GWS 110 Study Questions Midterm One 1.) How was work organized in American families between 1630 and 1800 – what kind of work were women, men, and children expected to do. 2.) What were the cultural assumptions made about the innate character of white middle class women, men, and children in Puritan New England in the 1600’s and beginning of the 1700s. 3.) When were the first factories opened in the United States and what product did they specialize in? 4.) When did middle class women’s work become separated from that of middle class men’s work and how was the work differentiated? 5.) Describe the concept of culture. 6.) What are the building blocks of culture? 7.) How do games and stories reinforce cultural beliefs? 8.) What kind of work was typically open to middle class women starting in the late 1800s – continuing on to this day? What technological innovation led to an increase in this type of work? 9.) What is the female cultural prototype known as Rosie the Riveter and which group of women does she represent? 10.) What kind of work did Native American Women in upper New York and the U.S. Plains perform? 11.) At the time the European Settlers arrived in North America, who had more freedom and independence -- American Indian women or Euro-American women? 12.) What is the difference between “sex” & “gender?” 13.) What evidence is there to show that most gender differences are cultural rather than biological? 14.) What does the word, “misogyny” mean? 15.) What does the term “Matrix of Domination” mean? 16.) What does the terms “racism” mean? 17.) What does the term “sexism,” mean? 18.) What does the term “discrimination” refer to? 19.) What does the “social construction of gender” refer to? 20.) What were the key points made in the documentary, “Tough Guise?” 21.) Who was Martha Ballard and what Occupation did she hold? 22.) What does the concept of “coverture” aka “feme covert” refer to? 23.) What does the concept of “republican motherhood” refer to? 24.) What were the key points made in Jackson Katz’s documentary Tough Guise? 25.) What does the term “Hegemonic Male” refer to, and who is the American Hegemonic male today? 26.) Which different handsome Male prototypes existed throughout American history? 27.) What were the different “beautiful” female prototypes that existed throughout American history? 28.) Which social forces give rise to changes in gender roles? Key Points for Jackson Katz’s “Tough Guise” For the most part, Violence is a men’s issue. But violence against women is made into a women’s issue rather than a men’s issue. When people talk about violence against women, men are never mentioned. It’s like the violence that men inflict upon women “just happens to them.” When women are raped assaulted and abused and the words “by men” gets left out. Social commentators focus on how to help the victims rather than how to stop the “male” perpetrators. In this way, the power of dominant groups is concealed. The Dom ...

1. GWS 110 Study Questions Midterm One
1.) How was work organized in American families between
1630 and 1800 – what kind of work were women, men, and
children expected to do.
2.) What were the cultural assumptions made about the innate
character of white middle class women, men, and children in
Puritan New England in the 1600’s and beginning of the 1700s.
3.) When were the first factories opened in the United States
and what product did they specialize in?
4.) When did middle class women’s work become separated
from that of middle class men’s work and how was the work
differentiated?
5.) Describe the concept of culture.
6.) What are the building blocks of culture?
7.) How do games and stories reinforce cultural beliefs?
8.) What kind of work was typically open to middle class
women starting in the late 1800s – continuing on to this day?
What technological innovation led to an increase in this type of
work?
9.) What is the female cultural prototype known as Rosie the
Riveter and which group of women does she represent?
10.) What kind of work did Native American Women in upper
New York and the U.S. Plains perform?
11.) At the time the European Settlers arrived in North America,
who had more freedom and independence -- American Indian
women or Euro-American women?
12.) What is the difference between “sex” & “gender?”
13.) What evidence is there to show that most gender
differences are cultural rather than biological?
14.) What does the word, “misogyny” mean?
15.) What does the term “Matrix of Domination” mean?
16.) What does the terms “racism” mean?
17.) What does the term “sexism,” mean?

2. 18.) What does the term “discrimination” refer to?
19.) What does the “social construction of gender” refer to?
20.) What were the key points made in the documentary, “Tough
Guise?”
21.) Who was Martha Ballard and what Occupation did she
hold?
22.) What does the concept of “coverture” aka “feme covert”
refer to?
23.) What does the concept of “republican motherhood” refer
to?
24.) What were the key points made in Jackson Katz’s
documentary Tough Guise?
25.) What does the term “Hegemonic Male” refer to, and who is
the American Hegemonic male today?
26.) Which different handsome Male prototypes existed
throughout American history?
27.) What were the different “beautiful” female prototypes that
existed throughout American history?
28.) Which social forces give rise to changes in gender roles?
Key Points for Jackson Katz’s “Tough Guise”
For the most part, Violence is a men’s issue.
But violence against women is made into a women’s issue rather
than a men’s issue.
When people talk about violence against women, men are never
mentioned. It’s like the violence that men
inflict upon women “just happens to them.” When women are
raped assaulted and abused and the words
“by men” gets left out.

3. Social commentators focus on how to help the victims rather
than how to stop the “male” perpetrators.
In this way, the power of dominant groups is concealed. The
Dominant group doesn’t get examined
When the violence is perpetrated by young men or boys, the
word male isn’t used either.
Boys are instead referred to as “kids” or “punks” “or shooters.”
When girls act out, however, the fact that the perpetrator was a
girl becomes the story.
When men and boys of color act out, the fact that they are males
of color becomes the story.
____________________________________________
There are also biological arguments embedded in the culture
that men and boys are “hardwired” to bully,
rape and murder. It’s a remnant of the male prehistoric hunter
and gather role, or induced by
testosterone.
These beliefs purport that men are programmed to be violent
and that men’s violence is inevitable.
The belief that men are just beasts that can’t overcome their
hormones blinds us to cultural systems that
influence behavior.
But the assumption that men cannot control their behavior and
are incapable of making moral and ethical
issues is a form of male bashing.
_______________
Being violenct is a form of taught behavior.
Boys are taught to present a “tough guise” by people such as
their father’s and coaches. Having a tough

4. guy image is reinforced by television, the movie industry, and
video games.
If a boy doesn’t master the tough guy pose, he is shamed for
being less than a man.
A boy’s peers serve as gender cops and they ridicule him for
displaying any behaviors seen as feminine or
display vulnerability.
Sexism and misogyny – the hatred of women – is normalized by
the peer culture. There is a stunning lack
of empathy for anyone who isn’t part of the boys’ club.
In the American culture, manhood is defined in very narrow
terms.
As such, the basic human qualities, which boys have inside
them as much as girls gets driven out.
The traits that are driven out of boys include compassion, caring
vulnerability and intellectual curiosity.
Fighting becomes a primary way to solve disputes, win respect
and establish masculine credibility.
Boys have a cultural script to follow, and they are expected to
follow that script and learn their role or
risk being shamed.
The test of being a real man depends on how well a male lives
up to a made up script. And this script has
become increasingly violent over time. And the use of violence
to achieve respect has intensified over
time.

5. The script states that violence is a legitimate tool for settling
scores and proving masculinity.
Some men over-conform to this script for fear of not being seen
as a “real man.”
The possibility of being perceived as feminine is met with
hysteria.
________
The longstanding cultural narrative also states that being a man
involves rampant sexual conquest.
Films reinforce this by glamorizing male sexual aggression.
The script also sexualizes men’s dominance & control over
women.
Caring about women and girls is for “pussies” & “fags.”
Hence ordinary men use misogyny and homophobia to form
bonds with each other and prove their
real men.
Gang rape is a twisted group ritual performed as a way of
bonding with each other through the
degradation of women.
Men who commit gang rape are usually normal young men.
Thus violence against women cannot be reduced to mental
illness.
Hyper-masculine posturing is glamorized and it’s horrid in the
way it is played out in the real world.
________________
This narrow form of masculinity cuts across racial, ethnic and

6. class lines.
Devalued men often become hyper -masculine. The need to be
masculine becomes more acute when
you’re subjugated.
Black men developed the “cool pose” which has been adopted
by men of other racial groups.
Asian men have long been emasculated, desexualized and
stereotyped as unmanly.
The counter to this stereotype is the tough guy image seen in
martial arts – Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jett
Lee.
________________
History shows that whenever there are decreases in economic
opportunities, hyper-masculinity rises to
the forefront of the cultural scene.
Men lash out in violence as they cope with grief, bitter
disappointment and job loss.
This narrow definition of masculinity is reinforced by games
and stories.
Comic book heroes are far more “buff” than they were ever
before.
Violence against women is romanticized in movies.
Gonzo porn makes sexual violence against women seem normal.
_________________________________

7. Throughout history, when men began to fear that they were
losing their power and control, they’ve
reacted to this change by retreating into a hyper-masculinity.
This happened at the turn of the 20th
century when aggressive masculinity became dominant.
It happened again when the women’s liberation movement was
in full swing in the 1960s and 1970s.
Men who fear the perils of creeping masculinity turn to violence
as a way of regaining their control
The best way to reclaim aggressive masculinity is to retreat into
a hyper masculine fantasy world.
In the end, aggressive masculinity hurts men!!!
When it comes to gun violence, 86% of the victims are men.
Suicide accounts for 2/3 of all gun deaths.
Part of this is the result of men being forced to bottle up their
feelings inside.
The culture shames and ridicules men who admit to
vulnerability and depression.
And the culture silences the voices of men who don’t buy into
the aggressive masculinity cultural
narrative.
Males who refuse to prove their manhood by bullying other
guys are not seen as real men.
Gay men are especially scorned.
In the end, when men act out aggressively, they are not being

8. deviant, but rather, simply following
mainstream cultural norms.