Self-Check Questions

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Nora Karena, Heidi Esbensen, and Dana Pertermann
Open Oregon

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Questions

Chapter 1: Gender as a Sociological Concept

Which of the following best defines sociology?
1. The study of ancient civilizations
2. The scientific and systematic study of groups, societies, and social interactions
3. The analysis of individual behavior in isolation
4. The study of genetic influences on human behavior
The concept of “beginner’s mind” involves:
1. Approaching the world with preconceived notions to test a perspective
2. Using expert knowledge to analyze social interactions
3. Viewing the world without preconceptions to see it from a new perspective
4. Ignoring new perspectives and focusing on established facts
According to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination is:
1. The ability to understand history without considering individual experiences.
2. A way of seeing behavior solely in terms of individual choices.
3. An awareness of the relationship between personal behavior and wider culture.
4. The analysis of societal norms without considering personal experiences.
What does the term “figuration” refer to in sociology?
1. The study of the behavior of individuals and the society that shapes that behavior
2. The isolation of individuals from social contexts
3. The process of studying social institutions without considering individuals
4. The analysis of genetic factors in social behavior
What was Harriet Martineau’s significant contribution to sociology that was suppressed for over a century?
1. Her statistical analysis of European populations
2. Her translation and critique of Auguste Comte’s work
3. Her development of economic models
4. Her theory on political revolutions
What term is used in the text to refer to people who identify as Asian, Black, African, Indigenous, Latinx, and other racial and ethnic groups who are not White?
1. Minority Groups
2. Marginalized Groups
3. People of the Global Majority (PGM)
4. Non-European Populations
Reflexivity in research aims to eliminate all biases from the research process.
1. True
2. False
Sociology, like other social sciences, relies on systematic and evidence-based research to understand society.
1. True
2. False
Which of the following best describes the concept of gender according to sociological perspectives?
1. Gender is biologically determined and unchangeable.
2. Gender is the meanings, attitudes, behaviors, norms, and roles that a society or culture ascribes to sexual differences.
3. Gender is solely based on an individual’s personal feelings and choices.
4. Gender is universally the same across all societies and cultures.
Which term refers to the process by which society teaches and learns the meanings and roles associated with gender?
1. Socialization
2. Patriarchy
3. Heteronormativity
4. Gender binary
The gender binary system is:
1. A biologically universal truth specific to all mammals
2. A limited system specific to certain cultures
3. The scientific classification of gender
4. A core aspect of human identity
Which of the following is an example of how sociologists can demonstrate that gender norms are socially constructed? Select all that apply.
1. Showing that gender norms change over time.
2. Identifying that gender norms are the same in all societies.
3. Highlighting that gender norms are imposed, enforced, reproduced, negotiated, or challenged through social interactions.
4. Identifying differences between gender norms in societies.
Gender is real because it is a consequential aspect of identity that shapes how people are treated and their general standing in society, but it is not universally true.
1. True
2. False
Why is it important to study sociology of gender?
1. To recognize and better understand the inequalities around us and find solutions to social problems.
2. To confirm that gender roles are biologically determined and unchangeable.
3. To prove that gender-based inequality does not exist.
4. To advocate for maintaining traditional gender roles in society.
Which of the following is an example of how sociology of gender can help us understand social patterns?
1. Explaining why individuals are solely responsible for their social and economic status.
2. Revealing how gender norms and socialization influence career choices.
3. Demonstrating that wage gaps are based purely on individual performance.
4. Confirming that all gender differences are natural and unchangeable.
What does the sociology of gender use to identify and explain patterns of inequality?
1. Personal anecdotes and opinions
2. Combined research of numerical statistical data and qualitative data
3. Assumptions about biological determinism
4. Solely quantitative data without qualitative insights

Chapter 2: Gender as a Social Construct

According to Judith Lorber, gender is defined as:
1. A biological trait that overrides socialization
2. An immutable characteristic
3. An individual preference
4. A process, a system of stratification, and a social institution
What is an example of a social construct?
1. Biological sex
2. Laws and customs
3. Chromosomes and hormones
4. Physical appearance
Which of the following best describes gender socialization?
1. The biological differences between men and women.
2. The unchangeable aspects of being male or female.
3. The inherent traits of individuals based on their gender.
4. The process by which people learn norms, roles, and behaviors associated with gender.
What is the first step of gender socialization?
1. Social interactions in schools
2. Gender assignment at birth
3. Media exposure
4. Peer group influence
In patriarchal societies, gender stratification typically results in:
1. Political, economic, educational, legal, and cultural advantages for men over women.
2. Equal opportunities for all genders.
3. The absence of gender discrimination.
4. Equal representation of all genders in political offices.
Which of the following agents of socialization is considered the most important in gender socialization?
1. Mass media
2. Peer groups
3. Schools
4. Family
Social constructs have inherent meanings that are universally true across all cultures and times
1. True
2. False
Gender reveal parties are an example of the social aspect of gender assignment.
1. True
2. False
According to the text, boys in many cultures typically have greater privileges and are given more autonomy and independence at an earlier age than girls.
1. True
2. False
Social stratification refers to the social categorization of people into rankings based on wealth, income, education, and other factors, including gender.
1. True
2. False
Which reproductive technology allows for fertilization to occur outside the body and then implantation into the uterus?
1. In vitro fertilization
2. Asexual reproduction
3. Hormone therapy
4. Quigley scale assessment
What hormone is typically found in higher levels in people with XY chromosomes?
1. Estrogen
2. Progesterone
3. Testosterone
4. Insulin
What does the term “sex assigned at birth” refer to?
1. The identification of a person’s gender based on social roles.
2. The classification of individuals as male, female, intersex, or another sex based on anatomy, hormones, and chromosomes.
3. The individual’s personal gender identity.
4. The psychological traits of an individual.
Which condition describes a person having both male and female physical traits, as seen in some animals but not in humans?
1. Hirsutism
2. Gynandromorphism
3. Klinefelter Syndrome
4. Turner Syndrome
In the U.S., people are socialized to believe that sex and gender are the same thing and strictly binary.
1. True
2. False
The Quigley Scale was developed to describe the spectrum of normal infant genitalia.
1. True
2. False
According to Charles Cooley’s concept of the “looking-glass self,” which of the following is NOT one of the three elements involved in the development of self?
1. The imagination of our appearance to the other person.
2. The imagination of their judgment of that appearance.
3. The feelings of pride or mortification based on our perception.
4. The reflection of our genetic traits in our personality.
Which scholar advanced a more detailed sociological approach to the self by breaking it down into the components “I” and “me”?
1. Charles Cooley
2. George Herbert Mead
3. Raewyn Connell
4. Emily Kane
What term is used to describe the harmful practice of referring to people by a gender other than their stated gender identity?
1. Gender socialization
2. Deadnaming
3. Misgendering
4. Gender policing
Which term refers to gender identities that exist beyond the traditional binary classifications of man and woman?
1. Genderqueer
2. Cisgender
3. Nonbinary
4. Transgender
Gender identity is solely based on biological traits and genetic makeup.
1. True
2. False
The practice of stating pronouns during introductions is intended to create more inclusive and welcoming social settings for trans and nonbinary people.
1. True
2. False
What is an appropriate use of the term “genderqueer”?
1. Referring exclusively to people who identify as masculine or feminine.
2. Describing a gender identity and expression that falls outside binary or normative labels.
3. Identifying people who strictly use she/her or he/his pronouns.
4. Labeling individuals who reject any form of gender identity.
Which of the following best describes gender policing?
1. Encouraging children to explore gender nonconforming behaviors.
2. Imposing or enforcing normative gender expressions on someone based on their sex assigned at birth.
3. Supporting individuals to express their gender in any way they feel comfortable.
4. Encouraging boys to engage in feminine activities such as wearing nail polish.
According to Raewyn Connell, what is hegemonic masculinity?
1. A form of masculinity that aligns with characteristics of independence, aggression, competition, and toughness.
2. A type of masculinity that rejects anything feminine and prioritizes power and status.
3. The masculine ideal is commonly viewed as superior to any other kind of masculinity and any form of femininity.
4. An extreme form of masculinity that captures cultural pressures on men to conform to dominant gender norms.
Emphasized femininity is typically oriented to accommodating men’s interests and desires.
1. True
2. False
What is the feminine apologetic?
1. The pressure on women to engage in feminine activities.
2. The expectation that women balance their participation in masculine activities with feminine gender expression.
3. The rejection of emphasized femininity in favor of alternative femininities.
4. The encouragement of gender nonconforming behavior in girls.
Gender expression refers solely to the way our gender identity is expressed through clothing.
1. True
2. False
Hegemonic masculinity is a static concept that remains unchanged over time.
1. True
2. False
Passing means a person declines to participate in gender expression, choosing instead to remain neutral.
1. True
2. False

Chapter 3: Gender, Sex and Sexuality

Who began teaching an interdisciplinary course about human sexuality in the 1930s?
1. Clelia Duel Mosher
2. Wright Mills
3. Alfred Kinsey
4. Crystal A. Jackson
Which research method did Clelia Duel Mosher and Alfred Kinsey both utilize in their studies of human sexuality?
1. Experimental design
2. Case study
3. Structured interviews
4. Ethnography
According to the Gallup Poll, what percentage of respondents believe that it is unacceptable for married people to have sex with someone outside of their marriage?
1. 22%
2. 50%
3. 75%
4. 88%
The Kinsey Reports were the first documented surveys of women’s beliefs and experiences regarding sex.
1. True
2. False
The orgasm gap demonstrates that men and women report orgasms at similar rates during partnered sexual encounters.
1. True
2. False
The concept of sociological imagination helps to understand how individual sexual behaviors can be influenced by social and cultural factors.
1. True
2. False
The term “sex worker” is preferred over “prostitute” because it acknowledges sex work as a form of labor.
1. True
2. False
Which statement best describes the concept of heteronormativity?
1. The belief that all forms of sexual attraction are equally valid and natural.
2. The social enforcement of heterosexuality, viewing other forms of sexual behavior as deviant.
3. The idea that sexual orientation is solely determined by emotional attraction.
4. The concept that gender identity and sexual orientation are interchangeable terms.
According to the text, which of the following statements about sexual orientation is true?
1. It only includes sexual attraction and excludes emotional or romantic attraction.
2. It refers to the relationship between a person’s gender identity and the gender identities they are attracted to.
3. It exclusively describes physical attraction between people of different genders.
4. It is a static trait that does not change over time.
The Kinsey Reports indicated that a significant percentage of men and women reported having some form of homosexual experience, challenging the notion that heterosexuality is the only natural form of sexual attraction.
1. True
2. False
Sexual attraction and behavior between people of the same gender have always been considered deviant and unnatural in human societies.
1. True
2. False
Which of the following statements about the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is true?
1. VAWA was originally passed in 2022.
2. VAWA funding exclusively supports law enforcement agencies.
3. VAWA was reauthorized in 2022 with an allocation of $700 million to combat gender-based violence.
4. VAWA does not address sexual assault prevention programs.
According to the text, which group experiences the highest rates of sexual violence?
1. Heterosexual men
2. Bisexual women
3. Transgender people
4. Heterosexual women
The Sexual Violence Continuum includes all the following forms of sexual violence except:
1. Rape
2. Sexist jokes
3. Consensual intimate partner activities
4. Voyeurism
Which prevention model identifies risk and protective factors for sexual violence?
1. Biological Determinism Model
2. Ecological Systems Theory
3. Social Learning Theory
4. Rational Choice Theory
The rates of sex crimes have significantly decreased since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
1. True
2. False
Affirmative consent requires consent to be given for each sexual act every time.
1. True
2. False
Nearly one in ten women have been raped by an intimate partner at some point in their lives.
1. True
2. False
The OutsmartNYC program focuses on community education and addresses risk and protective factors in nightlife venues.
1. True
2. False

Chapter 4: Gender in Theory

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of structural functionalism?
1. It presents a static view of society that fails to account for social change.
2. It struggles to explain social inequality.
3. It fails to integrate abstract theorizing with empirical research.
4. It assumes everything that persists in society has a function for that society.
Which of the following theorists is associated with conflict theory?
1. Talcott Parsons
2. Herbert Blumer
3. Emile Durkheim
4. Karl Marx
Which theoretical perspective focuses on micro-level interactions and the meanings individuals ascribe to things?
1. Structural functionalism
2. Conflict theory
3. Symbolic interactionism
4. Feminism
Symbolic interactionism tends to downplay the importance of power, privilege, and oppression.
1. True
2. False
Structural functionalism was the dominant theoretical framework in American sociology from the 1940s into the 1960s and 1970s.
1. True
2. False
What is the main argument of standpoint theory?
1. Knowledge is universally objective and unbiased.
2. Knowledge is socially situated and reflects dominant standpoints.
3. Knowledge can only be obtained through scientific methods.
4. Knowledge is irrelevant to social sciences.
Which of the following best describes the focus of third-wave feminism?
1. Securing voting rights for women.
2. Challenging exclusionary feminisms and emphasizing intersectionality.
3. Promoting the idea of women’s domestic roles.
4. Addressing issues solely related to white middle-class women.
Which feminist theorist is associated with introducing standpoint theory?
1. Ida B. Wells
2. Patricia Hill Collins
3. Sandra Harding
4. Chandra Talpade Mohanty
Which concept refers to political association with those who have differing identities around shared experiences of oppression?
1. Identity politics
2. Coalitional politics
3. Intersectionality
4. Standpoint theory
First-wave feminism was solely focused on addressing the oppression faced by White middle-class women.
1. True
2. False
Standpoint theory argues that marginalized groups carry specific knowledge of their own social contexts, which is critical for accurate and objective research.
1. True
2. False
Transnational feminism critiques Western feminist projects that prioritize a white, North American standpoint and ignore the needs of women in the Global South.
1. True
2. False
According to Simone de Beauvoir in “The Second Sex,” what is the relationship between gender identity and social construction?
1. Gender identity is something we are born with and cannot change.
2. Gender identity is socially constructed and must be learned in a social context.
3. Gender identity is solely determined by biological factors.
4. Gender identity is a fixed trait that develops in early childhood.
What concept did Julia Kristeva introduce to describe the feeling of horror or revulsion when the distinction between self and other is threatened?
1. Abjection
2. Alienation
3. Objectification
4. Dehumanization
Which of the following best describes post-structuralism’s focus on gender?
1. It emphasizes binary categories of gender.
2. It focuses on the biological determinants of gender.
3. It deconstructs binary categories and explores how gender is constructed and performed.
4. It denies the influence of social structures on individual behavior.
Queer theory emerged from which wave of feminism?
1. First-wave feminism
2. Second-wave feminism
3. Third-wave feminism
4. Fourth-wave feminism
Queer theory actively constructs and defends specific sexual and gender identities.
1. True
2. False
Post-structuralism refutes the importance of social structures in shaping individual behavior.
1. True
2. False
As defined by Julia Kristeva, abjection is a natural and unchangeable response to socially constructed differences.
1. True
2. False
Simone de Beauvoir argued that women are inherently passive objects in society.
1. True
2. False
Which concept describes a form of social stratification in the labor market where one group is more likely to do certain types of work than other groups?
1. Occupational segregation
2. Gender wage gap
3. Emotional labor
4. Pink-collar jobs
Structural functionalists believe that when gender roles are established, social solidarity decreases.
1. True
2. False
Interactionists would examine how meaning is produced and negotiated in social interactions and then translated into wage inequality.
1. True
2. False
Feminist theoretical perspectives highlight how systems of power like patriarchy create conditions leading to gender-based income inequality.
1. True
2. False
Postcolonial theory emerged from critiques of colonialism, empire, enslavement, and neocolonial racist-economic oppression and reveals how European ideas about people in former colonies are unbiased and accurate.
1. True
2. False

Chapter 5: Gender and Power

Which of the following best describes the Matrix of Domination as theorized by Patricia Hill Collins?
1. A hierarchical structure where power is distributed based on merit.
2. An interconnected system of power constructed through structural, disciplinary, cultural, and interpersonal domains.
3. A political framework that eliminates gender inequality.
4. A scientific model used to study mineral formations.
What is the primary way patriarchal power is reinforced in many cultures during daily family rituals?
1. By enforcing strict dress codes.
2. Through the father leading family prayers.
3. By requiring children to attend specific schools.
4. Through communal meal sharing.
Which of the following is a socially constructed system of power that normalizes power arrangements in families according to a gender-based hierarchy?
1. Meritocracy
2. Patriarchy
3. Hegemony
4. Intersectionality
According to Patricia Hill Collins, which domain of power involves methods of policing, enforcement, and social sanctions?
1. Interpersonal power
2. Structural power
3. Disciplinary power
4. Cultural power
Interpersonal power refers to our sense of power or agency to control our lives and the power dynamics between individuals.
1. True
2. False
Cultural power, also known as hegemony, is created and reinforced solely by formal institutions like the government and educational systems.
1. True
2. False
In patriarchal societies, the hierarchical family structure is reproduced in religious, educational, and economic institutions.
1. True
2. False
Intersectionality, as coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, describes how different aspects of social identity interact to create unique experiences of privilege and marginalization.
1. True
2. False
What is tokenism?
1. Genuine inclusion of underrepresented groups in all aspects of an organization.
2. Making a superficial effort to diversify an organization without true inclusion.
3. Actively resisting the inclusion of underrepresented groups.
4. Promoting equality by treating everyone the same.
What did Rosabeth Kanter identify as a common effect of tokenism on women in the workplace?
1. Increased opportunities for career advancement
2. Reduced visibility and attention
3. Increased performance pressure and attention to gender differences
4. Equal footing with male colleagues
According to Chester M. Pierce, what are microaggressions?
1. Major acts of discrimination and violence.
2. Statements or actions that subtly insult or demean individuals based on their group membership.
3. Inclusive and positive comments toward marginalized groups.
4. Legal measures to ensure equality.
What is internalized oppression?
1. External discrimination faced by marginalized groups.
2. The process of oppressed individuals adopting and believing in the prejudices of the dominant society.
3. Efforts by marginalized groups to resist oppression.
4. Legal policies that reinforce inequality.
Tokenism occurs when organizations make genuine efforts to include underrepresented groups at all levels.
1. True
2. False
Tokenism is the practice of making only a superficial or symbolic effort to diversify an organization without true inclusion.
1. True
2. False
Microaggressions are major acts of discrimination that occur rarely.
1. True
2. False
Microaggressions are everyday slights or insults that occur frequently and subtly.
1. True
2. False
Internalized oppression can affect both marginalized and privileged aspects of an individual’s identity.
1. True
2. False
Which of the following social movements introduced new laws and ways of thinking about intimate partner violence (IPV)?
1. Civil Rights Movement
2. Battered Women’s Movement
3. Labor Movement
4. LGBTQ+ Rights Movement
Which stage of social movements involves the movement becoming an established organization with paid staff?
1. Emergence
2. Coalescence
3. Institutionalization
4. Decline
According to the text, what event significantly changed gender roles in the United States by increasing women’s participation in the workforce by 50%?
1. The Great Depression
2. The Civil Rights Movement
3. World War Two
4. The Industrial Revolution
What does the Wheel of Power and Control help us to understand about intimate partner violence (IPV)?
1. Economic inequality
2. Political corruption
3. The dynamics of abusive relationships
4. Technological advancements
Reactionary social movements seek to promote social change and progress.
1. True
2. False
Karl Marx’s theories form the foundation of conflict theory, which identifies social inequality as a driver of social change.
1. True
2. False
Dismantling unequal systems of power requires honoring the specific knowledge of people who are marginalized by these systems.
1. True
2. False
Intimate partner violence (IPV) persists solely due to the lack of new laws addressing the issue.
1. True
2. False

Answer Key

Chapter 1: Gender as a Sociological Concept

Which of the following best defines sociology?
1. The study of ancient civilizations
2. The scientific and systematic study of groups, societies, and social interactions (correct)
3. The analysis of individual behavior in isolation
4. The study of genetic influences on human behavior
5. Answer feedback: Sociology is the scientific and systematic study of groups, societies, and social interactions. This study ranges from observing small and personal groups to large groups and institutions.
The concept of “beginner’s mind” involves:
1. Approaching the world with preconceived notions to test a perspective
2. Using expert knowledge to analyze social interactions
3. Viewing the world without preconceptions to see it from a new perspective (correct)
4. Ignoring new perspectives and focusing on established facts
5. Answer feedback: Beginner’s mind is to practice approaching the world around us as if we don’t know in advance what to expect. Unlearning what we think we know, we become more open and receptive to the experience of seeing things through a new perspective (McGrane 1994).
According to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination is:
1. The ability to understand history without considering individual experiences.
2. A way of seeing behavior solely in terms of individual choices.
3. An awareness of the relationship between personal behavior and wider culture. (correct)
4. The analysis of societal norms without considering personal experiences.
5. Answer feedback: Mills described the sociological imagination as the intersection between biography and history, or between a person’s behavior, experience, and the wider culture that shapes the person’s choices and perceptions.
What does the term “figuration” refer to in sociology?
1. The study of the behavior of individuals and the society that shapes that behavior (correct)
2. The isolation of individuals from social contexts
3. The process of studying social institutions without considering individuals
4. The analysis of genetic factors in social behavior
5. Answer feedback: In simpler terms, figuration means that as we study social institutions, the individuals using those institutions must also be “figured” into the analysis.
What was Harriet Martineau’s significant contribution to sociology that was suppressed for over a century?
1. Her statistical analysis of European populations
2. Her translation and critique of Auguste Comte’s work (correct)
3. Her development of economic models
4. Her theory on political revolutions
5. Answer feedback: Martineau translated and edited Comte’s Course on Positive Philosophy (1842) from French to English. She made Comte more accessible and helped establish him as a founder of sociology. Powerful men who dominated social sciences criticized her work.
What term is used in the text to refer to people who identify as Asian, Black, African, Indigenous, Latinx, and other racial and ethnic groups who are not White?
1. Minority Groups
2. Marginalized Groups
3. People of the Global Majority (PGM) (correct)
4. Non-European Populations
5. Answer feedback: This term refers to Asian, Black, African, Indigenous, Latinx, and other racial and ethnic groups who are not White (Campbell-Stephens 2020). Sexism and racism from European colonialism continues to marginalize people who are not cisgender White men.
Reflexivity in research aims to eliminate all biases from the research process.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Reflexivity is a practice of self-reflection that examines how personal biases, feelings, reactions, and motives influence research. It also makes power dynamics between researchers and research participants more visible. It reduces the impact of bias.
Sociology, like other social sciences, relies on systematic and evidence-based research to understand society.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: There is a misconception that studying society is based only on opinions. Sociology is an evidence-based discipline, meaning that sociologists gather and interpret data. Sociology has strict codes of conduct, rigor, oversight of research, and validation.
Which of the following best describes the concept of gender according to sociological perspectives?
1. Gender is biologically determined and unchangeable.
2. Gender is the meanings, attitudes, behaviors, norms, and roles that a society or culture ascribes to sexual differences. (correct)
3. Gender is solely based on an individual’s personal feelings and choices.
4. Gender is universally the same across all societies and cultures.
5. Answer feedback: We learn and teach what gender is every day. Gender is the meanings, attitudes, behaviors, norms, and roles that a society or culture ascribes to sexual differences. The meanings are imposed, reproduced, and negotiated in culture and social interactions.
Which term refers to the process by which society teaches and learns the meanings and roles associated with gender?
1. Socialization (correct)
2. Patriarchy
3. Heteronormativity
4. Gender binary
5. Answer feedback: Socialization is the process of learning culture through social interactions.
The gender binary system is:
1. A biologically universal truth specific to all mammals
2. A limited system specific to certain cultures (correct)
3. The scientific classification of gender
4. A core aspect of human identity
5. Answer feedback: The gender binary is a limited system of gender classification in which gender can only be masculine or feminine. This way of thinking about gender is specific to certain cultures and is not culturally, historically, or biologically universal.
Which of the following is an example of how sociologists can demonstrate that gender norms are socially constructed? Select all that apply.
1. Showing that gender norms change over time. (correct)
2. Identifying that gender norms are the same in all societies.
3. Highlighting that gender norms are imposed, enforced, reproduced, negotiated, or challenged through social interactions. (correct)
4. Identifying differences between gender norms in societies. (correct)
5. Answer feedback: We can demonstrate that gender norms change over time, are not the same in all societies, and are imposed, enforced, reproduced, negotiated, or challenged through social interactions. If it is not universally true, it is a social construction.
Gender is real because it is a consequential aspect of identity that shapes how people are treated and their general standing in society, but it is not universally true.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Things that are true are based on objective facts. The meanings, attitudes, behaviors, norms, and roles that a society or culture ascribes to sexual differences are not based on objective facts. Gender is real in its consequences but not universally true.
Why is it important to study sociology of gender?
1. To recognize and better understand the inequalities around us and find solutions to social problems. (correct)
2. To confirm that gender roles are biologically determined and unchangeable.
3. To prove that gender-based inequality does not exist.
4. To advocate for maintaining traditional gender roles in society.
5. Answer feedback: We study sociology to find solutions to social problems in our society. Another reason is to recognize how individuals do and don’t fit into the world, including how they are viewed and how they view others through the lens of gender.
Which of the following is an example of how sociology of gender can help us understand social patterns?
1. Explaining why individuals are solely responsible for their social and economic status.
2. Revealing how gender norms and socialization influence career choices. (correct)
3. Demonstrating that wage gaps are based purely on individual performance.
4. Confirming that all gender differences are natural and unchangeable.
5. Answer feedback: We can analyze how gender norms and socialization steer women and feminine-presenting people into teaching jobs in primary and secondary schools, while men and masculine-presenting people tend to be either maintenance staff, coaches, or administrators.
What does the sociology of gender use to identify and explain patterns of inequality?
1. Personal anecdotes and opinions
2. Combined research of numerical statistical data and qualitative data (correct)
3. Assumptions about biological determinism
4. Solely quantitative data without qualitative insights
5. Answer feedback: Sociology of gender combines numerical statistical data and qualitative data to conduct research into patterns of inequality.

Chapter 2: Gender as a Social Construct

According to Judith Lorber, gender is defined as:
1. A biological trait that overrides socialization
2. An immutable characteristic
3. An individual preference
4. A process, a system of stratification, and a social institution (correct)
5. Answer feedback: Lorber framed gender as a process, a system of stratification, and a social institution. Her theory states that gender creates the social differences, a system of stratification, and an organizing social structure of gender (Lorber 2009).
What is an example of a social construct?
1. Biological sex
2. Laws and customs (correct)
3. Chromosomes and hormones
4. Physical appearance
5. Answer feedback: A social construct is a shared meaning created, accepted, and reproduced by social interactions between people within a society. Laws, customs, countries, races, religions, and ideas about knowledge and “common sense” are examples of social constructs.
Which of the following best describes gender socialization?
1. The biological differences between men and women.
2. The unchangeable aspects of being male or female.
3. The inherent traits of individuals based on their gender.
4. The process by which people learn norms, roles, and behaviors associated with gender. (correct)
5. Answer feedback: Gender socialization is the process by which people learn the norms, stereotypes, roles, and scripts related to gender through direct instruction or by exposure and internalization.
What is the first step of gender socialization?
1. Social interactions in schools
2. Gender assignment at birth (correct)
3. Media exposure
4. Peer group influence
5. Answer feedback: Gender assignment is the first step of gender socialization. In the mid-20th century, birth announcements with gender assignment phrases like “It’s a boy!” became common. This is an example of the social aspect of gender assignment.
In patriarchal societies, gender stratification typically results in:
1. Political, economic, educational, legal, and cultural advantages for men over women. (correct)
2. Equal opportunities for all genders.
3. The absence of gender discrimination.
4. Equal representation of all genders in political offices.
5. Answer feedback: Patriarchal societies limit possibilities for people socialized as feminine as well as people who are excluded from the dominant gender binary. People socialized as masculine have political, economic, educational, legal and cultural advantages.
Which of the following agents of socialization is considered the most important in gender socialization?
1. Mass media
2. Peer groups
3. Schools
4. Family (correct)
5. Answer feedback: Family is the first and most important agent of socialization because it is the center of a child’s life. Parents, siblings, guardians, grandparents, and extended family all teach a child what he, she, or they need to know through primary socialization.
Social constructs have inherent meanings that are universally true across all cultures and times
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Social constructs are flexible and adaptable to society’s needs and are always subject to change and adaptation over time and across cultures.
Gender reveal parties are an example of the social aspect of gender assignment.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Gender reveal parties share the biological sex of an unborn child, socially assigning a gender to them. People pop a balloon to release pink or blue confetti, cut a cake that is pink or blue inside, or shoot off colored pink or blue fireworks.
According to the text, boys in many cultures typically have greater privileges and are given more autonomy and independence at an earlier age than girls.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Parents socialize boys and girls differently. Boys in many cultures typically have greater privileges, more autonomy, and independence at an earlier age. Even when parents set gender equality as a goal, there may be underlying indications of inequality.
Social stratification refers to the social categorization of people into rankings based on wealth, income, education, and other factors, including gender.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Social stratification sorts or layers people into ranked social categories. Factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and status determine rank. Sociologists use this term to describe a system of social standing.
Which reproductive technology allows for fertilization to occur outside the body and then implantation into the uterus?
1. In vitro fertilization (correct)
2. Asexual reproduction
3. Hormone therapy
4. Quigley scale assessment
5. Answer feedback: With the advent of reproductive technologies, like in vitro fertilization, an ovum can be fertilized outside of the body and then implanted into a uterus.
What hormone is typically found in higher levels in people with XY chromosomes?
1. Estrogen
2. Progesterone
3. Testosterone (correct)
4. Insulin
5. Answer feedback: Sexual reproduction is regulated by estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Everybody has all of these hormones. People with XX chromosomes typically have higher estrogen and progesterone. People with XY chromosomes have higher testosterone.
What does the term “sex assigned at birth” refer to?
1. The identification of a person’s gender based on social roles.
2. The classification of individuals as male, female, intersex, or another sex based on anatomy, hormones, and chromosomes. (correct)
3. The individual’s personal gender identity.
4. The psychological traits of an individual.
5. Answer feedback: Sex assigned at birth is the assignment and classification of people as male, female, intersex, or another sex based on a combination of anatomy, hormones, and chromosomes.
Which condition describes a person having both male and female physical traits, as seen in some animals but not in humans?
1. Hirsutism
2. Gynandromorphism (correct)
3. Klinefelter Syndrome
4. Turner Syndrome
5. Answer feedback: Gynandromorphs appear to be half male and half female. Gynandromorphism is a condition that is not found in humans, but as many as 1.5% of people are born with differences in sexual development (DSD).
In the U.S., people are socialized to believe that sex and gender are the same thing and strictly binary.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: In the U.S. and many Western countries, we are socialized to assume that a person’s sex is based on the biological differences that determine these two reproductive functions, egg production and fertilization and that gender and sex are the same thing.
The Quigley Scale was developed to describe the spectrum of normal infant genitalia.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: The “Quigley Scale” was developed by pediatric endocrinologist Charmian Quigley in 1995 to describe the spectrum of normal infant genitalia from “fully masculinized’’ to “fully feminized.”
According to Charles Cooley’s concept of the “looking-glass self,” which of the following is NOT one of the three elements involved in the development of self?
1. The imagination of our appearance to the other person.
2. The imagination of their judgment of that appearance.
3. The feelings of pride or mortification based on our perception.
4. The reflection of our genetic traits in our personality. (correct)
5. Answer feedback: The development of a self involves three elements in Cooley’s analysis: “the imagination of our appearance to the other person; the imagination of [their] judgment of that appearance, and some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification.”
Which scholar advanced a more detailed sociological approach to the self by breaking it down into the components “I” and “me”?
1. Charles Cooley
2. George Herbert Mead (correct)
3. Raewyn Connell
4. Emily Kane
5. Answer feedback: George Herbert Mead (he/him) (1863–1931) broke the self down into two “phases”: the “I” and the “me.” The “me” recognizes the “organized sets of attitudes” of others toward the self. The “I” responds to the attitudes of others.
What term is used to describe the harmful practice of referring to people by a gender other than their stated gender identity?
1. Gender socialization
2. Deadnaming
3. Misgendering (correct)
4. Gender policing
5. Answer feedback: Misgendering is the harmful practice of referring to people by a gender other than their stated gender identity (Kapusta 2016).
Which term refers to gender identities that exist beyond the traditional binary classifications of man and woman?
1. Genderqueer
2. Cisgender
3. Nonbinary (correct)
4. Transgender
5. Answer feedback: Some people who do not identify as men or women may identify as nonbinary or genderqueer, for example. Nonbinary refers to gender identities beyond binary identifications of man or woman/masculine or feminine.
Gender identity is solely based on biological traits and genetic makeup.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Gender identity is the gender we experience ourselves to be. A growing body of research reveals that gender identity is not purely based just on socialization or biology but a combination of the two and also on individual preference.
The practice of stating pronouns during introductions is intended to create more inclusive and welcoming social settings for trans and nonbinary people.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: The practice of stating pronouns during introductions has helped create more inclusive and welcoming social settings for trans and nonbinary people.
What is an appropriate use of the term “genderqueer”?
1. Referring exclusively to people who identify as masculine or feminine.
2. Describing a gender identity and expression that falls outside binary or normative labels. (correct)
3. Identifying people who strictly use she/her or he/his pronouns.
4. Labeling individuals who reject any form of gender identity.
5. Answer feedback: Genderqueer is an umbrella term that covers gender identity and expression that falls outside the binary/non-normative labels. Some people use gender-neutral pronouns, such as ze/hir or they/them, rather than the gendered pronouns she/her or he/his.
Which of the following best describes gender policing?
1. Encouraging children to explore gender nonconforming behaviors.
2. Imposing or enforcing normative gender expressions on someone based on their sex assigned at birth. (correct)
3. Supporting individuals to express their gender in any way they feel comfortable.
4. Encouraging boys to engage in feminine activities such as wearing nail polish.
5. Answer feedback: Gender policing is the act of imposing or enforcing normative gender expressions on someone who is perceived to be not adequately performing those gender norms via their appearance or behavior, based on their sex assigned at birth.
According to Raewyn Connell, what is hegemonic masculinity?
1. A form of masculinity that aligns with characteristics of independence, aggression, competition, and toughness.
2. A type of masculinity that rejects anything feminine and prioritizes power and status.
3. The masculine ideal is commonly viewed as superior to any other kind of masculinity and any form of femininity. (correct)
4. An extreme form of masculinity that captures cultural pressures on men to conform to dominant gender norms.
5. Answer feedback: Masculine ideals can be highly constraining to men, according to Connell. Hegemonic masculinity is the masculine ideal commonly viewed as superior to any other kind of masculinity and any form of femininity (Connell 1987; Connell and Messerschmidt 2005).
Emphasized femininity is typically oriented to accommodating men’s interests and desires.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Emphasized femininity, also called idealized femininity or traditional femininity, is an expression of femininity that emphasizes women’s subordination to men. Examples include nurturing, caring, emotional, softness, prettiness, and smallness.
What is the feminine apologetic?
1. The pressure on women to engage in feminine activities.
2. The expectation that women balance their participation in masculine activities with feminine gender expression. (correct)
3. The rejection of emphasized femininity in favor of alternative femininities.
4. The encouragement of gender nonconforming behavior in girls.
5. Answer feedback: Women’s participation in masculine activities requires balance to achieve social acceptance in the face of gender policing.
Gender expression refers solely to the way our gender identity is expressed through clothing.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Gender expression includes clothing, personal grooming, self-adornment, physical posture, gestures, and other elements of self-presentation.
Hegemonic masculinity is a static concept that remains unchanged over time.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Characteristics and behaviors associated with hegemonic masculinity may change over time.
Passing means a person declines to participate in gender expression, choosing instead to remain neutral.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Passing is when a transgender person’s status goes undetected in mainstream society. Many trans people also experience pressure to “pass.” Passing requires binary gender expression that is so “flawless” that a person’s trans identity cannot be detected.

Chapter 3: Gender, Sex and Sexuality

Who began teaching an interdisciplinary course about human sexuality in the 1930s?
1. Clelia Duel Mosher
2. Wright Mills
3. Alfred Kinsey (correct)
4. Crystal A. Jackson
5. Answer feedback: In the 1930s, the zoologist Alfred Kinsey (he/him) began teaching an interdisciplinary course on human sexuality for married students.
Which research method did Clelia Duel Mosher and Alfred Kinsey both utilize in their studies of human sexuality?
1. Experimental design
2. Case study
3. Structured interviews (correct)
4. Ethnography
5. Answer feedback: Their research methods relied on structured interviews to collect qualitative data. Mosier surveyed women about their sexual experience decades before Kinsey, but her survey was not published until 1980.
According to the Gallup Poll, what percentage of respondents believe that it is unacceptable for married people to have sex with someone outside of their marriage?
1. 22%
2. 50%
3. 75%
4. 88% (correct)
5. Answer feedback: A 2023 Gallup Poll found that only 22% of respondents believed that it is unacceptable for unmarried people to have sex, but 88% believe that it is unacceptable for married people who have sex with someone outside of marriage (Jones 2023).
The Kinsey Reports were the first documented surveys of women’s beliefs and experiences regarding sex.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Clelia Duel Mosher conducted earlier surveys.
The orgasm gap demonstrates that men and women report orgasms at similar rates during partnered sexual encounters.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Men report orgasms at higher rates than women.
The concept of sociological imagination helps to understand how individual sexual behaviors can be influenced by social and cultural factors.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: C. Wright Mills (he/him) described the sociological imagination as a way of understanding behavior that seems like an individual choice or problem and can be understood as the result of social and cultural influences.
The term “sex worker” is preferred over “prostitute” because it acknowledges sex work as a form of labor.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: The term “sex worker” is preferred over the more stigmatized term “prostitute” because it acknowledges that sex work is a form of labor that encompasses a range of activities beyond having sex with strangers for cash.
Which statement best describes the concept of heteronormativity?
1. The belief that all forms of sexual attraction are equally valid and natural.
2. The social enforcement of heterosexuality, viewing other forms of sexual behavior as deviant. (correct)
3. The idea that sexual orientation is solely determined by emotional attraction.
4. The concept that gender identity and sexual orientation are interchangeable terms.
5. Answer feedback: Heteronormativity is the social enforcement of heterosexuality, in which there are only two genders, that these genders are opposites, and that any sexual activity between people of the same gender is deviant or unnatural.
According to the text, which of the following statements about sexual orientation is true?
1. It only includes sexual attraction and excludes emotional or romantic attraction.
2. It refers to the relationship between a person’s gender identity and the gender identities they are attracted to. (correct)
3. It exclusively describes physical attraction between people of different genders.
4. It is a static trait that does not change over time.
5. Answer feedback: Sexual orientation refers to emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to other people. It signifies the relationship between a person’s gender identity and the gender identities to which a person is most attracted (Learning for Justice 2018).
The Kinsey Reports indicated that a significant percentage of men and women reported having some form of homosexual experience, challenging the notion that heterosexuality is the only natural form of sexual attraction.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: The Kinsey Reports (1949 and 1953) estimated that at least 37% of men and 13% of women reported “some form of homosexual experience,” and about 10% of the men and 4% of the women who participated in the survey reported “extensive homosexual experience.”
Sexual attraction and behavior between people of the same gender have always been considered deviant and unnatural in human societies.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Sexual attraction and intimacy between people of the same gender have always existed in human societies, with varying degrees of social acceptance.
Which of the following statements about the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is true?
1. VAWA was originally passed in 2022.
2. VAWA funding exclusively supports law enforcement agencies.
3. VAWA was reauthorized in 2022 with an allocation of $700 million to combat gender-based violence. (correct)
4. VAWA does not address sexual assault prevention programs.
5. Answer feedback: In 2022, congress re-authorised the 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA has $700 million to support local law enforcement agencies, a national network of rape crisis programs, and prevention programs that aim to reduce the risk of sex crimes.
According to the text, which group experiences the highest rates of sexual violence?
1. Heterosexual men
2. Bisexual women
3. Transgender people (correct)
4. Heterosexual women
5. Answer feedback: The people most likely to experience sexual violence are trans People of the Global Majority and those who have done sex work, been homeless, or have (or had) a disability (NSVRC 2119).
The Sexual Violence Continuum includes all the following forms of sexual violence except:
1. Rape
2. Sexist jokes
3. Consensual intimate partner activities (correct)
4. Voyeurism
5. Answer feedback: In the sexual violence continuum, overlapping circles represent forms of sexual violence. The outermost circles show commonly recognized forms of sexual violence legally referred to as sexual assault. Consensual activities are not sexual violence.
Which prevention model identifies risk and protective factors for sexual violence?
1. Biological Determinism Model
2. Ecological Systems Theory (correct)
3. Social Learning Theory
4. Rational Choice Theory
5. Answer feedback: This model is based on Ecological Systems Theory. The system moves from the individual to institutions, and society. Some forms of sexual violence occur at the interpersonal level, and others occur at community, societal, and historical levels.
The rates of sex crimes have significantly decreased since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Despite the strong social sanctions against perpetrators of sex crimes and the allocation of significant public resources to punish them, rates of sex crimes have not decreased.
Affirmative consent requires consent to be given for each sexual act every time.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Affirmative consent is consent given for each sex act each time.
Nearly one in ten women have been raped by an intimate partner at some point in their lives.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Nearly one in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner in her lifetime, including completed forced penetration, attempted forced penetration, or alcohol/drug-facilitated completed penetration.
The OutsmartNYC program focuses on community education and addresses risk and protective factors in nightlife venues.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: OutsmartNYC conducts community education workshops at nightlife venues in the city on topics such as sexual violence prevention, bystander intervention, recognizing and addressing identity-based harm, conflict resolution, and de-escalation techniques.

Chapter 4: Gender in Theory

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of structural functionalism?
1. It presents a static view of society that fails to account for social change.
2. It struggles to explain social inequality.
3. It fails to integrate abstract theorizing with empirical research. (correct)
4. It assumes everything that persists in society has a function for that society.
5. Answer feedback: It fails to integrate abstract theorizing with empirical research.
Which of the following theorists is associated with conflict theory?
1. Talcott Parsons
2. Herbert Blumer
3. Emile Durkheim
4. Karl Marx (correct)
5. Answer feedback: Conflict theory proposes that conflict is a basic fact of social life. It arose in the U.S. in the 1960s and draws from Karl Marx. Some well-known conflict theorists include C. Wright Mills (he/him) (1916–1962) and Randall Collins (he/him) (1941–).
Which theoretical perspective focuses on micro-level interactions and the meanings individuals ascribe to things?
1. Structural functionalism
2. Conflict theory
3. Symbolic interactionism (correct)
4. Feminism
5. Answer feedback: Symbolic interactionist theory studies how meanings are constructed through interactions with others. It is associated with the Chicago School of Sociology. See the “Symbolic Interactionist” section for more.
Symbolic interactionism tends to downplay the importance of power, privilege, and oppression.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Critics argue that symbolic interactionist theory has a hard time explaining macro-level phenomena. Other critics argue that it tends to downplay the importance of power, privilege, and oppression.
Structural functionalism was the dominant theoretical framework in American sociology from the 1940s into the 1960s and 1970s.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Structural functionalism, or functionalism, is concerned with large-scale social systems that order, stabilize, and destabilize societies. It was the dominant theoretical framework in American sociology from the 1940s into the 1960s and 1970s.
What is the main argument of standpoint theory?
1. Knowledge is universally objective and unbiased.
2. Knowledge is socially situated and reflects dominant standpoints. (correct)
3. Knowledge can only be obtained through scientific methods.
4. Knowledge is irrelevant to social sciences.
5. Answer feedback: Standpoint theory argues that knowledge is socially situated and that the dominant standpoint of social and natural sciences has been based on “rampant sexism and androcentrism (centering men)” (Harding 1992).
Which of the following best describes the focus of third-wave feminism?
1. Securing voting rights for women.
2. Challenging exclusionary feminisms and emphasizing intersectionality. (correct)
3. Promoting the idea of women’s domestic roles.
4. Addressing issues solely related to white middle-class women.
5. Answer feedback: The third wave, from the 1990s to the present day, builds a more intersectional body of theory and more coalitional activism. It centers the standpoints of people who are disabled, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and People of the Global Majority.
Which feminist theorist is associated with introducing standpoint theory?
1. Ida B. Wells
2. Patricia Hill Collins
3. Sandra Harding (correct)
4. Chandra Talpade Mohanty
5. Answer feedback: Harding introduced standpoint theory in the 1970s to challenge dominant ideas about what counts as legitimate knowledge.
Which concept refers to political association with those who have differing identities around shared experiences of oppression?
1. Identity politics
2. Coalitional politics (correct)
3. Intersectionality
4. Standpoint theory
5. Answer feedback: Coalitional politics refers to political association with those who have differing identities around shared experiences of oppression (Combahee River Collective Statement).
First-wave feminism was solely focused on addressing the oppression faced by White middle-class women.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: The first wave, in the late 19th and early 20th Century, was marked by movement activism to end slavery and secure voting rights for women.
Standpoint theory argues that marginalized groups carry specific knowledge of their own social contexts, which is critical for accurate and objective research.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Standpoint theory argues that knowledge is socially situated and that the dominant standpoint of social and natural sciences has been based on “rampant sexism and androcentrism (centering men)” (Harding 1992).
Transnational feminism critiques Western feminist projects that prioritize a white, North American standpoint and ignore the needs of women in the Global South.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Transnational feminism highlights the connections between sexism, racism, classism, and imperialism. It responds to global capitalism, transnational immigration, and a history of settler-colonialism that still has effects today.
According to Simone de Beauvoir in “The Second Sex,” what is the relationship between gender identity and social construction?
1. Gender identity is something we are born with and cannot change.
2. Gender identity is socially constructed and must be learned in a social context. (correct)
3. Gender identity is solely determined by biological factors.
4. Gender identity is a fixed trait that develops in early childhood.
5. Answer feedback: In 1949, Simone de Beauvoir (she/her) famously argued in The Second Sex that “one is not born a woman, but becomes a woman.” In other words, our gender identity is socially constructed and must be learned in a social context.
What concept did Julia Kristeva introduce to describe the feeling of horror or revulsion when the distinction between self and other is threatened?
1. Abjection (correct)
2. Alienation
3. Objectification
4. Dehumanization
5. Answer feedback: The French psychoanalyst Julia Kristeva (she/her) defined abjection as “Our reaction (horror, vomit) to a threatened breakdown in meaning caused by the loss of the distinction between subject and object or between self and other” (Kristeva 2010).
Which of the following best describes post-structuralism’s focus on gender?
1. It emphasizes binary categories of gender.
2. It focuses on the biological determinants of gender.
3. It deconstructs binary categories and explores how gender is constructed and performed. (correct)
4. It denies the influence of social structures on individual behavior.
5. Answer feedback: Post-structuralism focuses on how gender is constructed, reproduced, enforced, challenged, and transformed in gendered language and gendered ideas of work (Tannen 1994, 2017; Butler 1988). You practiced deconstructing these categories in Chapter Two.
Queer theory emerged from which wave of feminism?
1. First-wave feminism
2. Second-wave feminism
3. Third-wave feminism (correct)
4. Fourth-wave feminism
5. Answer feedback: Emerging from third-wave feminism, queer theory has been defined as a framework for understanding gender and sexual practices outside of heterosexuality.
Queer theory actively constructs and defends specific sexual and gender identities.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Queer theory critiques heteronormativity and breaks down traditional assumptions about sexual and gender identities without constructing or defending any specific identities.
Post-structuralism refutes the importance of social structures in shaping individual behavior.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Post-structuralism calls for a more expansive understanding of social structures, not a refutation of their importance.
As defined by Julia Kristeva, abjection is a natural and unchangeable response to socially constructed differences.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Kristeva notes that while the impulse behind abjection can be natural, the response to socially constructed differences is learned and can be unlearned.
Simone de Beauvoir argued that women are inherently passive objects in society.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: De Beauvoir argued that women are socially constructed as passive objects, not inherently so.
Which concept describes a form of social stratification in the labor market where one group is more likely to do certain types of work than other groups?
1. Occupational segregation (correct)
2. Gender wage gap
3. Emotional labor
4. Pink-collar jobs
5. Answer feedback: Occupational segregation is when one group is more likely to do certain types of work than other groups. Gender-based occupational segregation describes situations in which women are more likely to do certain jobs and men do others.
Structural functionalists believe that when gender roles are established, social solidarity decreases.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: For functionalists, when gender roles are established, social solidarity increases. When women began to demand equal pay for equal work during WWII, emerging norms were reinforced by new labor laws that prohibited gender discrimination in the workplace.
Interactionists would examine how meaning is produced and negotiated in social interactions and then translated into wage inequality.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Interactionists study how race and gender produce social interactions that create wage inequality. For example, a woman who is strong and opinionated might be perceived as bossy. In contrast, a man would be perceived as having leadership potential.
Feminist theoretical perspectives highlight how systems of power like patriarchy create conditions leading to gender-based income inequality.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: A feminist theoretical perspective on the gender wage gap helps us see how systems of power, like patriarchy, create the social conditions that lead to gender-based income inequality.
Postcolonial theory emerged from critiques of colonialism, empire, enslavement, and neocolonial racist-economic oppression and reveals how European ideas about people in former colonies are unbiased and accurate.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Postcolonial theory analyzes how colonizers justified their domination and subjugation of other people and their resources (Said 1995; Spivak 1988). It emerged from critiques of empire and enslavement advanced by scholars from former colonies.

Chapter 5: Gender and Power

Which of the following best describes the Matrix of Domination as theorized by Patricia Hill Collins?
1. A hierarchical structure where power is distributed based on merit.
2. An interconnected system of power constructed through structural, disciplinary, cultural, and interpersonal domains. (correct)
3. A political framework that eliminates gender inequality.
4. A scientific model used to study mineral formations.
5. Answer feedback: The Matrix is held together by four kinds of power, which Collins calls domains of power: structural power, disciplinary power, cultural or hegemonic power, and interpersonal power.
What is the primary way patriarchal power is reinforced in many cultures during daily family rituals?
1. By enforcing strict dress codes.
2. Through the father leading family prayers. (correct)
3. By requiring children to attend specific schools.
4. Through communal meal sharing.
5. Answer feedback: In many patriarchal cultures, the ritual of man leading family prayers is a daily reinforcement of the power of the father as the head of a family. It can play an important role in producing and normalizing gender-based dominance in society.
Which of the following is a socially constructed system of power that normalizes power arrangements in families according to a gender-based hierarchy?
1. Meritocracy
2. Patriarchy (correct)
3. Hegemony
4. Intersectionality
5. Answer feedback: Establishing the power of the father as the head of a family is an important role in producing and normalizing gender-based dominance in society.
According to Patricia Hill Collins, which domain of power involves methods of policing, enforcement, and social sanctions?
1. Interpersonal power
2. Structural power
3. Disciplinary power (correct)
4. Cultural power
5. Answer feedback: Disciplinary power is the power to punish and reward. It includes formal and informal methods of enforcement, policies and procedures, and social sanctions like shunning. Disciplinary power is held by law enforcement, teachers, parents, and managers.
Interpersonal power refers to our sense of power or agency to control our lives and the power dynamics between individuals.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Interpersonal power is constructed by social location (we will cover this in the next section). Our sense of personal motivation to change is impacted by our sense of connectedness, autonomy, self-efficacy, and personal agency (Deci and Ryan 1974).
Cultural power, also known as hegemony, is created and reinforced solely by formal institutions like the government and educational systems.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Hegemony is the authority that one dominant social group holds over others. It is reinforced by a society’s commonly held values, customs, religion, social norms, and art that convince people to either buy into or resist existing power structures.
In patriarchal societies, the hierarchical family structure is reproduced in religious, educational, and economic institutions.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: In patriarchal societies, this heteronormative, hierarchical family structure is reproduced in religious, educational, and economic institutions to produce and normalize masculine dominance in society.
Intersectionality, as coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, describes how different aspects of social identity interact to create unique experiences of privilege and marginalization.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Intersectionality describes how multiple social locations overlap and influence each other to create complex hierarchies of power and oppression and that overlapping social identities produce unique inequities that influence the lives of people and groups (Crenshaw 1989).
What is tokenism?
1. Genuine inclusion of underrepresented groups in all aspects of an organization.
2. Making a superficial effort to diversify an organization without true inclusion. (correct)
3. Actively resisting the inclusion of underrepresented groups.
4. Promoting equality by treating everyone the same.
5. Answer feedback: Tokenism is the practice of making only a superficial or symbolic effort to diversify an organization by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups to give the appearance of equality.
What did Rosabeth Kanter identify as a common effect of tokenism on women in the workplace?
1. Increased opportunities for career advancement
2. Reduced visibility and attention
3. Increased performance pressure and attention to gender differences (correct)
4. Equal footing with male colleagues
5. Answer feedback: As women moved into leadership positions previously held by men, they were challenged in male-dominated workplaces. They were more visible, had increased performance pressure, and an expectation to live up to gender stereotypes.
According to Chester M. Pierce, what are microaggressions?
1. Major acts of discrimination and violence.
2. Statements or actions that subtly insult or demean individuals based on their group membership. (correct)
3. Inclusive and positive comments toward marginalized groups.
4. Legal measures to ensure equality.
5. Answer feedback: Microaggressions indirectly reference stereotypes to assert the dominance of the aggressor. Chester M. Pierce (he/him) coined the term in 1970 when he regularly witnessed people who are White direct towards people who are Black (DeAngelis 2009).
What is internalized oppression?
1. External discrimination faced by marginalized groups.
2. The process of oppressed individuals adopting and believing in the prejudices of the dominant society. (correct)
3. Efforts by marginalized groups to resist oppression.
4. Legal policies that reinforce inequality.
5. Answer feedback: Internalized oppression is a process by which individuals within an oppressed group incorporate and accept the prejudices of the dominant society (Pheterson 1986).
Tokenism occurs when organizations make genuine efforts to include underrepresented groups at all levels.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Social groups or organizations can increase gender representation without addressing oppressive systems of power embedded in their organization. People recruited to diversify those organizations can experience harm.
Tokenism is the practice of making only a superficial or symbolic effort to diversify an organization without true inclusion.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Tokenism is the practice of making a superficial effort to diversify an organization. For example, recruiting a few people from underrepresented groups. In other words, tokenism attempts diversity without equitable representation or full inclusion.
Microaggressions are major acts of discrimination that occur rarely.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: They have been compared to death by a thousand cuts because these everyday slights affect the victim’s mental health and create a toxic environment at school, work, and even within our circles.
Microaggressions are everyday slights or insults that occur frequently and subtly.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Psychologist Derald Wing Sue (he/him) defines microaggressions as “brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership” (Sue 2021).
Internalized oppression can affect both marginalized and privileged aspects of an individual’s identity.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Internalized oppression is intersectional. For example, a White, cisgender queer woman may internalize inferiority. She might struggle to assert herself in public roles. At the same time, she may also have internalized racial and cisgender superiority.
Which of the following social movements introduced new laws and ways of thinking about intimate partner violence (IPV)?
1. Civil Rights Movement
2. Battered Women’s Movement (correct)
3. Labor Movement
4. LGBTQ+ Rights Movement
5. Answer feedback: A survivor-led social movement, sometimes called the “Battered Women’s Movement,” successfully changed how communities respond to IPV by introducing new laws and new ways of thinking about IPV, like the Wheel of Power and Control.
Which stage of social movements involves the movement becoming an established organization with paid staff?
1. Emergence
2. Coalescence
3. Institutionalization (correct)
4. Decline
5. Answer feedback: In the institutionalization stage, the movement no longer requires grassroots volunteerism. It is an established organization, typically with a paid staff.
According to the text, what event significantly changed gender roles in the United States by increasing women’s participation in the workforce by 50%?
1. The Great Depression
2. The Civil Rights Movement
3. World War Two (correct)
4. The Industrial Revolution
5. Answer feedback: During WWII, the majority of people serving in the US military were men. Women’s participation in the workforce increased by 50% because the essential jobs that middle-class men vacated were taken up by middle-class women (Rose 2018).
What does the Wheel of Power and Control help us to understand about intimate partner violence (IPV)?
1. Economic inequality
2. Political corruption
3. The dynamics of abusive relationships (correct)
4. Technological advancements
5. Answer feedback: The conditions that keep people from leaving abusive relationships can include a lack of physical and social resources, shame, and fear of harm to themselves and people they love. Cultural norms about gender can also trap people in abusive relationships.
Reactionary social movements seek to promote social change and progress.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Reactionary social movements, like the anti-abortion movement, try to block social change or reverse social changes that have already been achieved. The recent anti-transgender backlash tries to maintain heteropatriarchal dominance.
Karl Marx’s theories form the foundation of conflict theory, which identifies social inequality as a driver of social change.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Karl Marx was concerned with the conditions necessary for a large-scale social change from capitalist to socialist economies. For him, social inequality drives social change. He formed the foundation of conflict theory, which is covered in Chapter 4.
Dismantling unequal systems of power requires honoring the specific knowledge of people who are marginalized by these systems.
1. True (correct)
2. False
3. Answer feedback: Dismantling unequal systems of power requires honoring the specific knowledge of people who are marginalized by unequal systems of power and taking our lead from them in movements to shift power toward a more just society.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) persists solely due to the lack of new laws addressing the issue.
1. True
2. False (correct)
3. Answer feedback: Changing policies, laws, culture, and interpersonal power have changed some of the social norms around IPV, but much more remains to be changed. See “Looking Through the Lens: The Matrix of Power and Intimate Partner Violence” for more information.

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Questions

Chapter 1: Gender as a Sociological Concept

Chapter 2: Gender as a Social Construct

Chapter 3: Gender, Sex and Sexuality

Chapter 4: Gender in Theory

Chapter 5: Gender and Power

Answer Key

Chapter 1: Gender as a Sociological Concept

Chapter 2: Gender as a Social Construct

Chapter 3: Gender, Sex and Sexuality

Chapter 4: Gender in Theory

Chapter 5: Gender and Power