Deck 6: Everyday Power: Womens Agency, Authority, and Influence

Question 1

Which one of the following statements about Zapotec women is true?

A) All Zapotec women have access to the same sources of power.
B) Formal weaving cooperatives prevent women from participating in public politics.
C) Classes of weaver and merchant women employ different strategies for achieving power.
D) Until the recent development of cooperatives, Zapotec women had no economic power or influence in their society.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A strict theory of the public-private dichotomy _________.

A) fails to recognize women's power outside of the domestic realm
B) accurately portrays the way power is divided along gender lines, with men's influence in the private realm and women's power in the domestic sphere
C) proposes that women's power is found in the public and private spheres
D) does not address gendered access to formal political office

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What is the difference between authority and influence?

A) Authority is the informal ability to convince people to act in a certain manner, whereas influence is the formally recognized ability to direct people's actions.
B) Authority is the formally recognized ability to direct people's actions whereas influence is the informal ability to persuade people to act in a certain manner.
C) Influence is always backed by formal sanctions such as policing and law.
D) Elder men in a society hold authority whereas people of any age or gender can hold influence.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Elite Minangkabau women control sumptuary privileges reflecting rank, such as __________.

A) having the final say in dispute resolutions over land management
B) organizing labor for ceremonial events
C) naming first daughters after the holy water buffalo
D) wearing ornate headdresses at weddings

Question 5

Minangkabau elite women derive power from

A) sumptuary privileges
B) the kinship system
C) land management and home ownership
D) all of the above

Question 6

Which of the following are informal sanctions?

A) imprisonment
B) gossip and ostracism
C) monetary fines
D) all of the above

Question 7

Traditionally, in Zapotec society, respet could be achieved through

A) hosting religious celebrations
B) machismo
C) economic success
D) political office

Question 8

The concept of ______ is intricately tied to Japanese views of femininity.

A) uchi
B) kabuki
C) soto
D) unagi

Question 9

A Japanese woman concerned about becoming "stewed and thickened," is worried that ____________.

A) she has gained weight and no longer conforms to her culture's ideal of beauty
B) she has ruined dinner, which will displease her husband
C) she cannot get time away from home and will become emotionally unstable
D) she has gotten pregnant out of wedlock

Question 10

Development projects in Jordan incorporated women's opinions __________.

A) because women were primarily the one's at home to respond to surveys
B) derived from women's domestic roles and identities as wives and mothers
C) in response to women arguing their causes at the public development offices
D) all of the above

Question 11

Why have young women from the Kerala region of India, pursues careers in nursing?

A) They wanted to get away from their families.
B) They wished to supplement their family's income.
C) They did not want to get married.
D) They were members of a low-ranking caste and had no other options.

Question 12

Which type of Keralite immigrant household is the most egalitarian in terms of economic decision making?

A) the forced participation household
B) the traditional household
C) the partnership household
D) the female-led household

Question 13

According to Peggy Sanday, matriarchy is best defined as _________.

A) the mirror image of patriarchy
B) an archaic political form that vanished with the Neolithic Revolution
C) tracing descent through the maternal line
D) a system of rule based on maternal symbols and women's forms of power

Question 14

The centrality of women and women's power among the Minangkabau is reflected in _________.

A) contemporary laws of land ownership
B) the election of an Indonesian, female president
C) the matrihouse
D) the geometric shape of rice fields

Question 15

Which of the following statements about Asante market queens is true?

A) Asante market queens are primarily responsible for establishing exchange prices.
B) Asante market queens are primarily responsible for dispute resolutions.
C) Asante market queens are elected by local ballot.
D) Asante market queens inherit their positions as members of the royal lineage.

Question 16

What message is conveyed when Sri Lankan women living in the Free Trade Zone hang their clean underwear on the laundry line?

A) They are modest.
B) They are prostitutes.
C) They have no care for authority.
D) They are earning a good salary.

Question 17

Japanese corporate wives have a difficult time forming social networks with other corporate wives due to:

A) competition among women.
B) their husband's interference.
C) strict rules governing obligation, gift giving, and expressions of seniority such as bowing.
D) all of the above

Question 18

Which of the following best defines the concept of agency?

A) having the power to control other people's behavior
B) representation by a professional who negotiates contracts
C) an organization aimed at economic development
D) the ability to make and implement choices in one's own life

Question 19

Women's everyday power emerges in which of the following?

A) ceremonial, economic, and political realms
B) ceremonial and economic realms only
C) everywhere except economic activities
D) the domestic sphere alone

Question 20

While religious and government institutions may constrict women's rights, _________ promotes women's rights in many Middle Eastern societies.

A) the World Bank
B) kinship networks
C) civil society
D) Christianity

Question 21

Explain the controversy over the term "matriarchy." Argue whether or not the Minangkabau should be considered a matriarchy and why.

Question 22

Discuss some of the ways women's economic influence extends into other aspects of power. Illustrate with examples from the Asante and Zapotec.

Question 23

Why is ceremonial power important? What roles do women play in ceremonies and rites of passage? Illustrate with examples from the Minangkabau and Zapotec.

Question 24

How do concepts such as the domestic-public dichotomy and informal-formal spectrum help us recognize and understand women's power? What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of these theories? Support your arguments with culturally specific examples.

Question 25

Analyze three examples of women's power. Consider the following questions in your analysis: What type of power is it? Economic? Political? Ceremonial? Other? How does it relate to other aspects of culture? To men's power? Be culturally specific in your response.

Question 26

Discuss the influence of either colonial experiences or migration on the development of systems of power in two cultures. Can you make any generalizations about these processes in terms of their effects on power?