Social Construction of Gender and the Concept of Patriarchal Dividend

Exam Questions: complete all 3 questions
1. Long question instructions: create an essay-style response to the below prompt that answers all sections in a single answer, using topic sentences, paragraph breaks, and similar compositional tools to explain, illustrate, and organize a response. No required length; if the essay is less than 2.5 typed pages (750 words), it has probably not given a full answer. (60 points)
Question: Many of our assigned readings have focused on social construction: that is, the social construction of gender in a sex/gender system, as well as the social construction of other systems of stratification that affect gender. In this essay, provide an account of the complexity of ways in which gender is socially constructed using the evidence presented by the authors assigned for this course.
In your essay, you should do all of the following:
a. provide a definition of the social construction of gender and an explanation of how social construction differs from definitions of gender based on biological determinism and essentialism. You may use quotations to create your definition, but you should use original reasoning to explain or expand upon what you have quoted, and you should also use your own words to distinguish the concept of social construction from accounts of gender that emphasize biological determinism. [length suggestion: 1 descriptive paragraph of ~150 words]
b. identify and explain three separate examples drawn from the assigned readings that illustrate the social construction of gender. In your summaries of each of these examples, provide an overview of how the example illustrates the idea of social construction and give an account of the significance of this occurrence—that is, why does it matter to real-life women, men, or people who do not fit those categories that gender is being socially constructed in this way? [length suggestion: 1-2 descriptive 150 word paragraphs per example]
c. describe an example of your own that illustrates the social construction of gender. This may be a personal anecdote, a commentary on a news story or current event, or an example drawn from other information you have. [1-2 paragraphs] conclusions and claims about the concept of social construction. The strongest essays will consider evidence that introduces the ways in which other systems of stratification, such as those connected to race, color, disability, nationality, colonization, sexuality, etc., affect the social construction of gender. (exam continues next page)
Short questions: provide a roughly 300-500 word response in complete sentences for each prompt (1-1.5 typed page) 20 points each.
2. “One is marked for application of oppressive pressures by one’s membership in a group or category,” Marilyn Frye writes in “Oppression” (p. 16, Canvas, Jan. 31). Illustrate this statement by
a. providing a summary overview of Frye’s definition of oppression (suggested length 2-3 sentences); and b. using information from assigned readings or class discussions, identify a group or category other than “women” that is subject to oppressive pressures. Briefly explain how the experiences of that group or category of people meets Frye’s definition of oppression, as distinguished from experiences she would describe as suffering or misery.
3. “People who are masculine benefit from the patriarchy.” Provide a short reflection that supports or rejects this hypothetical statement. You should provide an account of the relationship (or lack thereof) between masculinity and patriarchy, with strong answers demonstrating familiarity with accounts of masculinity and patriarchy in the assigned readings. (You may provide a more ambivalent response than one that either supports or rejects the statement, but you should be clear about what you are arguing and what you interpret masculinity and patriarchy to be)