1 Foundations of Gender Studies Free Online FlashCards

What does gender studies examine?

Gender studies examines how gender and sexuality are experienced, represented, organized, and connected to power and social life.

Why is gender studies interdisciplinary?

It draws on fields such as history, sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, literature, media studies, law, and public health.

How should researchers choose a method?

The research question guides the method. Interviews can illuminate personal meanings, while policy analysis can show how rules affect opportunities.

What does sex refer to?

Sex refers to bodily characteristics, such as reproductive anatomy, hormones, and chromosomes, used in sex classification.

What does intersex describe in this material?

Some people have variations in sex characteristics that do not fit neatly into a single male-or-female pattern; they may identify as intersex.

What does gender refer to?

Gender refers to social meanings, norms, roles, and expectations associated with gender categories; these can vary across societies and change over time.

What is gender identity?

Gender identity is a person’s internal sense of their gender. It may or may not correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth.

What is gender expression, and what can it tell us?

Gender expression is how a person presents or communicates gender, for example through clothing, voice, or behavior; it does not necessarily reveal their identity.

What does sexuality include?

Sexuality is a broad term for dimensions of sexual and intimate life, including desire, relationships, practices, and identity.

What does sexual orientation concern?

Sexual orientation is one aspect of sexuality: it concerns patterns of romantic, emotional, or sexual attraction.

How are gender identity and sexual orientation related?

Gender identity and sexual orientation are distinct; neither determines the other.

What does social construction mean, and what does it not mean?

Social construction describes how practices, institutions, and shared ideas shape categories and their meanings. It does not mean gender is imaginary or unimportant.