Deck 6: Inequality: Women and Femininities

Question 1

A deodorant advertisement claims that its product offers both strength and perfumed scent for women who are both "one of the guys" and a "heartbreaker." This is an example of

A)the injection model of socialization.
B)the association of femininity with powerlessness.
C)the intersection of gender and advertising.
D)the rule that women balance masculinity and femininity.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to philosopher Sandra Lee Bartky,feminine ways of using the body can be described as

A)a language of subordination.
B)an embodiment of the potential for both men and women to be graceful.
C)naturally maternal,since female bodies are designed to attract sex,nourish babies,and give comfort.
D)a way of signaling age.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

When a female bodybuilder wears a sparkly pink bikini,she could be said to be performing

A)emphasized femininity.
B)the feminine apologetic.
C)pariah femininity.
D)emphatic sameness.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements best describes the strategy of emphatic sameness?

A)Some women try to downplay the fact that they are female by making their femininity as invisible as possible.
B)Men's negative stereotypes of women are strategically used to ensure women's subjugation to men.
C)Some women perform exaggerated masculinity to demonstrate how similar men and women are.
D)Women use both masculinity and femininity strategically when either is useful and culturally expected.

Question 5

A woman holds the door open for a man who is hurrying into a building behind her,but he hesitates to go through it.The fact that men resist being on the receiving end of chivalry reveals that __________ is about power and inequality,not just being nice or gentlemanly.

A)emphasized femininity
B)hegemony
C)gender equivocation
D)benevolent sexism

Question 6

Which of the following examples demonstrates how women can perform emphasized femininity?

A)combat positions in the U.S.military being opened to women
B)stay-at-home moms being committed to performing unpaid work at home
C)parents encouraging their daughters to aspire for traditionally male occupations
D)women teaching men to use makeup to appear more attractive

Question 7

Why do women make patriarchal bargains?

A)to be viewed as self-sacrificial
B)to limit the behavioral freedom enjoyed by men
C)to maximize their autonomy,safety,and well-being
D)to embrace anything associated with masculinity at all

Question 8

The feminine apologetic is

A)sitting folded up on oneself with the legs crossed at the knee.
B)the habit of saying "I'm sorry" before stating an opinion.
C)a requirement that women balance their appropriation of masculinity with femininity.
D)a common portrayal of women in the media where they cover their mouths or indicate staying silent.

Question 9

What is the main purpose of gender policing?

A)to challenge a patriarchal society
B)to create a benevolently sexist society
C)to promote conformity to,or support for,gender rules among both women and men
D)to foster chivalric behavior among men

Question 10

What is the nature of the relationship between hostile sexism and benevolent sexism?

A)Positive correlation: If one type is present in a society,so is the other.
B)Inverse correlation: If one type is present in a society,the other is not.
C)Direct causal relationship #1: Hostile sexism leads to benevolent sexism.
D)Direct causal relationship #2: Benevolent sexism leads to hostile sexism.

Question 11

According to their statements,George Sodini and Elliot Roger engaged in mass killing of women because

A)they thought that women should be less sexually promiscuous.
B)they succumbed to peer pressure.
C)they disliked the social transition of men becoming inferior to women.
D)they had a sense of entitlement to sex and affection from women and became aggressive when they did not get this response.

Question 12

In contemporary U.S.society,men suffer more from gender inequality as individuals,while women are harmed more as a group.This is because

A)men are harmed by androcentrism alone and women by androcentrism,sexism,and subordination.
B)men are harmed by androcentrism and reverse sexism and women by sexism and subordination.
C)women are harmed by androcentrism,sexism,and subordination and men benefit from all three.
D)men are harmed by androcentrism and reverse sexism and women by androcentrism,sexism,and subordination.

Question 13

What defines the female ideal in the contemporary United States?

A)a woman embodying a perfect picture of pure femininity
B)a woman performing masculinity and femininity in a balanced way
C)a woman committed to being a wife and mother above all else
D)a woman challenging male dominance and the matrix of domination

Question 14

Women who perform femininity tend to be more well-liked on the job,but are seen as less competent;whereas women who do not perform femininity tend to be regarded as competent,but are not well-liked.This is an example of

A)gender equivocation.
B)benevolent sexism.
C)a double bind.
D)hostile sexism.

Question 15

Marian declines a male coworker's offer of help for an upcoming presentation.The coworker then insults Marian's intelligence and says that she will fail in the upcoming assignment.Marian's coworker has demonstrated

A)androcentrism.
B)benevolent sexism.
C)hostile sexism.
D)gender equivocation.

Question 16

Street harassment is an example of the relationship between hostile sexism and benevolent sexism because

A)friendly inquiries are sometimes followed up with angry or threatening ones if the woman doesn't properly respond.
B)it is harmless unless a woman decides she doesn't like it.
C)it dilutes hegemonic masculinity.
D)it happens to both women (hostile)and men (benevolent).

Question 17

Which of the following statements best describes women's options when encountering the rules and restrictions of their gender performance?

A)The strategy of emphatic sameness is an empowering strategy because it equates femininity with masculinity.
B)Women can alternate between different gender strategies to maximize their autonomy,unlike men whose only real option is to adopt hegemonic masculinity.
C)Gender equivocation is not an empowering strategy because it makes women appear indecisive.
D)Emphasized femininity is the least precarious and most empowering strategy for women.

Question 18

According to the textbook authors,the main types of patriarchal bargains available to women are

A)gender equivocation,feminine apologetic,and emphasized femininity.
B)benevolent and hostile sexism.
C)feminism,hegemonic masculinity,and emphatic sameness.
D)emphasized femininity,emphatic sameness,and gender equivocation.

Question 19

While documenting parents' nervousness about their son's performance of femininity,the sociologist Emily Kane found that

A)parents weren't nervous about daughters' femininity.Instead,they highly encouraged their daughters to be as feminine as possible.
B)parents discouraged their daughters from being feminine,as they associated it with being weak and undervalued.
C)parents didn't have the same nervousness with a daughter's performance of masculinity as they did with a son's performance of femininity because masculine activities are valued.
D)parents were also deeply troubled by their daughters' gender-nonconforming behavior and strongly discouraged any interests in masculine toys and activities.

Question 20

How does cheerleading reflect women's experiences in today's society?

A)Cheerleading illustrates how women are encouraged to embrace both masculinity and femininity with its mix of athleticism and aesthetics.
B)Cheerleading supports the patriarchal bargain because female cheerleaders are subservient to male cheerleaders on teams.
C)Cheerleading demonstrates benevolent sexism as women are praised for their extreme femininity.
D)Cheerleading is rife with aggrieved entitlement as there are many men who resent that cheerleading is now associated with women instead of men.

Question 21

Does conventional femininity help or hurt women in their fight against misogyny?

A)Conventional femininity hurts women because it only offers them the choice of being a victim,as women are socialized to be helpless and need protection from men.
B)Conventional femininity hurts women because it offers them the choice of being a helpless victim who needs male protection or a powerful and assertive pariah who is shunned by others.
C)Conventional femininity helps women because it encourages them to recognize how powerful they are.
D)Conventional femininity helps women because it encourages them to be strong,assertive,and masculine.

Question 22

Explain the phenomenon of the double bind.Why do the authors highlight media treatment of Sarah Palin (who ran for the 2008 Democratic vice presidential nomination in the United States)as an example of a double bind? Provide another example of a double bind placed on women in public life and discuss how it fits this concept.

Question 23

In contemporary American society,men are encouraged to avoid femininity and women are strongly encouraged to embrace both femininity and masculinity.With the help of three examples,explain this phenomenon in your own words.

Question 24

Aliya directly challenges male dominance and freely engages in sexual relationships without concern for whether or not men approve.Aliya is demonstrating which term?

A)aggrieved entitlement
B)gender equivocation
C)hostile sexism
D)pariah femininities

Question 25

Both women and men are constrained by the binary gender system.How do the constraints they face differ systematically? Whose constraints do you find more unfair? Make sure to provide detailed reasoning to justify your conclusion.

Question 26

The idea of a matrix of domination is intended to solve what problem for feminism?

A)a double bind in which women are "damned if they do and damned if they don't"
B)how to account for the other injustices men and women face in society
C)difficulty theorizing a relationship between hostile and benevolent sexism
D)the need to capture how the nature of women's oppression varies across different contexts

Question 27

Feminists argue that we are in the middle of a stalled gender revolution in which

A)about half of women embrace feminism and the opportunities it has brought them,but the other half are resisting these changes.
B)women have increasingly embraced opportunities that masculinity and masculine arenas provide,but few men have moved toward feminine options.
C)women have gotten halfway toward equality with men because they've become successful in service professions like medicine and the law,but have yet to match men's success in science and technology fields like physics and computer programming.
D)about half of men embrace feminism and the opportunities it has brought women,but the other half are resisting these changes.

Question 28

In what ways do women make patriarchal bargains in order to promote their well-being and autonomy? Compare and contrast three ways in which women can make a patriarchal bargain and assess which strategy you think would be more effective for a woman working as the only female chemical engineer at a chemical company.

Question 29

Why do the authors call benevolent sexism and hostile sexism Plan A and Plan B respectively,as strategies to ensure women's subordination? In the development of your answer,give an example of how benevolent sexism and hostile sexism work together to ensure women's subordination.

Question 30

__________ uses negative stereotypes about men to justify men's dominance,whereas __________ uses positive stereotypes about women to justify women's subordination.

A)Hegemonic masculinity;the feminine apologetic
B)The feminine apologetic;hegemonic masculinity
C)Benevolent sexism;exculpatory chauvinism
D)Exculpatory chauvinism;benevolent sexism

Question 31

Dianna recently joined the Houston Fire Department.She is the only female at her station,and she does not want to draw attention to this distinction.Dianna asks to be treated "as one of the guys," and she tries to imitate her male counterparts in behavior and appearance.What term is Dianna demonstrating?

A)feminine apologetic
B)gender equivocation
C)emphasized femininity
D)emphatic sameness