Discuss how language affects the understanding of gender in U.S. ...

[Redwolflake15]

Discuss how language affects the understanding of gender in U.S. society.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Discuss the research done in the 1970s regarding gender roles in children's literature. What were the findings? How do they compare to today?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[guyanai]

Answer to Question 1

Feedback: Language perpetuates male dominance by ignoring, trivializing, and sexualizing women. Use of the pronoun he when the sex of the person is unspecified and the generic term mankind to refer to humanity in general demonstrate how the English language ignores women. Common sayings such as that's women's work, jokes about female drivers, and phrases such as wine, women, and song are trivializing. Women, more than men, are commonly referred to in terms that have sexual connotations. Terms used for men that have sexual meanings imply power and success, whereas terms used for women imply promiscuity or being dominated. Research shows that there are many derogatory or disrespectful generic terms for women, but few for men, and of those that exist, such terms are considered derogatory because they invoke the images of women. Some of the more common derogatory terms applied to men actually degrade women in their role as mothers.

Answer to Question 2

Feedback: Weitzman et al. (1972) conducted a classic sociological study of 18 award-winning children's books that found: (a) females were virtually invisible: the ratio of male to female pictures was 11:1, and male to female animals 95:1; (b) boys were shown in outdoor activities while girls were mostly found indoors, and girls' activities were mostly in service to boys; (c) among adults portrayed, men led, women followed, and no women had jobs; all were mothers/wives. Research in the 2000s found that women and girls are still underrepresented in book titles and as central charcaters, and that the stereotype of mother as homemaker/caregiver and father as breadwinner/provider is still prevalent.