In New Study, Science Wins Over Gender Stereotyping

In a study done by a psychologist from the University of Michigan, it was found that many gender stereotypes are actually false. For example, both men and women surveyed responded that they would prefer one sex partner, despite the fact that men are typically portrayed as wanting multiple sex partners, when compared to women.

More on this can be found at: http://www.thefastertimes.com/news/2011/10/19/in-new-study-science-wins-over-gender-stereotyping/

Cross-Dressing Children

Here is an interesting article about a cross-dressing child and the way people feel about. What is extremely striking are the readers' comments below, which show the different sides of the debate on cross-dressing children.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/29/health/gender-children/

- Merry Chin

Gender Roles in "Friends"

Here's a short clip from the TV show Friends that demonstrates a stereotypical interaction between women and how different it is with men

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGoC8FTLKSI&feature=related

abc news gender dentity disorder article

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3074520&page=1

Women of Color Seen As Always Sexually Available

There is an interesting article discussing the assumption that colored women are sexually available.

The intersection of race and sexuality is complicated. It's complicated by the ways race and economic class intersect, by the history of slavery in the United States and around the world, by the fact that race is both an utterly bogus way to look at people and simultaneously very real.Although it's definitely not simple, it sure is important to think about. Women of Color are seen as sexually available simply because the race. By treating women as though their race dictates their sexuality, we're also telling women that their actual desires don't matter and probably shouldn't even exist.

The link to the article,

http://womensenews.org/story/cultural-trendspopular-culture/111029/women-color-seen-always-sexually-available

Demi Moore-Ashton Kutcher Cheating Scandal

This is an article about the recent cheating scandal involving Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. The article looks at Demi Moore and how she feels guilty for Ashton cheating. Why is it that a woman would take the blame for a man's misdeeds?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2042664/Did-Ashton-Kutcher-cheat-Demi-Moore-wedding-anniversary-weekend.html

Sarah Palin

When Sarah Palin announced her running for president it instantly became a landmark for women in politics. Unfortunately Palin not only had to deal with Democrats and the rift within her own party-Republicans, but also had to deal with a gender bias. For example, Ed Rollins went on the radio a few weeks ago to blast Palin as being "not serious." She faced sexism and gender discrimination for being the first Republican female on the presidential ticket. “Coverage of Sarah Palin on the big three TV networks has been overwhelmingly negative, Politico reports. NBC, CBS, and ABC broadcast 69 stories on Palin between September 29 and October 12, of which the Culture and Media Institute considered 37 negative, 30 neutral, and two positive. That adds up to a negative-positive ratio of 18-1” (http://www.newser.com/story/41350/palin-coverage-negative-by-18-1-study.html). It is sad that even with the progress women have made, society still follows some of the traditional gender roles, that make men seem superior to women.

Week 11 Discussion Questions

Hi,

Please submit your questions for Week 11.

Wei Niang in China

As China adopted the opening-up policy, people, especially teenagers, have more freedom to do what they want.
However, there is a trend of Wei Niang(fake girl) in China. This phenomenon mainly appears on TV shows and Internet among youngsters. It symbolizes the shift in young people's aesthetic criteria and a society with less restrictions.


http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2011/03/picture-of-the-day-cross-dressing-boy-club/

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2010-06/07/content_20198894.htm

http://life.globaltimes.cn/life/2010-05/535290.html

Gender Equality in Norway

The article below reports a gender equality issue in Norway. Despite having the title of most gender-egalitarian country, Norwegian women suffer from many equality problems in their own home. The article describes how women in Norway often become victim of rape by their spouse.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/world/europe/in-norway-gender-equality-does-not-extend-to-the-bedroom.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=gender&st=cse

Gender Differences in Economy

Here is an article on how the economy differs for different genders.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111024/NEWS/310240045/Wide-gender-gap-Tennessee-economy?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

- Merry Chin

What Happens When Wife Earns More?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-06-04/features/0806020342_1_gender-roles-household-couples

This above is an article about women making more money than their husbands and how this is changing traditional gender roles.

Male or Female? Boy Given Drugs So He Can Pick Gender

An article I found describes a lesbian couple who gave their 11 year old son hormone blockers so he could delay puberty and have more time to think about which gender he wanted to be. Do you think these parents are going too far by giving an 11 year old child drugs to delay his puberty and handing him the sole responsibility of choosing his gender at such a young age?

The link can be found at: http://nation.foxnews.com/transgender/2011/10/17/male-or-female-boy-given-drugs-so-he-can-pick-gender

Denied Veterans Benefits Over Same-Sex Marriage

A disabled Navy veteran was denied an increase in her monthly disability check because she was married to another woman. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the federal statue defined a spouse as a "person of the opposite sex." Thus, the veteran's application was invalid. As a result, the veteran publicized her case to the public.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/denied-veterans-benefits-over-same-sex-marriage-carmen-cardona-sues.html?pagewanted=1

Pro-Choice Lawmakers Press for 'Awareness' Week

It seems that the debate between abortion rights has been intensified. Lately, the pro-life voice gained more and more support. So some female lawmakers have got together to increase the influence and power of pro-choice stand. Here is the link to the article.

http://womensenews.org/story/leadership/111018/pro-choice-lawmakers-press-awareness-week?page=0,0

Shiloh's Style

Celebrities Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are being faced with what many parents are experiencing today: their daughter “Shiloh is pushing the boundaries of a tomboy look and is crossing over to cross-dresser territory” (Life and Style). The mainstream media is using the Shiloh issue revive traditional gender roles by attempting to categorize Shiloh as either female or homosexual. By doing so, the media has turned the Shiloh issue into a public spectacle. Shiloh is probably just going through a normal childhood phase, but the media insists there is more to the story. As gender roles slowly fade and the world becomes more tolerant, the mainstream media passionately resists because tolerance does not make headlines. Newsweek explains, “many kids begin questioning gender as toddlers, identifying with the other gender’s toy and clothing” (Newsweek). This phenomenon is becoming more accepted because it is considered a phase rather than a permanent change.

Gay students bullied

When I was doing research about my writing 140 essay, I found this.
This article was published in The New York Times.
It revealed the unnoticed discrimination in the society despite the progress of homosexual rights on the surface.

Here is the link of the news: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/us/13bully.html?scp=4&sq=homosexuality&st=cse

Week 10 Discussion Questions

Hi,

Please submit your questions for Week 10.

Don't Ask Don't Tell

This article is published in La Times today. It discussed the inequality within the US military. Apparently, gay soldiers still do not get all benefits that other "normal" service member receive, such as marriage benefit.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-doma-20111021,0,7636725.story

Gender Stereotypes in Disney

Here's a quick youtube video critiquing the gender stereotypes (especially negative, somewhat primitive ones of women) in Disney princess movies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kLHZ2xGmUk

What Makes People Gay?

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/08/14/what_makes_people_gay/?page=2

This article explains how/why people become gay. It discusses the nature/nurture argument in detail.

Why There's No Reason To Fear Feminism

In this article, women's rights are said to be "at the heart of political debate worldwide." Yet, there is little need to worry about feminists becoming too assertive with their beliefs. What feminists want is to develop a way of thinking that makes society more tolerant of gender equality rather than simply new laws that benefit women.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/oct/18/no-reason-to-fear-feminism

Gender Roles in Higher Education

Here is an interesting article on gender roles in higher education and in certain fields including technology.

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/opinion/2011/10/03/transforming-gender-roles-higher-education

- Merry Chin

Zachary Quinto Identifies Himself 'As A Gay Man'

The star of the popular TV show "Heroes" and the movie "Star Trek," Zachary Quinto recently revealed his sexuality as a gay man in an casual interview. Part of his reason for coming out was the suicide of bullied gay teen, Jamey Rodemeyer. In Quinto's words, "In light of jamey's death — it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it — is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality." Thoughts?

The link to more information on this article can be found at: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/10/zachary-quinto-gay-zachary-quinto-comes-out.html

Sexual Identity

In our discussion class what we talk about somehow always leads back to sexual identity and the distinction between sex, gender and sexual orientation. As I was studying for my bio midterm I found a table in the book that describes the development of sexuality over time. I tried to copy and paste the chart. I hope you can see it.

Danica Patrick moving up with the Big Boys

Danica Patrick is an American female athlete who races Indy Car's. She was the first woman ever to win an IndyCar race and fought her tomboy look by posing as the Go-Daddy girl in 2009. Now, she will move from IndyCar to NASCAR, a predominantly male sport. This talks about her final race as an IndyCar driver and how she has made such a big stamp on the game.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/7112596/danica-patrick-ends-indy-career-tragic-day

TLC

http://transgenderlawcenter.org/cms/

THIS IS A WEB PAGE THAT HELPS TRANSGENDERS IN THEIR TRANSITION AND ALSO WITH LEGAL HELP, I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING

Thoughts about lesbian

I was considering that actually some lesbians did not choose to be a lesbian at the beginning. Probably they choose to be lesbians just because they are not attractive enough to be adored by men. To relieve themselves, they claim to be lesbians to make it seem they do not need men. Being a lesbian, in this sense, is a defending mechanism.

Personally, I believe a number of lesbians are of this case but I have not done any research in it.

Sex-change inmate

Hi, I found an article about a transgendered woman being put into a male prison. The main reason why she was put in the prison was that she didn't undergo the full sex reassignment surgery. I think this case would ignite the debate about whether one needs to change his or her body parts before being considered as another gender, especially under extreme circumstance, like in prison. Here is the link to the post,

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sex-change-inmate-in-dress-plea/story-e6frea83-1226167449504

My Transgender friend

I have a transgender friend whom I met in Riverside Community College. She used to be a guy, and now she lives her life as woman. She came out few months ago through MTV's True Life. Here's the link:

http://www.mtv.com/videos/true-life-im-passing-as-someone-im-not/1662288/playlist.jhtml#series=2211&seriesId=5232&channelId=1

Note that what is shown is a reality show, and it's not necessarily accurate. However it does show what she has to go through her life and how she does it

Dancing With The Stars-Gender Norms

Sally Raskoff states, “Gender norms include standards of behaviors and appearance that feed the traits we expect from each gender.” Men are supposed to be powerful while women are supportive of men. Thus showing that men hold the power in society. When looking at the show, dancing with the stars, the contestants who “conform to traditional societal definitions of gender stay the longest and get the highest scores from the judges”. Also, the outfits that the contestants wear reinforce traditional gender norms. The women are barely clothed while the men wear suits. Raskoff says that sometimes the power of the women is seen during the dance numbers. But, most of the time the men take the power back before the performance ends.

http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2010/11/dancing-with-gender-norms.html

Week 9 Discussion Questions

Hi,

Please submit your questions for Week 9.

Paris is Burning

Here's a short clip from the really great documentary "Paris is Burning." The entire documentary focuses on the gay, lesbian, and transgender culture in New York during the mid-to-late-1980's. It focuses on the troubles that members of this community have with fitting in to society's binary gender system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydA7-qCv570

What if It’s (Sort of) a Boy and (Sort of) a Girl?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/magazine/24intersexkids.html?pagewanted=all

This is a very, very interesting article about children that are born as hermaphrodites. Do you think that Chase's parents did the right thing by removing her male genitalia when she was a baby and then hiding the surgery from her throughout her life? Or do you think that they shouldn't have performed the surgery and just loved her the way she was born?

Dr. Pepper Ad

Here is an article on the new Dr. Pepper ads, showing the gender stereotypes that exist in the present.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Dr-Pepper-Ten-No-women-apf-3465249566.html?x=0

- Merry Chin

Women create monsters

In Ambrose Paré it is discussed that women are responsible for creating monsters. We've seen this reoccurring theme throughout the semester in which women are indirectly responsible for men giving birth to monsters. This article states that women can give birth to monsters if 1. they imagine a monster or a creature during labor or 2. if their womb is too narrow. I found an article online that talks about these ideas and explains them more in depth. It is about a female artist who photographed a cancer patient that was undergoing treatment. She distorted the patient's looks and wrote "monster" across her hospital robe. Why was this? and why did she choose a female patient?

http://varoregistry.org/articles/monst.html

Mothers Are the Most Responsible in Transferring of Sexist Attitudes, Study Suggests

Although results of the study shows that mothers possess a greater influence in the transference of discriminatory behavior, researchers are currently unable to determine exactly why. They attempt to explain it and point out contributing factors, but they have no way of determining it because their "study is not correlational and does not use experimental methodology."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929074028.htm

hermafrodite deer

http://www.deerhuntingchat.com/forum/hermaphrodite-deer-killed-in-pa-6099.html

THIS SHOWS THAT HERMAPHRODITES CAN BE BORN IN ANY LIVING SPECIE

ESPN the Magazine Body Issue

ESPN the Magazine released their 3rd Annual "Body Issue" this past week. The series is meant to explore and celebrate athletes' bodies. It is similar to our discussions about perception of the body and how society forms our ideas of what is "hot" and what is "not."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/09/espn-the-magazine-3rd-annual-body-issue-alicia-sacramone-hope-solo-blake-griffin-jose-reyes-steven-jackson-gretchen-bleiler-sylvia-fowles-apolo-ohno/1

"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Published in 2002, Middlesex is a Putlitzer-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides that is written about the theme of hermaphroditism and intersexuality. I thought it could be a good reference material for those who wish to explore this topic more. A review/article on this novel can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/01/books/a-novelist-goes-far-afield-but-winds-up-back-home-again.html

Born This Way

http://celebrities.ninemsn.com.au/?blogentryid=318809&showcomments=true

Here's a quick article regarding Lady Gaga's physical gender appearance ambiguity. She claims that she enjoys looking androgynous (of indeterminate sex).

Why I Chose Polygamy

I know that this is not news anymore as there is a show about this kind of marriage, but I think that it is interesting to see a woman in this kind of relationship talk about it. The article's name is, "A Real Sister Wife Speaks Out: Why I Chose Polygamy". The wife basically stated her reasons to choose (very interesting word to use) the relationship. Personally, this challenges the way I regard this type of marriage. I always think it would be interesting to compare polygamy with female polygamy. Here is the link,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicki-darger/real-sister-wife-chose-polygamy_b_991552.html

intersex humans

I found a very intriguing article on intersex humans. Shockingly, one out of every two thousand births is an intersex child. To be intersex, implies that one has some parts associated with both males and females or some parts that appear ambiguous. “A person with intersex is born with mixed sex anatomy. Obviously this situation complicates things for the future, and the parents are placed in a difficult position.

http://www.fathermag.com/206/intersex/

Week 8 Discussion Questions

Hi all,

Please submit your questions for Week 8.

Sex and the City

Here's a clip from the Sex and the City and movie. A little background, Miranda is having marital problems with her husband, Steve, regarding the fact that they no longer have sex. Miranda's character has always had insecurities about her femininity (as seen in the second link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm8lWi5X73U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdnHhbVYCLk

Minangkabau marriage

Hey, I'm posting something from my country this time. Here's an article about Minangkabau matrilineal system, which mean ancestral lineage is traced from mother or maternal ancestor. In Minangkabau society, women are highly empowered and respected, but it does not mean that female are superior over men. Hope you guys find it rather interesting

http://www.second-congress-matriarchal-studies.com/sanday.html

Scary Hairy

I found this article that was super interesting about how cultures around the world view hair on different parts of the body for men and women. You don't have to read the whole thing but look at the pictures they put up of the women with hair. It's funny to me that whoever created this article tried to put the women in "sexy" poses that revealed their hair. It almost seems contradictory to what our standards are.

http://offtrackplanet.com/featured/the-hairiest-cultures-around-the-world/

Is Hope Solo a Victim of Sexism?

Kind of stumbled upon this article while browsing on Yahoo. This article talks about Team USA women's soccer Goalkeeper, Hope Solo, and how the press highlighted her rant following the World Cup in 2007.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/daily-take/201106/hope-solo-victim-sexism

African women leaders

I found an article about news of African women. It pointed about the women leadership in Africa is still a sensitive issue. Also, education of girls is still undervalued than that of boys. It shows that leadership is not something that is expected of women. These facts are similar across various cultures and nations. This shows that gender inequality is still a critical issue in the world.

http://thewip.net/contributors/2011/09/women_leaders_africas_availabl.html

Gender Equality in Education in Zambia

Here is an article on the progress of the establishment of gender equality in education in Zambia.

http://www.times.co.zm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2103:zambia-progress-towards-gender-equality-in-education&catid=68:others&Itemid=113

- Merry Chin

Gender Inequality in Ethiopia

This is an interesting article that talks about Gender Inequality in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of a few countries with a large percentage of its population living under the poverty line. The article talks about why the issue of gender inequality isn't disappearing anytime soon from developing countries.

http://www.capitalethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15494:gender-inequality-can-it-ever-be-eradicated&catid=12:local-news&Itemid=4

Women in Sports

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2008/0131/p09s01-coop.html

This is a really cool article I found about how women and men in sports are separate, but not equal. It describes previous differences in sports and offers some solutions- like men and women playing together. Let me know your opinions!

woman art

http://www.wimp.com/womenart/

heres a video of woman in art trough history, hope you enjoy it

Unisex Innovations

I found this weeks article about the bearded ladies extremely interesting. After reading, I decided to research other trends that are shared by both men and women. Today, both genders share. This is because society has become aware of gender discrimination within fashion. In order to stop this issue, fashion companies are developing unisex clothing to stay away from dividing the genders. This article shows body painting, haircuts, fashion ads, handbags, hipster apparel, swimsuits, boat shoes, fedoras, rings, backpacks, and many other trends for both men and women.

http://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/unisex-innovations#22

College Bake Sale Charging Based on Gender and Race

In protest against California SB - 185, a bill that allows race, gender, and ethnicity to be factored into state universities' admissions process, Berkeley College Republicans launched this bake sale. The pricings for the cupcakes are based on the customers' gender and race.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/27/earlyshow/main20112164.shtml

Perspective On Society's Discomfort Toward Transgender Individuals

I found an article recently published on CNN that discusses the reasons behind society's discomfort toward transgender individuals. It's rather brief but it sums up some of the topics we've talked about in class and provides the reader with a background of different perspectives from people regarding transgender issues. While some say it should be considered "self-mutilation" to change our biological sex, others blame the hostility toward transgender individuals on society's lack of classification other than boy or girl stereotypes. You can find the article at: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/30/health/transgender-discrimination/

The movie about the runaway groom

I mentioned a movie in which hundreds of brides chased only one groom last Tuesday~~~~
I googled the name of the movie.
It is "The Bachelor", a film in 1999
Here is the IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120596/
Here is the trailer with the famous chase scene in it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNAfCBL2Zzk The scene doesn't show up till at about 2:00, be patient : )