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Gender Studies Chapter One: Introduction To Gender Studies 1/6

Interdisciplinary Nature of Gender Studies

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8 views

Gender Studies Chapter One: Introduction To Gender Studies 1/6

Interdisciplinary Nature of Gender Studies

Uploaded by

bashambarkat0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Gender Studies

Chapter One: Introduction to Gender Studies


1/6
Definition:
 Gender Studies is an inter-disciplinary field of study that seeks to study various
disciplines—politics; sociology; psychology; biology; and others—from the perspective
of gender.
 It aims to analyze the respective roles that different genders play; their respective
status in different spheres of life; and the relationship between genders and its
influence on both genders.
 “Gender Studies is primarily a study of genders, their relationship with each other,
their respective status in the society, their roles in the socio-economic and political
spheres and the forces that affect them.” (Colorado.edu)

Importance:
 Provide a common understanding regarding gender identity and relationships
 Investigates how men and women are the same and the way in which they differ
 enables understanding of each gender’s needs and the unique contributions each gender
makes to society
 Eliminating lack of knowledge regarding gender and countering discrimination and
maltreatment against women that happended historically such as considering women property,
subject to abuse and even death without legal repercussions for the aggressor
 Gender studies examines the causes of these injustices and looks for real-world solutions and
means of prevention
 Gender is a fundamental aspect of personal and social identity and a biological, psychological
and cultural CATEGORY of paramount importance for people everywhere
 Gender Studies offers students an opportunity for focused study of varied issues, in both
contemporary and past societies:
o Human Reproduction
o Gender roles in the family and society
o The psychology of identity
o Sexual Orientation
o Representations of women and men in literature, music and art

Functional Principles of Gender Studies


1. Gender Differences Exist:
they are a fundamental reality of our biology and impact our psychology. Our maleness and
femaleness is a key aspect to our personhood
2. Acknowledging, rather than ignoring (or worse denying), gender differences is the only
intellectually honest response to this reality
3. Gender differences are complementary; individuals, our collective humanity, and society as a
whole, all benefit from masculine and feminine characteristics. We are better off having men
with a clear understanding of their masculinity and women with a clear understanding of their
feminity
4. Gender Identity confusion does exist in a small minority of individuals, it is a painful pathology
and warrants a compassionate response. However, it is not the ‘normative’ experience and is
not therefore a paradigm upon which to drive society and institutions

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