Gender and Culture  Male gender role was dominant (image of the hero, kings,

and rulers) [Relating to Beowulf: “The Geats’ Great Prince

Culture and Behavior stood firm, unmoving, prepared behind his high shield,
“Evolution made us for culture” - Roy Baumeister, 2005 waiting in his shining armor” - The Final Battle line 718-720
 Evolutionary psychology incorporates environmental  Women gender roles (cupbearers, peace-weavers)
influences. It recognizes that nature and nurture interact in  Divorce was permitted
forming us  Law of Cnut: women had the right to leave if marriage was
 Genes are not fixed blueprints; their expression depends “displeasing”
on the environment (analogy of tea and hot water).  Once married, wife prepared to take the husband’s place
 The cultural perspective highlights human adaptability at any moment (look after the home/farm, see if there
needs to be a repair, collect ransom in case husband was a
Cultural Diversity prisoner)
-the diversity of our languages, customs, and expressive  Men focused on protection and labor work (cutting tress)
behaviors confirms that much of our behavior is socially  Finances belong tp both men and women
programmed, not hardwired  Promoting equality of opportunity for all and achieving
diversity at all levels
Understanding Cultural Diversity  Increasing women involvement in the workplace
 As we work, play, and live with people from diverse
cultural backgrounds, it helps to understand how our Western: Latin-American
cultures influence us and how our cultures differ. -these are generally of Western origin, but have various
 In a conflict-laden world, achieving peace requires a degress of Native American, African, and Asian influence
genuine appreciation for both our genuine differences and
our deep similarities Approach on Gender and Sexuality
 Latin Americn gender roles speak of traditionally accepted
All cutures have their accepted ideas about appropriate gender archetypes, such as machismo (an exaggerated
behavior masculinity for men) and marianismo ( a passive, nurturing
Norms role for women)
 Rules or expectations that are socially enforced  Machismo is, very simple put, an exaggerated masculinity,
 It may be prescriptive (encouraging positive behavior; or an assumption of male superiority, which is based on a
for example,“be honest”) or proscirptive )discouraging clear cultural and social gap between what is considered
negative behavior; for example “do not cheat) female or male. Traditional gender roles in Latin America
 Norms o restrain and control us-- so successfully and so dictate that public space is a male domain. This mindset is
subtly that we hardly sense their existence more or less harmless.
 Marianismo is n aspect of the female gender role in the
How is culture in reference to norms? machismo of hispanic America folk culture. It is the
 Culture is largely influenced by the norms that are veneration of feminine virtues like purity and moral
accepted by the society. Each culture differs in its strength. For example, it represents the “virgin” aspect of
standards and norms the dichotomy.
 One of the difficulties in defining gender roles is that Latin
Different cultures American countries underwent rapid changes in gender
 Western roles during the latter part pf the twentieth century
 Anglo-American  Violence against women can be understood broadly to
 Latin-American include any form of exclusion, harassment, or abuse
 English-speakng world  In the three Latin American countries surveyed, strong
 African-American majorities say they accept homosexuality in society
 Indosphere
 Sinosphere Western: Englprescriptive (encouraging positive behavior; for
 Islamic example, “be honest”ish-speaking world
 Arabic -the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New
 Tibetan Zealand, and Ireland

Western: Anglo-American Approach on Gender and Sexuality

-most often refers to a region in the Americas in which  Survey finds these countries are abandoning traditional
English is a main language and British culture and the British views of gender roles (Traditional views of gender roles
Empire have had significant historical, ethnic, linguistic, and have continued to decline, according to the latest survey of
cultural impact social attitudes by the National Center of Social Research
(NatCen), with 72% disputing the conservative view that
Approach on Gender and Sexuality women should dedicate themselves to housework,
 Depictions of gender roles in Beowulf are important to the compared with 58% 10 years ago
definition of the individual and community identity. If  There is a view that feminism is redundant; they have their
individuals did not act according to their roles, then the rights now so they can take of the dungarees and choose
community could not be unified and would fail. to do what they like
(Traditional Anglo-American)
 Acceptance of homosexuality varies across the globe
Should not Should Sinosphere Culture
 Canada 10% 85% -Sinophone world to mean the regionsof Chinese diaspora
 US 21% 72% outside of Greter China, and some for the entire Chinese-
 Sweden 5% 94% speaking world
 Netherlands 8% 92%
 Germany 11% 86% Approach on Gender and Sexuality
 UK 11% 86%  The concept of gender is foundational to the general
approach of Chinese thinkers. Yin and yang, core elements
Western: African-American of Chinese cosmogony, involve correlative aspects of “dark
African-American culture is rooted in the blend between the and light”, “male and female”, and “soft and hard”. these
cultures of West and Central Africa and the Anglo-Celtic notions, with their deeply-rooted gender connotations,
culture that has influenced and modified its development in recognize the necessity of interplay between these
the American South different forces in generating and carrying forward the
world
Approach on Gender and Sexuality  The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, which
 Gender roles established within Afircan-American families was enacted in 1954, stated that women and men should
often contradict the ideologies of the functionalist have equal rights. To promote gender equality, the
perspective Communist party promoted the slogan “Women hold up
 In examining sex and gender roles within African-American half the sky” to illustrate importance of women to China’s
families, there is a paradigm shift in the Black family economic success
structure  The party and the government implemented policies
 The culture practices and functions of Black family ensuring equal pay for equal work and equal opportunity
structure for men and women
 The cultural practices and functions of Black families were  Discrimination against women is on the rise. From the
by all means shaped by the institution of slavery -> crucial womb to the workplace, from the political arena to the
turning point as it marked some of the greatest changes in home, women in China are losing ground at every turn
the structure of Black families  One-child Policy, official program initiated in the late
 Families were deconstructed in many ways which affected 1970s and early 80s by the central government of China,
the roles of Black men and Black women. As a result, they the purpose of which was to limit the great majority of
were forced to conform to the traditional norms of the family unites in the country to one child each. There was a
Anglo-Saxon community persistent gender imbalance (because of the traditional
 Regardless of gender, persons were expected to fulfill preference of having sons) and invoking stronger measure
domestic and outdoor activities on an equal basis. The such as forced abortions and sterilizations (the latter
roles of African women were not limited to domestic primarily of women)
chores
 Not all women are oppressed in the same ways despite Islamic Culture
holding the common minority status of being female -Islamic Culture and Muslim culture refers to cultural
 Black American are more divided with fewer than half practices common to historically Islamic people. With the
(48%) expressing support for allowing gay and lesbian rapid expansion of the Islamic empires, Muslim culture has
couples to marry, while 41% are opposed. However, this influenced and assimilated much from the Persian, Egyptian,
represents a five-point increase in support for same-sex Caucasian, Turcik, Mongol, Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani,
marriage, compared to 43% in 2015 Malay, Somali, Berber, Indonesian, and Moro culltures.
Islamic culture generally includes all the practices which have
Indosphere Culture developed around the religion of Islam. There are variations
-it highlights the cultural influence in Southeast Asia in the application of Islamic beliefs in different cultures and
traditions.
Approach on Gender and Sexuality
 Gender in Southeast Asia is the declining factor concerning Approach on Gender and Sexuality
independence, ability to work and even health.  In Islam, scriptures, cultural traditions, and jurisprudence
Southeast Asia countries, such as Cambodia, Myanmar, affect the relationship between men and women
Thailand, and Vietnam, are culturally diverse  The Quran, the holiest book in Islam, indicates that men
 Despite Southeast Asian countries’ reputation for being and women are spiritual equals. It states: “If any do deeds
run by men, the Philippines and Singapore have of righteousness be they male or female and have faith,
impressive indicators on gender equality. However, they will enter Heaven, and not the least in justice will be
when considering Southeast Asia as a whole, gender done to them”
equality is still nowhere near perfect  However, in Islamic practice, gender roles manifest
 Cultural shifts over the last 40 years mean that Southeast themselves, partially because men and women are
Asia currently has a femlae workforce participation rate sometimes allotted different rights and different cultural
of 42%, which is higher than the global average of 39% expectations
 These days, women are able to have jobs to support  In some Muslim-majority countries, women are legally
themselves and not rely on their significant others so restricted from practicing certain rights
much, hence the term “independent women”
 Traditional Islamic schools of thought as based on the Approach on Gender and Sexuality
Quran and the Hadith consider homosexuality to be a  In the Higaonon tribe in the Southern Philippines, when
punishable sin talking about adultery, the tribal chieftain has said that the
practice is considered a serious crime in the tribe because
Arab Culture the Higaonons believe that it actually brings bad luck
-Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic  Though pagduway (or having two wives) is allwed in the
Ocean in thewest to the Arabia Sea I the east, and from the tribe, the consent of the original wife is required;
Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the otherwise, the husband could not angage in duway (have
Indian Ocean in the southeast two wives). a man intending to have two wives must see to
it that he can afford to provide he basic needs of his wives
Approach on Gender and Sexuality and their children
 Women in Arab countries find themselves torn between  The Bontoc in the Cordillera ethnic group, women were
opportunity and tradition tattooed on the arms only unlike men who has the
 Arab Muslim women in the middle east still face opportunity to have tattoos in the different areas
substantial social and legal inequalities. Even as  For the Mamanwas, their cheiftain may be a man or a
governments in the region tout the female advancement woman, which is characteristic of other gender-egalitarian
abroad, women in the Arab Gulf claim that they still hunter-gatherer societies
enforce traditional gender roles  Filipino Muslims in the Mindanao region of the Philippines
 Women in all of the Gulf states must receive the approval commonly practice pre-arranged marriages and
of a male guardian to marry bethrothal. The Tausog people’s wedding include the
 In Qatar, single women under 25 require permission to pangalay, a celebration or announcement performed by
travel abroad, and Qatari men can argue in court to stop means of the playing of percussion instruments like as the
their wives from traveling gabbang, the kulintang, and the agong
 In Saudi Arabia, men can file a “disobedience” complaint  A marital union is always for and in consideration of a
against female relatives for leaving the house without dowry. Dowry is meant only for the bride-to-be and held
permission by her parents for safekeeping. A wedding takes place
 In Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, a man can stop his wife from shortly after a dowry’s negotiation;
working if he feels her employment interferes with her  The brunt of a wedding celebration’s expenses usually falls
domestic responsibilities or religious conduct upon the would-be groom’s parents
 Marriage between couples of the same sex is currently not
Tibetan Culture possible under the laws of the Philippines because,
-Tibet developed a district culture due to its geographic and according to the Filipino Family Code, both family and
climatic conditions. While influenced by neighboring cultures marriage are considered as heterosexual units. The legal
from China, India, and NEpal, the Himalayan region’s concept of a family in the Philippines does not incorporate
remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinct local homosexual relationships
influences, and stimulated the development of its distant  During the Spanish regime, literatures about the status of
culture Filipino women times, they have experienced exploitation.
Filipino women did not join and share ideas or participate
Approach on Gender and Sexuality in the decision making about issues in the society
 Though it is a religious society, there are no proscriptions  In the Philippines, we have traditional patriarchal set up in
to control women’s sexuality. A Tibetan man doesn’t families. Husband is the household head and the wife is
expect his new wife to be a virgin. Tibetan women are free the domestic manager
to choose any career, husband, or stay single  In the recent time, however, there has been an increase in
 Tibetan women do generally pay an equal role in society, the number of married women joining the labor market
there are fewer in leadership and political positions
 Tibetans, both men and women, pray not to be reborn as a
woman but as a man in their next life. It’s not clear if this is
a cultural trend, or comes from their Buddhist beliefs
 Tibetan women were allowed to hve their businesses and
even allowed to inherit land, something the modern world
did not see until much later in history
 Sexually, both men and women participated in
extramarital affairs as well as homosexuality, though male
homosexuality was accepted whereas women’s
homosexuality was prosecuted aside from nobility

Philippine Culture
-Northern Philippines: Ifugao, Bontoc, Kankanay, Ibaloi,
Kalinga, Tinguian, Isneg, Gaddang, Ilongot, and Negrito
-Southrn Philippines: Blaan, Bukidnon, Higanon, Mamanwa,
Mandaya, Manobo, Mansaka, Sangir, Subanen, Tagabawa,
Tagakakulo, Tasaday, and T’boli