GESC2320 Gender and Family: a Global PerspectiveTSO Ho Yee VienneThe Department of Sociology, the CUHK

An individual report: 30%

Mid-term test (20%)

Final paper: 50%

Bonus mark: 5%

Course Assessment Methods

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UREPLY Sensitive to gender issues Better understand how family life is structured

and organized

What you can learn from this course?

Parents

Children

Husband Wife

Family relations: we VS WE

General education: help you to make better informed choice in everyday life encounters

For example: Would you marry to someone who are 2 years

younger than you?

Would you change diaper for your infant child?

Why did you choose science/arts/commerce stream of study when you were in secondary 3?

But how and why these issues are relevant to you?

Sex: biological distinctions Male: one X and one Y chromosome Female: two X chromosomes

Gender: social distinctions - what it means to be a man or woman in a specific time and place. Cultural specific expectations on femininity and

masculinity Social and psychological attributes associated with

gender, e.g. emotions, gentleness, rationality, aggressive

Sex and Gender

Family

A conventional definition: a group of two or more persons who reside together

and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. (Coltrane & Adams 2008:3)

A liberal definition: Families consist of people who have a common

history, experience a degree of emotional bonding, and share goals and activities. (Thomlison 2007) a set of interpersonal relationships which suggests that

there are different social meaning of those relationships.

Family

Diversified families Diversified families

Diversified families families in trouble But how and why these issues are relevant to you?

Family

- Gender roles construction, reproduction and transformation

- Do gender- The maintenance of gendered

division of labor- A social institution which

reinforces a hierarchical relationship between men and women in which men are privileged.

Gender- A significant form of stratification- Gender is a major component that

makes up family relations: e.g. husband/wife, father/mother, son/daughter

- The changes and politics of gender relations in family bring impact on family lives

Class Gender Race

Globalization: Economic dimension: e.g. economic drive +

global division of labor Cultural dimension: e.g. human right Political dimension: e.g. gender equality Social dimension: e.g. female are now better

educated and active participate in labor force; dual earner family

Gender and family in a global perspective

How family are impacted from various global forces?

Alternatively, what is the role of individual family members in adapting global changes?

Culturally specific into Chinese context e.g. child bearing and rearing

Child-centered family; self-actualization; decrease

in number of child birth

Gender and Family in a global perspective

Wedlock family:

Acquaintance courtship (partnership: living apart together, cohabitation) weddingmarriage divorce remarriage parenthood grandparenthood widowhood

Understanding gender and families from a life course perspective

Thomlison, B. (2007). Family Assessment Handbook: an Introductory Guide to Family Assessment and Intervention. Belmont, CA, Thomson Higher Education.

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