What is a “man”? Q & A If both men and women are constrained by a binary gender system, why is it more women than men find this system unfair? 2 The political activism aimed at changing gender relations has been called feminism and the women’s movement because women have been at the forefront of this movement. Even now it is women, more than men, who object to the way their lives are gendered. Why do you think men haven’t been in the forefront of a movement to challenge the gender binary? 2 Inequality: Men and Masculinities Men and women are both forced by society to do gender, but the consequences and benefits of doing so are not symmetrical. This is because the gender binary is hierarchical. The hierarchy places men above women and values representation of masculinity above femininity. This narrows the range of life experiences that seem acceptable and right. 3 This means that women routinely are positioned as helpers and caretakers to men while men are positioned as protectors and breadwinners. For women more than men, it results in reduced social status, lower financial rewards, and an expectation that men’s needs and interests should take priority. 3 The Gender of Cheerleading Cheerleading was an all-male sport equivalent in prestige and masculinity to football. Women were first allowed to join cheer squads in World War I, after the war there was an effort to end women cheerleading. Cheerleading became less about leadership and more about support and sexiness. As professions and activities become more female, their value and prestige decline. 4 Male cheer squads had prestige and were seen as leaders. Its athletes projected “force and grace.” The idea of women being involved in the sport was ridiculous, as cheerleading was considered too masculine for women. 4 Patriarchal Power Patriarchy is “the rule of the father.” It refers to the control of female and younger male family members by select adult men. The patriarch is “the king of his castle,” so his word is law at home. Men own all property, including the bodies of their wives and children and any earnings or inheritance. 5 Well into the 1900s many European and American societies operated as patriarchs in which women and children had no rights. In this environment, men own all property, including the bodies of their wives and children (or other unmarried female relatives in their care) and any earnings or inheritance of these women or children. A patriarch may have social and legal permission to punish his wife and his children physically, brutally if he chooses. 5 Patriarchy: Then In patriarchal societies, women: cannot vote serve on juries use birth control work after marriage keep their own wages attain a divorce have custody of their children enlist in the military own property hold political office sue for discrimination among many other restrictions Men alone have legal and civil rights Only men are entitled to act freely in ...