Deck 3: Shaping the Socio-Cultural Landscape: Stereotypes and Normative Expectations

Question 1

During a recent federal election in Canada, some commentators suggested that if more women were elected into parliament, rude and adversarial conduct during parliamentary debates would significantly diminish. Such a suggestion is an example of_____________.

A) prejudice
B) stereotype
C) bias
D) discrimination

Answer 1

stereotype

Question 2

"Dumb blond" jokes are examples of this.

A) systemic discrimination
B) normative expectation
C) gender stereotyping
D) subliminal sexism

Answer 2

gender stereotyping

Question 3

Which of the following terms refers to a rigidly held and/or adverse belief or judgment about an entire category of persons?

A) generalization
B) discrimination
C) stereotype
D) prejudice

Answer 3

prejudice

Question 4

The exclusion of women from military careers, based on the assumption that they are less physically strong than men, is an example of:

A) sex based discrimination
B) prejudicial attitudes
C) sex roles
D) gender roles

Question 5

When we consider and observe real human beings, we learn that the mutually exclusive categories of masculinity and femininity are generally:

A) adhered to by most persons most of the time
B) adhered to by women with remarkable predictability, but not men
C) adhered to by men with remarkable consistency, but not women
D) far less rigidly divided and adhered to in practices than in our perceptions

Question 6

To say that gender stereotypes create expectations about what people should be like and against which people are measured is to indicate that they are also _______________.

A) normative expectations
B) polarizing categories
C) standardized impressions
D) rigidly held beliefs

Question 7

Our gendered socio-cultural landscape is both polarizing and _______________.

A) flexible
B) prescriptive
C) individuated
D) valorizing

Question 8

How are teenagers who overtly challenge normative gender expectations most likely to be defined?

A) as problematic
B) as immature
C) as heroic
D) as subversive

Question 9

Which term refers to the bundle of socially enforced expectations based upon a person's perceived gender?

A) sex role
B) gender role
C) gender code
D) sexist script

Question 10

The belief that people base their expectations about an individual upon the ranking of the group to which that individual belongs is a key tenet of what general theory?

A) role
B) gender
C) status expectations
D) hegemonic leader

Question 11

What is the name for the effect of the assumption that men are more appropriate candidates for position of power?

A) legitimacy effect
B) differential power
C) halo effect
D) sexist effect

Question 12

From where do our understandings of feminine and masculine originate?

A) biology
B) geography
C) culture
D) personality

Question 13

What is the term for the dominant form of femininity, coined by Bob Connell (1987), which stresses empathy, nurturance and compliance?

A) hegemonic femininity
B) emphasized femininity
C) normative femininity
D) routinized femininity

Question 14

As discussed in the text, the following statement can be made about masculinities and femininities: They ______________________.

A) change over time but do not vary from place to place
B) are stable over time, but vary from place to place
C) change over time and vary from place to place
D) are becoming so diversified in Canada that they are losing their normative dimensions

Question 15

In 21^st century Canada, what is a man's masculinity most likely to be judged upon?

A) appearance
B) personality
C) morals
D) actions

Question 16

According to the work of Andrew Kimbrell (1995), hegemonic masculinity in North American culture has become ____________.

A) destructive
B) marginal
C) feminized
D) unfairly demonized

Question 17

In The Adonis Complex, Pope et al. (2000) draw attention to the harmful and insidious _________________ that men are increasingly being subjected to by the multi-billion dollar advertisement industry.

A) performance ideals
B) appearance norms
C) psychological restrictions
D) gender stereotypes

Question 18

The classic works of Betty Frieden (1963) and Susan Brownmiller (1984) drew important attention to the restrictions for women that accompany conventional judgments of _________________.

A) motherhood
B) homemaking
C) heterosexual marriage
D) femininity

Question 19

In response to critiques of traditional femininity, some scholars such as Kate Millet (1977) and Sandra Bartky (1998) have argued that women's participation in disciplining their bodies to achieve culturally emphasized ideals, regardless of cost, can be described as a form of ____________________.

A) internalized oppression
B) externalized oppression
C) inner panopticism
D) psychological weakness

Question 20

Some recent scholars (e.g. Lorber 2000) have put forth the argument that "we should resist performing normative gender in our daily lives". This call invites us to participate in a ________________ movement.

A) re-gendering
B) un-gendering
C) de-gendering
D) anti-gendering

Question 21

Identify some of the common gender stereotypes in mainstream Canadian culture and discuss the practical consequences of non-compliance for adolescents.

Question 22

What is the basis for the criticism of Parson's formulation of gender-based roles? .

Question 23

What were some of the findings of Gilmore's (1990) cross-cultural studies of masculinities?

Question 24

What is Synott's major argument in his featured guest essay In Praise of Men. What do you think of this argument? .

Question 25

Develop an essay in which you critically compare and contrast Naomi Wolf's (1990) account of the "beauty myth" with Sandra Bartky's (1998) formulation of women's compliance with appearance norms as "internalized oppression". Use examples from popular culture and your own life to support your essay.

Question 26

Pay close attention to the ways in which 2 different people in your life "fit" or do not fit masculine and feminine stereotypes over the course of a week. To what extent to do your findings support or challenge the argument that we live with gender less rigidly than the mutually exclusive groupings of gender stereotypes suggest. Write an essay based upon your observations.

Question 27

Construct an essay in which you critically examine the argument that Synnot puts forth in his guest essay, In Praise of Men .