Transcript Unit 8 - 厦门大学外文学院

Unit 8
Sex Roles
Man for the field and woman for the hearth;
Man for the sword and the needle she;
Man with the head and woman with the heart;
Man to command and woman to obey;
All else confusion.
— ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
• Many, if not all, of the personality traits which we have
called masculine or feminine are as lightly linked to sex
as are the clothing, the manners, and the form of
headdress that a society at any given period assigns to
either sex.
— MARGARET MEAD
• How is it that this world has always belonged to the men?
-- SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR
Questions
• What do you think is the proper male or
female relation?
• What do you know about feminist view
about male-female relation in this world?
P1
• A role in a play is a part for an actor; it includes
certain scripted actions, ways of walking, talking,
expressing feelings, and so forth. A sex role is a
part that an individual plays as a social actor —
the patterns of feeling and behavior deemed
appropriate or inappropriate because of her or
his gender. The “script” comes from social
expectations about masculine and feminine
nature: men should be brave, strong, ambitious,
and aggressive, while keeping their feelings
under control: women should be gentle,
nurturant, passive, dependent, and expressive
of their feelings.
deem: think of sth. in a particular
way; consider
• They deemed that he was no longer
capable of managing the business.
• They were told to take whatever action
they deemed necessary.
What does the paragraph do?
• A role in a play is a part for an actor; it includes certain
scripted actions, ways of walking, talking, expressing
feelings, and so forth.
• A sex role is a part that an individual plays as a social
actor — the patterns of feeling and behavior deemed
appropriate or inappropriate because of her or his
gender.
• The “script” comes from social expectations about
masculine and feminine nature: men should be brave,
strong, ambitious, and aggressive, while keeping their
feelings under control: women should be gentle,
nurturant, passive, dependent, and expressive of their
feelings.
• It defines a sex role.
P2
• Sex roles are based on social norms the agreedupon standards of acceptable behavior within a
society. These norms — such as the norms that
men should keep their feelings under control
and women should be passive — influence our
judgments not only of others but also of
ourselves. Thus, if you are male and prone to
tears during highly emotional moments or
female and likely to dominate classroom
discussions and arguments, you may judge
yourself harshly because you have internalized
traditional sex-role assumptions. Sex roles, then,
are part of our concept of ourselves, our gender
identity.
norm : n. 标准,规范
• Criminal behavior seem to be the norm in this
neighborhood.
犯罪行为似乎是这一带的正常现象。
• Holding the view that the ego is the center,
object, and norm of all experience.
自我中心的认为自我是所有的中心、对象和经验
的标准的
• Synonyms:
standard
norm
criterion
prone: having a tendency; inclined
• be prone to: be likely to; be liable to (esp.
sth. bad or harmful)
• “To err is human” means everyone is
prone to make mistakes.
• Although they are always at the center of
things, they tend to be loners and are
prone to stress when life becomes difficult.
harshly: severely, cruelly, or unkindly
• His theory was criticized harshly by his
colleagues.
• History is apt to judge harshly those who
sacrifice tomorrow for today.
Which is the topic sentence of the
paragraph?
• Sex roles, then, are part of our concept of
ourselves, our gender identity.
P3
• Sex roles are of great interest to psychologists,
sociologists, and other social scientists.
Psychologists focus primarily on “inner”
personality traits and stereotypes associated
with femininity and masculinity, while
sociologists emphasize patterns of “outer”
behavior or interaction in society. For example, a
sociologist studying the paid labor force of the
United States would note that most truck drivers
are male while most nurses are female. Family
sociologists have studied the inclination of
judges in child custody cases to assume that
mothers are innately better at parenting than
fathers.
stereotype : a belief or idea of what a particular
type of person or things is like (often unfair or
untrue)
• Regional stereotypes have been part of America
since its founding: Westerners are trendy, Midwesterners are dull, Northeasterners are brainy,
and Southerners are lazy.
• When I saw the big smiles in the faces of the
German students, the stereotype of Germans
(rigid, somewhat humorless and obsessed with
order and formality) melted.
inclination: a preference or tendency; a
feeling that makes a person want to do sth
• You always follow your own inclinations
instead of considering other people’s
feelings. I have no inclination to follow my
mother into accountancy
custody : the right to take care of a child,
given to one of their parents when they have
divorced
• It is usually the mother who is awarded
custody.
• Allen is fighting a bitter custody battle over
his three children.
What does the paragraph try to
explain?
• Relations between sex roles and sociology
P4
• How do gender differences come about? Do sex
roles result from biological differences between
the sexes? Or do women and men learn to
behave differently because of the effects of
culture and society?
• The following is a summary of the paragraph.
Complete the sentence.
nurture
nature or _________?
• Is sex role a question of _______
P6
• Does this mean that women’s brains function
differently than men’s, that they are not as
equipped to do math problems? Does it mean
that the male power structure — which for so
long prohibited women from receiving any type
of formal education — is still inhibiting women in
the traditionally male preserves of math and
science? Or is it that women lose interest in
these subjects because they fear that
achievement in math and science will make
them less attractive to men?
male power structure
• What does the phrase refer to?
• today’s society
inhibit: hold back; restrain
• Apparently the painter didn’t give the
picture a name, fearing that would inhibit
the range of opinions and emotions
evoked in the viewers.
• Recording the meeting may inhibit people
from expressing their real views
preserve: an activity that is only suitable or allowed
for a particular group of people
• The civil service became the preserve of
the educated middle class.
• The English language is not the special
preserve of grammarians, language police,
teachers, writers, or the intellectual elite .
P8
• No one disputes that there are biological
differences between the sexes. The controversy
arises, however, when we try to establish links
between these biological differences and the
behavior of men and women. Specifically, does
biology limit the potential achievements of one
or both sexes?
• Rewrite the paragraph into one sentence in your
own words
• People disagree on the sex role in sociology
although they agree on the sex difference in
biology.
P9
• Men and women differ in their genetic structure. Women have
two “X” chromosomes; men have one “X” and one “Y”
chromosome. The complex links between genes and
behavior are now being researched; it is impossible to say at
this time how differences in chromosome structure may affect
women’s and men’s behavior. We do know that genetic
structure determines physical development. The average
male is taller, heavier, and more muscular than the average
female. Women develop breasts and can bear and nurse
children: men cannot.
• What is the message of the paragraph?
• Genetic structure determines physical development
P10
• It is not unreasonable to assume that men did
the hunting and heavier physical labor in earlier
societies because they were better suited to do
so, while women raised the children because
they could breast-feed them and food was
scarce. Perhaps these differing behavioral patterns for women and men in such societies were
the result of adaptation; that is, the traits helped
them to survive and reproduce at a time when
subsistence was a full-time job. But should these
differences matter in an industrialized era in
which most heavy labor is done by machines
and even the fighting of wars relies on
sophisticated technology?
subsistence: the condition of only just having
enough money or food to stay alive
• Many of the families are forced to live at
the subsistence level.
• When accompanied by minimum
subsistence pensions, as in Britain,
retirement means economic dependency.
Rewrite this sentence in simple words
• Subsistence was a full-time job
• It is hard to live
• It is not unreasonable to assume that men did the
hunting and heavier physical labor in earlier societies
because they were better suited to do so, while women
raised the children because they could breast-feed them
and food was scarce. Perhaps these differing behavioral
patterns for women and men in such societies were the
result of adaptation; that is, the traits helped them to
survive and reproduce at a time when subsistence was a
full-time job. But should these differences matter in an
industrialized era in which most heavy labor is done by
machines and even the fighting of wars relies on
sophisticated technology?
• What does the paragraph want to tell us?
• Physical difference resulted from the hard living
conditions in the past.
p11
• Researchers have speculated that certain behavioral
differences are due to male and female hormones. Both
men and women produce the male hormone, androgen,
and the female hormone, estrogen, but in differing
quantities. The male embryo’s “y” chromosome gives a
“command” to release androgen at specific stages of
prenatal development. The hormone signals the embryo
to develop as a male, with male body shape and male
sexual organs. Later on, hormones influence bodily
changes during puberty; for example, androgen gives
signals to the male’s body for the growth of facial and
body hair and for the deepening of the voice.
speculate: guess about the possible causes
or effects of something, without knowing all
the facts or details
• Edward began to speculate on what life
would be like if he were single again.
• We don’t know why the prehistoric stone
circles were built. We can only speculate.
• Researchers have speculated that certain behavioral
differences are due to male and female hormones. Both
men and women produce the male hormone, androgen,
and the female hormone, estrogen, but in differing
quantities. The male embryo’s “y” chromosome gives a
“command” to release androgen at specific stages of
prenatal development. The hormone signals the embryo
to develop as a male, with male body shape and male
sexual organs. Later on, hormones influence bodily
changes during puberty; for example, androgen gives
signals to the male’s body for the growth of facial and
body hair and for the deepening of the voice.
• In what way does the author prove that behavioral
differences are due to male and female hormones?
• Describe the effects of hormones at different times
(chronic description)
P12-13
• Thus, hormones clearly play a role in human physical
development. But what effect do they have on emotional
development and actual behavior? Again, this question is
still being debated and studied. Some research shows
that the male hormone testosterone appears to stimulate
aggressive behavior in female animals. At the same time,
a female hormone, prolactin, seems to stimulate
nurturing, motherly activity in male animals.
• John Money and his colleagues have conducted studies
on those rare individuals known as hermaphrodites who
are a mixture of male and female biology. The
researchers have looked, for example, at girls who
received more androgen at birth than is normal for
females. While genetically they were girls with XX
chromosomes, they behaved more like our society expects boys to act. That is, they enjoyed rough games,
were physically active, and preferred toy trucks to dolls.
Money speculates that early exposure to the male
hormone influenced the behavior of these girls.
P14
• Hormones may also have an impact on certain differences in brain
functions. Jerre Levy of the University of Chicago has found
differences in the way male and female brains are organized. In
Levy’s view, men’s brains work in such a way as to give them
superior visualspatial skills, while women’s brains may give them an
advantage in verbal skills. Men are therefore better at dealing with
abstract concepts; women are more effective in picking up
information from the surrounding environment about people, sounds,
and so forth. These brain differences may result from the release of
certain hormones at critical periods of prenatal development.
The paragraph focuses on
A. Levy’s study on differences between male and female
brain functions.
B. Hormones’ function on human brains.
C. male’s visual-spatial skills and female’s verbal skills
D. the effect of different functions of male and female
brains.
P15
• From the point of view of human evolution, such
differences make sense. Men were the hunters and
needed good visual skills. In addition, they had to be
extremely goal-oriented to succeed in their work. Women
lived in groups and took care of children and the sick;
thus, sensitivity to others was a crucial skill. As noted
earlier, the development of these patterns had an
adaptive value in terms of survival and reproduction.
The paragraph
A. further explains the different effects on the brain by
hormones.
B. emphasizes the evolution of human society.
C. discusses the function of hormones in the way brain
works.
D. exploits the sociological cause of the brain different
functions.
functions.
P16
• Still, we must emphasize that the research on hormonal
effects remains at an early and primitive stage. The
biological differences between the sexes which exist serve
only as loose boundaries within which culturally learned
differences appear. For example, while prenatal exposure to
androgen may have predisposed the girls in Money’s study
toward more aggressive, “boyish” behavior, they also
needed a social environment that would encourage (or at
least allow) such behavior.
The message the writer wants to convey in this paragraph is
A. we should not believe in the present findings about brain
function difference
difference without
without questioning
questioning them.
them.
function
B. these early findings already prove that hormones play a
decisive role in brain function difference.
C. social environment plays an equally important role in the
determination of gender behavior in the girls Money studied.
D. what we learn about the cause of brain function difference
is not scientific enough to be applied in practice.
P17-18
• Estelle Ramey points out that while men and women
vary as groups in their respective levels of male and
female hormones, there can also be striking hormonal
differences between one man and another or one
woman and another. Ramey stresses that these
individual differences in levels of testosterone, estrogen,
and other hormones are much more significant than any
generalized differences between the sexes.
• Thus, while the biological basis for sex-related
distinctions is important, the role that society and culture
play is probably more significant. Our biological nature
may be like a rough piece of stone from which society,
like a sculptor, chisels, sharpens, and defines the shapes
of male and female behavior. Research in the next
decade should begin to clarify the complex interrelationship of genetic and hormonal differences,
environmental influences, and the behavior of women
and men.
P20
• Margaret Mead, in her pioneering anthropological study, Sex
and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, observed three
distinct tribes in New Guinea. She found that one of them, the
Arapesh, expected both women and men to be warm,
cooperative, and nurturing, and generally to exhibit traits that
we have traditionally described as “feminine.” By contrast,
among the Mundugumor tribe, both sexes exhibit traits seen as
“masculine” in American society: they were aggressive,
competitive, and prone to fighting and controversy. Finally, in
the Tchambuli tribe, the character traits seemed the reverse of
those expected under our traditional norms Women were
dominant controlling and hardworking while men were
emotionally dependent, irresponsible, and extremely concerned
about personal appearance. Mead’s famous study is often cited
by those who argue against the view that biology is the cause
of sex differences. If biological distinctions dictate our behavior,
they argue, then how can one explain the vast differences in
the lives of the Arapesh, the Mundugumor, and the
Tcharnbuli — not to mention the difference between these three
cultures and our own’?
• Words of masculine • Words of feminine
characteristics in the
characteristics in the
paragraph
paragraph
aggressive,
competitive, prone to
fighting and
controversy, dominant
controlling and
hardworking
warm, cooperative,
nurturing, emotionally
dependent,
irresponsible, and
extremely concerned
about personal
appearance
Sum up the gender characteristics in the following
cultures in terms of American culture.
Arapesh :
both males and females: feminine
Mundugamor : both males and females: masculine
Tchambuli : males: feminine females: masculine
stereotyped aggressive inhibit subsistence socialize
perceive masculine prone disapproval speculate
1. This hostile and __________
aggressive attitude towards
the host country evidently grows out of the
genuine difficulty which the visitor experiences
in the adjustment process.
2. Many teachers have __________
stereotyped opinions
concerning naughty pupils.
3. It is natural for people to have hope,
admiration, and jealousy. To __________
such
inhibit
feelings is cruel because it goes against
human nature.
stereotyped aggressive inhibit subsistence socialize
perceive masculine prone disapproval speculate
4. Some research suggests that women with
__________-sounding
names such as “Sam”
masculine
and “Chris” are more successful in the
business world.
5. It’s said that in Slav areas it is not wise to nod
approval or shake one’s head in __________.
disapproval
6. In this poverty-stricken area, many of the
subsistence
families are forced to live at the __________
level.
7. We must first understand the ordinary rules of
stability and the pervasive patterns of natural
history before we can __________
speculate on the
origin of the major body plans.
stereotyped aggressive inhibit subsistence socialize
perceive masculine prone disapproval speculate
perceive black
8. He was only able to __________
and white; he could not see properly.
9. In recnet years, young parents, female
professionals, and well-educated
socialize
parents are more likely to __________
their children into more equal gender
roles.
prone
10. Men are more __________
to revenge
injuries than to requite kindness, says
Thomas Fuller.