The sociology of gender is the study of how society influences the sexes.
Men hunt, women gather.
Men go to work and are the main breadwinners.
Women stay home and are homemakers.
Men are the protector of the house.
Women are the caretaker of the house.
Are these statements valid? Are they biological or are they socially taught?
This is what gender sociologists study (or what you would study if you took a course on this).
If you were to learn sociology of gender, you would learn the various concepts that help explain the current state of men and women in society. You would also learn the history of men and women and the hierarchies that were created to discriminate against one group. You would also learn how social institutions affect gender.
Additionally, you would learn about the power dynamics that separate gender and race.
Feminism
From the 1950s to the 1980s, the second wave of feminism was splashing all over America. World War II had just ended and men were starting to come back to their homeland. But while they were overseas, women had to step up and take over the jobs. There weren’t enough people while men were out at war. However, when the men returned, women were forced to give the jobs back, and they didn’t like it.
They were frustrated because they were being treated as second-class citizens who only substituted. Women felt that it was unfair that they had to give up their jobs –jobs that they were able to do and were good at. Their rights were taken away; there wasn’t equality.
So, they did what all oppressed groups do –they fought back against the patriarchy (hence the second wave of feminism).
But during this fight, they only protested against issues that affected straight white women. They ignored the sufferings of non-white (and gay and transgender) women.
They fought for issues such as career freedom but didn’t address how this would be possible for poor or single mothers, who at the time were mostly non-white. Feminists also fought for sexual freedom but didn’t fight for LGBTQ rights.
It wasn’t until the third wave of feminism that these issues would be addressed, but that’s a topic for another time.
READ MORE: What is Sociology?
So that’s pretty much what the sociology of gender is. Is this something you think you would be interested in learning about? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
Also, if you want to learn more about sociology, check out my book, SOCI 001: The Armchair Sociologist’s Guide to Sociology. It’s a beginner sociology text for those who are new to the social science and want basic explanations of the concepts. Click here to learn more about it on Amazon.