Question 1

In India, what are individuals who are identified as "neither man nor woman" called?

Accepted Answer

Individuals in India who identify as "neither man nor woman" are called hijras.

Question 2

The unequal distribution of power, prestige and responsibility between men and women in the U.S. military, even as policies change to attempt to be more inclusive, are a prime example of what?

Accepted Answer

Gender stratification refers to the unequal distribution of power, prestige, and resources between men and women. The fact that despite changes in policy, women still have limited opportunities for leadership and advancement in the military illustrates gender stratification.

Question 3

A United Nations survey recently found that less than 22 percent of the world's parliamentarians are women. What does this suggest about the role of gender in establishing and maintaining power dynamics?

Accepted Answer

The fact that less than 22 percent of the world's parliamentarians are women suggests that gender plays a key role in power dynamics. It indicates that there are barriers to women accessing positions of power and that there may be societal and cultural factors that prevent women from being seen as legitimate leaders. This is supported by research showing that women often face discrimination and bias in professional settings, including in politics. Therefore, gender appears to be an important factor in establishing and maintaining power dynamics.

Question 4

Through the 1960s, Western medicine has attempted to "manage" children born with ambiguous genitalia. This has primarily consisted of what treatment regimen?

Accepted Answer

Western medicine historically has attempted to "normalize" children born with ambiguous genitalia through genital reconstruction surgery and hormone therapy, often shortly after birth. However, this approach has been heavily criticized for being invasive and traumatic, and has led to negative long-term physical and psychological consequences for many individuals. Recently, there has been a push towards a more patient-centered and less invasive approach, including delaying surgery until the child is old enough to make their own decision or facilitating non-surgical approaches to gender affirmation.

Question 5

Home is often considered the domain of women, while men go to work. Although this idea has changed dramatically in many places in the past several decades, it remains a common theme. How does anthropologist Michelle Rosaldo see male and female gender roles?

Accepted Answer

Michelle Rosaldo sees that gender roles are often split between private and public spheres, with women being associated with the domestic sphere of home and men being associated with the public sphere of work. However, she also acknowledges that these roles are not fixed and can change over time and in different cultural contexts.

Question 6

How might we refer to an individual who dresses and identifies as a woman but was designated male at birth due to biological characteristics?

Accepted Answer

The term transgender refers to individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. It is respectful to use the gender identity that the individual identifies with, in this case, as a woman. The other options are not appropriate because they may be offensive or inaccurate. Hijra is a term specific to South Asian culture and does not apply universally. Using the term mentally ill perpetuates harmful stereotypes and is not supported by medical research. Hermaphrodite is an outdated and inappropriate term to describe intersex individuals.

Question 7

In 2008, a little more than 50 percent of live births in the United States were male, the remainder designated as female. Recent medical studies suggest that of all live births, many individuals do not fit neatly into either biological category. What is the current estimate of the percentage of such births?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In 2008, a little more than 50...

Question 8

About 1.7% of all babies are born with a combination of male and female genitalia, gonads and/or chromosomes, leading many scholars to believe that sex can occur on a continuum. What are these babies referred to as?

Accepted Answer

Babies born with a combination of male and female genitalia, gonads and/or chromosomes are referred to as intersex. The term intersex is used to describe a range of variations in sex characteristics, and is not synonymous with transgender or transsexual.

Question 9

Anthropologists have recently spent a great deal of time bringing to light the challenges that many gay, lesbian, transgender, transsexual, or Two-Spirit Native Americans have historically faced. As a result, what French-based term has fallen into disrepute to describe transgender people in Native American communities?

Accepted Answer

The French-based term "berdache" has fallen into disrepute to describe transgender people in Native American communities due to its problematic history and colonial connotations.

Question 10

What did Annette Weiner's restudy of women's role in the Trobriand Island exchanges indicate about women?

Accepted Answer

Weiner's restudy highlighted that Trobriand women were actively involved in the economic exchanges of banana fiber skirts, which were significant in their society.

Question 11

What groups of people might anthropologists study if they want to learn more about what it means to be transgender in different religious communities?

Accepted Answer

Hijras are a community of people in South Asia who are often considered to be a third gender, and Two-Spirits are Indigenous North American people who embody qualities of both masculine and feminine. Both of these communities have a historical and cultural basis for transgender identities and can provide insight into the intersection of religion and gender identity.

Question 12

How must individuals living in cultures with a binary gender system (such as the United States) be classified in order to gain certain legal recognition?

Accepted Answer

In cultures with a binary gender system like the United States, individuals are typically required to choose either male or female in order to gain certain legal recognition, such as on government-issued identification documents like driver's licenses and passports. While there is increasing recognition of non-binary genders and intersex individuals in some areas, legal recognition of these identities is still limited and varies by jurisdiction. Therefore, for legal purposes, the majority of individuals in the United States must classify themselves as either male or female.

Question 13

For many women around the world, life is a seemingly unending process of childbirth, child-rearing, and hard domestic labor, while men often enjoy free time and more opportunities to socialize. What is this a result of?

Accepted Answer

Gender stratification refers to the unequal distribution of resources, power, and prestige between men and women. It results in women having limited access to education, employment, and decision-making roles, leading to their confinement to domestic work and childcare. This societal arrangement is perpetuated through cultural beliefs and practices, institutional policies, and individual biases.

Question 14

Female bodybuilders go to a great deal of effort to shape their physiques in a manner that is highly similar to their male bodybuilder counterparts. What do these female bodybuilders demonstrate about sexual dimorphism?

Accepted Answer

Female bodybuilders demonstrate that male and female bodies are much more similar than different. While there are biological differences between males and females, such as hormonal and reproductive systems, the ability to build muscle and strength is not limited to one gender. The training and dedication required to become a successful bodybuilder show that physical abilities are largely determined by individual effort and training, rather than gender.

Question 15

What did much of the early feminist anthropological studies focus on identifying in regard to gender and society?

Accepted Answer

Much of the early feminist anthropological studies focused on identifying the underlying roots of universal male dominance in different societies. They aimed to understand the social and cultural constructions of gender and the ways in which they perpetuate male dominance and female subordination. While some studies may have touched on mythologies around matriarchy or identified sources of female power in certain cultures, the overall focus was on the pervasive nature of male dominance. Gender equality in industrialized societies was not a major focus until later feminist research.

Question 16

In searching for an explanation for what appeared to be women's universally low status, what did anthropologist Sherri Ortner argue about women's biological functions?

Accepted Answer

Sherri Ortner argued that women and nature are strongly conflated in many cultures, leading to the universal low status of women. She argued that this conflation is due to the perception of women's primarily biological functions such as reproduction and nurturing, which are associated with nature and devalued in many cultures.

Question 17

On what does Emily Martin's analysis of the "fairy tale" of the egg and the sperm as presented in U.S. textbooks primarily focus?

Accepted Answer

Emily Martin's analysis of the "fairy tale" of the egg and the sperm primarily focuses on how scientific language can reflect and promote the idea that differences in male and female behavior are natural, specifically within the context of reproductive biology textbooks in the U.S.

Question 18

The establishment of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations in 2015 specifically includes a goal to achieve what?

Accepted Answer

The Sustainable Development Goal number 5 is "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls." This includes ending discrimination and violence against women, ensuring women's full and effective participation in all spheres of life, and ensuring their equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to education, healthcare, and political decision-making processes.

Question 19

Going out on a date can mean many things. As a man, you might bring flowers, offer to pay the bill, and open doors. As a woman, you may offer to split the tab and offer soft thanks. What does this constitute from an anthropological perspective?

Accepted Answer

The actions of bringing flowers, paying the bill, and opening doors are all examples of performing gender, which is the "socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a society considers appropriate for men and women." These actions are not necessarily shaped solely by biological differences, but rather by cultural expectations and norms. Therefore, the best answer is C, the performance of gender.

Question 20

Anne Fausto-Sterling's analysis of biological sexual identity identifies how many different sexes?

Accepted Answer

Anne Fausto-Sterling's analysis suggests that there are five different sexes, challenging the traditional binary understanding of sex. This perspective is based on the complexity of human sexual development and the existence of intersex conditions.

Quiz 7: Gender