Heteronormative

Mainstream America is thought to be majority male-female (sexual) relationships

Sexual Dimorphism

Phenotypic differences between males and females

Sex v. Gender

Biology v. Society

Public-private Dichotomy

gender division in society that emerged with agriculture, whereby men are more involved with the nondomestic domain and women are more involved in activities in or near the home

Gender stratification

unequal distribution of rewards between men & women

(i.e. income, power, etc.)

Alfred Kinsey/Kinsey Report (1940s-1950s)

Scientific study of American's sexual habits

Gerontology

Study/work of and for care of elderly

Geriatrics

Medical care for elderly

Patriarchy

Family lineage traced through father

Iroquois Nations (matriarchy)

Women held power of family relationships; family lineage traced through mother

Age Grade

Numbered age or category

i.e. infancy, toddler, teen, elderly, 30, 5, etc.

Age Set

Generation or cohort

i.e. baby boomers, generation x, y, z, etc.

Generation Gap (M. Mead)

cultural divide between youth, parents, grandparents; often based on life experiences

Spin

power to define how society members view their world

Diglossia

speaking a language in "high and low" manners depending on the social situation

Fictive kinship

kinship that does not involve relations by blood or marriage

Class

a cateogry denoting economic position and rank in a society's hierarchy

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

often used to measure class

Stratification of class

superordinate and subordinate (elite & underprivileged)

often visualized as a "pyramid" with more subordinates than superordinates.

Stratas

interdependent; elite tends to control government, mass media, social norms, etc.

Marxism

promoted class consciousness; bourgeoisie (owners) relied on proletariats (producers) and vice versa; led to strikes, revolts, etc.

Weber's Theory

wealth (economic class), political status (power), and social status (prestige) go hand in hand.

Meritocracy

belief that anyone can advance by working harder

(ex: Horatio Alger stories/rags to riches myth)

Hidden Transcripts

taking action in a discreet manner

(ex: Rice paddy's tax revolt)

Class Habitus

a culture that includes habits and practices of subculture:

• person may have high SES but not fit in with higher class habitus
• Nouveau-riche
• every class has its own class habitus

Panopticism (Michel Foucault)

putting one person/group at an advantage over others based on architecture of a room/building