the way schools treat boys?
A) Boys are given more challenging assignments than girls.
B) Boys are more likely than girls to be punished for horseplay and hyperactivity.
C) Boys are judged mostly on the basis of their effort.
D) Boys are always given better grades than girls.
E) Boys are given more praise than girls for the intellectual quality of their work.

Accepted Answer

Boys are often praised for their intellectual insights but may receive criticism for lack of focus or attention to detail, reflecting a tendency to value their intellectual contributions while overlooking other aspects.

Question 3

In 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott convened the Seneca Falls Conference to address women's liberation and produced The Declaration of Sentiments, which laid out a list of facts pertaining to injuries done to women by men. Given your knowledge of the first wave of the women's movement, what do you think was first on their list?
A) "He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns."
B) "He has created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated, but deemed of little account in man."
C) "He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise."
D) "He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead."
E) "He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice."

Accepted Answer

The first item on the list in The Declaration of Sentiments was "He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise," which relates to women not being allowed to vote. This was a major issue addressed by the first wave of the women's movement.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an example of how crime is influenced by the social construction of gender?
A) Women make up a larger percentage of the prison population than men because of mandatory sentencing laws.
B) Women receive lighter sentences than men because they have children to take care of.
C) Male juveniles are more likely than female juveniles to be tried as adults because males are seen as more likely to be violent.
D) Women commit high-frequency crimes with low payoffs because they tend to work low-status jobs that give them opportunities to commit such crimes.
E) Girls accused of truancy are treated more harshly than truant boys.

Accepted Answer

This option does not involve the social construction of gender, but rather the policy of mandatory sentencing. The other options all demonstrate how gender roles and stereotypes influence perceptions and treatment of criminal behavior.

Question 5

Which of the following folk sayings expresses the idea of the "second shift" as Arlie Hochschild described it?
A) "A wife that does not know how to keep house throws out more with a teaspoon than a man can bring in with a shovel."
B) "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."
C) "A woman has to be twice as good as a man to be regarded half as clever."
D) "Man works from sun to sun, but woman's work is never done."
E) "Good fences make good neighbors."

Accepted Answer

The saying "Man works from sun to sun, but woman's work is never done" expresses the idea of the "second shift" as Arlie Hochschild described it, which refers to the unpaid labor that women often do after their paid workday is over.

Question 6

There are a number of life expectancy calculators available on the Internet. Although they aren't scientific, they do give people some idea of what factors can help predict longevity. Which of the following would you NOT expect a calculator to ask about?
A) gender
B) the number of children you have
C) income
D) level of education
E) race

Accepted Answer

The number of children one has is unlikely to be a significant predictor of life expectancy and is less relevant than other factors such as gender, income, education, and race.

Question 7

When people refer to Audre Lorde as "the black lesbian poet Audre Lorde," what are they doing?
A) They are trying to help women overcome the effects of discrimination.
B) They are reinforcing stereotypes about who "should" be a poet.
C) They are being sensationalistic and trying to make her sound more appealing because of her sexual orientation.
D) They are creating a double standard.
E) They are casting doubts about her poetic ability.

Accepted Answer

Referring to Audre Lorde primarily by her race and sexual orientation can reinforce stereotypes about who is expected or allowed to be a poet, rather than focusing on her work and contributions as a poet.

Question 8

You observe children on a school playground and find some girls playing sports with boys but almost no boys playing jump rope with girls. Why?
A) Boys are more likely to get hurt playing jump rope.
B) Children are mocked for crossing gender lines, and boys are mocked more than girls.
C) Teachers enforce gender norms and officially discourage boys from playing with girls.
D) Boys are more naturally suited for the physical competition of sports, while girls excel at the sort of cooperation that goes into activities like jump rope.
E) Parents have made sure to instruct their children to avoid any cross-gender playground activities, because they fear that it will lead to their children being labeled abnormal.

Accepted Answer

This is the most likely answer since there is a social stigma associated with boys playing jump rope with girls. Society often enforces strict gender roles, and activities like jump rope are often perceived as more suitable for girls. Boys might be afraid of being ridiculed by their peers if they were seen doing "girl" activities, whereas girls are more likely to be encouraged to play sports, which are traditionally seen as "boy" activities.

Question 9

You notice that every time your textbook mentions a man and a woman, it always mentions the man first. In other words, it would say, "Bob and Susan went to the store . . ." instead of "Susan and Bob went to the store . . ." even though the second formulation would work just as well. Why would this matter?
A) It reinforces the idea that girls show more intellectual promise than boys.
B) It punishes girls more harshly for breaking gender norms.
C) It reminds everyone that women are concentrated in the upper levels of academic and school bureaucracies.
D) It reinforces gender stereotypes and prioritizes masculinity.
E) There is no reason why this would matter.

Accepted Answer

The textbook consistently mentioning the man first reinforces the gender stereotype that men, and masculinity, are more important and should be prioritized over women. This perpetuates social and cultural norms that contribute to gender inequality by reinforcing the idea that men are superior to women.

Question 10

If you think it's very important to stop using sexist language, like masculine terms used to refer to large groups with male and female members, what do you assume about the relationship between language and culture?
A) Language is shaped by culture, and the use of nonsexist words is a signal of social change.
B) There is basically no relationship between language and culture.
C) Language can change culture, but only in negative ways that increase sexism and discrimination.
D) Culture can only be transformed through material and economic change, not through any connection to language.
E) Language shapes culture, so using gender-neutral language facilitates social change.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you think it's very important to...

Question 11

In the past, bank tellers were overwhelmingly male, but today they are mostly female. Which of the following could explain this shift?
A) The number of women in the workforce has declined.
B) Changes in technology made the work easier and less important, which drove down wages and prestige accorded to the job.
C) The gendered division of labor has increasingly spread to areas of the economy that used to be gender neutral.
D) Banks are more heavily regulated by the government than in the past, making them more likely to be sexist.
E) The banking industry is much more important in today's globalized economy, and this added prestige draws more women to the job.

Accepted Answer

Changes in technology have indeed made many aspects of bank teller jobs easier and less physically demanding, which can lead to a decrease in wages and prestige. Historically, jobs that become less prestigious and lower-paying often see a shift towards a female-dominated workforce, due to societal perceptions of gender roles and economic value.

Question 12

In the vast majority of commercials that advertise cleaners, a woman is shown using the product, even though the high percentage of men who live alone indicates that many men must also clean. This shows that:
A) men never really do actually clean.
B) women watch more television than men.
C) by the time a child reaches kindergarten, he will "know" more television characters than real people.
D) men's behavior is more easily altered by the media.
E) sex roles are portrayed highly stereotypically by the media.

Accepted Answer

The fact that only women are shown using cleaners in commercials indicates that sex roles are portrayed highly stereotypically by the media. This perpetuates the idea that cleaning is a "woman's job" and reinforces traditional gender roles. It does not necessarily indicate that men never clean, watch less television, or have their behavior more easily altered by the media. The option about children and television characters is also not directly related to the topic of the commercial's portrayal of gender roles.

Question 13

Some people think it would be funny to sneak into a school parking lot early in the morning, cover it with sand, and add a few fake palm trees and some shells to make it look like a beach. Of course, it would also be a nightmare for those trying to park and for janitors to clean up. Who would be more likely to pull this sort of prank?
A) an intersexed student
B) a male student
C) a female student
D) a transgender student
E) a disgruntled teacher

Accepted Answer

The likelihood of pulling such a prank is not inherently tied to one's gender identity or professional role. However, societal stereotypes and media often depict male students as more prone to engaging in large-scale, disruptive pranks. This does not mean that individuals of other genders or professions cannot or do not engage in pranks, but the stereotype leans towards male students.

Question 14

Instead of saying "she" and "he," some writers use new, "invented" pronouns like "hir" and "ze" that refer to a person of either gender. Why would these writers want new pronouns?
A) New pronouns reform sexist language to make it more gender neutral.
B) New pronouns make their work more distinctive, and novelty is a great selling point.
C) New pronouns are useful in works written by more than one author, at least one man and one woman.
D) New pronouns help to start a social movement.
E) New pronouns make English more like Latin.

Accepted Answer

The use of new, gender-neutral pronouns like "hir" and "ze" can help to eliminate gender bias in language and promote greater inclusivity. This is especially important for writers who want to acknowledge and respect gender diversity.

Question 15

Older women who seek out sexual relationships with younger men are sometimes called "cougars," but we don't even have a word for men who seek out sexual relationships with younger women. You might joke that we call them "men." What does this say about gender and language?
A) It shows that authority, not gender, dictates how language and culture work.
B) It is an effort to be gender neutral since we don't say "cougaress."
C) It reinforces the idea that women are not supposed to seek out relationships with younger men.
D) It shows that times have changed and that it no longer matters if a woman is in a relationship with a younger man.
E) It shows that we no longer have a sexual double standard.

Accepted Answer

The fact that there is a specific word ("cougar") for older women who seek out sexual relationships with younger men, but no equivalent word for men who engage in the same behavior, reinforces the gendered idea that women should not seek out relationships with younger men. It perpetuates the idea that women who are sexually active and confident are somehow deviant, while men who behave similarly are simply fulfilling their natural desires.

Question 16

Whenever a math teacher writes story problems, any character with an occupation listed is male, like Bob the janitor or James the lawyer, but when women are used, they have no occupation. What is this an example of?
A) the way schools socialize children into gender roles
B) the way men are associated with blue collar work
C) the role peers play in our gender socialization
D) the way boys are given credit for intellectual ability, while girls are given credit for hard work
E) the fact that more women than men are now graduating from college

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the way schools socialize children into gender roles by reinforcing the idea that certain jobs are only suitable for men and not for women. By consistently using male characters in certain roles, they are perpetuating a stereotype that can limit girls' aspirations and achievements.

Question 17

The phrase "deadbeat dad" describes a man who isn't married to his children's mother and isn't helping to support his children materially. Why do we almost never talk about "deadbeat moms"?
A) Men are punished far more harshly for violating gender norms.
B) The media focus their attention on men, while ignoring women.
C) The legal system is biased in favor of men when it comes to divorce and custody cases.
D) Mothers usually remain the primary caregiver even when fathers are no longer taking the instrumental role.
E) Women are not judged as harshly as men for abandoning their financial duties.

Accepted Answer

Mothers traditionally take on the role of primary caregiver in the family, and even when fathers are no longer providing financial support, they may still be involved in their children's lives in other ways. Therefore, the concept of a "deadbeat mom" is less relevant and less frequently discussed.

Question 18

The Roman playwright Terence is often remembered for this line: "Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto." Traditionally, it was translated as: "I am a man; I consider nothing that is human alien to me." More recently, some scholars have translated it as: "I am a human being; I consider nothing human alien to me." What was "wrong" with the older translation?
A) It never once references the state.
B) It perpetuated a double standard that treated women badly when they attempted to act in masculine ways.
C) It assumed that the default category for all human experience is male.
D) It was anthropomorphic.
E) It treated women's concerns as if they didn't really matter.

Accepted Answer

The older translation assumed "man" as the default term for all humanity, which is a gender-specific term, whereas "human being" is more inclusive and accurately reflects the original Latin 'homo', which refers to a human being in general, not specifically a male.

Question 19

In 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott convened the Seneca Falls Conference to address women's liberation. The Declaration of Sentiments they issued began, "When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied." Today, no feminist would use the word "man" like this, so how can we still call Stanton and Mott feminists?
A) Feminist concepts and goals are not static, but they are always focused on bringing about greater gender equality in a particular time and place.
B) First-wave feminists were still very patriarchal and refused to say anything that would stir up controversy.
C) Stanton and Mott felt that the women's movement had lost its momentum after the vote was won and that other issues needed to be addressed.
D) Stanton and Mott were afraid they would lose their place in the home if they attacked something as fundamental as language.
E) There were many men attached to the feminist movement, and their control kept early feminists like Mott and Stanton from achieving much.

Accepted Answer

Feminism is a constantly evolving ideology that seeks to address and challenge gender disparities and inequalities. The language and strategies used by feminists may change over time, but the core goal remains the same. Stanton and Mott were early pioneers of the feminist movement, and their efforts laid the foundation for subsequent generations of feminists to build upon.

Question 20

Which of the following would have to happen for the number of women in prison to double in the next few years?
A) There would have to be widespread social change.
B) Men would have to commit fewer crimes.
C) People would have to start thinking of men as aggressive and dominant.
D) Major changes would have to be made to America's legal system.
E) Congress would have to change the law in a number of ways.

Accepted Answer

D  E  Widespread social change (A) could lead to more women being incarcerated if societal norms and behaviors shift. Major changes to the legal system (D) or changes in laws by Congress (E) could also result in more women being imprisoned, such as through stricter sentencing or criminalization of more behaviors.

Quiz 9: Constructing Gender and Sexuality

A boy receives a B+ on his English paper, with the teacher's comment, "Brilliant insight, but you're lacking focus and have some typos." How is this typical of the way schools treat boys?

Which of the following is NOT an example of how crime is influenced by the social construction of gender?

Which of the following folk sayings expresses the idea of the "second shift" as Arlie Hochschild described it?

There are a number of life expectancy calculators available on the Internet. Although they aren't scientific, they do give people some idea of what factors can help predict longevity. Which of the following would you NOT expect a calculator to ask about?

When people refer to Audre Lorde as "the black lesbian poet Audre Lorde," what are they doing?

You observe children on a school playground and find some girls playing sports with boys but almost no boys playing jump rope with girls. Why?

If you think it's very important to stop using sexist language, like masculine terms used to refer to large groups with male and female members, what do you assume about the relationship between language and culture?

In the past, bank tellers were overwhelmingly male, but today they are mostly female. Which of the following could explain this shift?

In the vast majority of commercials that advertise cleaners, a woman is shown using the product, even though the high percentage of men who live alone indicates that many men must also clean. This shows that:

Instead of saying "she" and "he," some writers use new, "invented" pronouns like "hir" and "ze" that refer to a person of either gender. Why would these writers want new pronouns?

Older women who seek out sexual relationships with younger men are sometimes called "cougars," but we don't even have a word for men who seek out sexual relationships with younger women. You might joke that we call them "men." What does this say about gender and language?

Whenever a math teacher writes story problems, any character with an occupation listed is male, like Bob the janitor or James the lawyer, but when women are used, they have no occupation. What is this an example of?

The phrase "deadbeat dad" describes a man who isn't married to his children's mother and isn't helping to support his children materially. Why do we almost never talk about "deadbeat moms"?

Which of the following would have to happen for the number of women in prison to double in the next few years?