Idea 2

The Change of Gender Roles in Society

5 Quotes:

1. " Gender is constructed by every socializing agent and force in society: parents, teachers, the media, religion, and so on" (Basow and Basow, 1992)
2. "After an egalitarian peak in 1994, gender attitudes fell until the end of the century. Two of the questions show a moderate resurgence since 2000, one has changed little, and the fourth has continued to decline in this century. Nevertheless, the overall patterns clearly break into two broad eras: a uniform trend toward less traditional gender roles during the 1970s and 1980s, but only small and shifting changes since the mid-1990s" (Cotter, Hermsen and Vanneman, 2011)
3. "Children learn at a very early age what it means to be a boy or a girl in our society. Through myriad activities, opportunities, encouragements, discouragements, overt behaviors, covert suggestions, and various forms of guidance, children experience the process of gender role socialization. It is difficult for a child to grow to adulthood without experiencing some form of gender bias or stereotyping, whether it be the expectation that boys are better than girls at math or the idea that only females can nurture children. As children grow and develop, the
   gender stereotypes they are exposed to at home are reinforced by other elements in their environment and are thus perpetuated throughout childhood and on into adolescence (Martin, Wood, & Little, 1990). " (Witt, 2015)
4. "Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage"(Adichie, C. 2013)
5. "The problem with gender is that is prescribes how we should be, rather than how we are"(Adichie, C. 2013)
6. "We raise girls to see each other as competitors - not for jobs or accomplishments, which I think would be a good think - but for the attention of men"(Adichie, C. 2013)
7. "We priase girls for virginity, but we don't praise boys for virginity" (Adichie, C. 2013)

• Adichie, C. (2013). We Should All Be Feminists. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc [Accessed 26 Jan. 2015].
• Witt, S. (2015). Parental Influence On Children's Socialization to Gender Roles. [online] Cla.calpoly.edu. Available at: http://cla.calpoly.edu/~bmori/syll/311syll/Witt.html [Accessed 29 May 2015].
• Cotter, D., Hermsen, J. and Vanneman, R. (2011). The End of the Gender Revolution? Gender Role Attitudes from 1977 to 2008 1.American Journal of Sociology, 117(1), pp.259-289.
• Basow, S. and Basow, S. (1992). Gender. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co.

5 locations/places:

• Public restrooms
• Homes
• Outside/Streets/town
• Newspapers/Magazines
• T.V/News reports
• Live Performances

5 Websites:

1. https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/gender-and-sexuality-15/gender-414/gender-and-sociology-296-12831/
2. http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/proper-men-proper-women-gender-roles-contemporary-uk-society
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QthMrCqspww
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujGqiZIarAY
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLEzImJQ-O0
6. http://picslist.com/tags/rights

5 relevant/inspiring images:

5 Sketches:

Idea 1

How has feminism changed with each 'wave'?

5 Quotes: 

1. "...Many of the essays were personal and reflective, recounting the difficulties of working in departments as the first and only woman professor. These feminists defied blatant sexism and existing cultural norms against working women to fulfill their potential as intelligent, independent people. I was moved by the dedication to literary studies that initially led to many women to attend graduate school, where they often faced an unreceptive academia dominated by male scholars. " (Heywood and Drake, 1997)
2. "It was at this moment that I realised to the fullest my indebtedness to second wave feminism - all of the female instructors of undergraduates whose brilliance and support fostered by eventual career in English studies were part of the second wave feminist movement. If not for the vital social and political work of these women, I might not have been in a position to consider even the possibility of obtaining a doctoral degree." (Heywood and Drake, 1997)
3. "Today many people confuse feminism as being weaker than it was 30 years ago, but that is only because feminism has become more powerful in our personal lives and therefore, people misinterpret this as being weaker in the public, but it's just more 'everyday'." (Feminist.com, 2015)
4. " As Third Wavers react to the theories and politics of Second Wave feminism (feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s), Third Wave feminist publications express ways in which young feminists negotiate the cultural terrain of late 20th century and early 21st century America" (Conrad, 2001)
5. "Many Third Wave feminists came of age during the late 1970s and early 1980s, during a time when extreme music-based, pop-culture movements, such as punk rock, had great power. The cultural history of punk music is built upon anti-establishment ideologies, including the belief that commercial media is a capitalist tool of oppression and exploitation. Punk rock – the music and the culture – is inherently revolutionary, questioning authority and homogenous, capitalistic society. The DIY aesthetic of punk led to an explosion of underground zines in the 1970s and 1980s, which connected political and cultural revolutionaries"  (Conrad, 2001)
6. "second-wave feminists developed their feminism through both identifying and disidentifying with their feminist 'foremothers'." (Henry, 2004)
7. "eminism is being re-shaped by its articulation through a global discourse of human rights and an increased focus on state interventions. This is partly a result of the transition in the gender regime changing the economic and political resources and opportunities open to women and partly due to globalization" (Walby, 2002)

Walby, S. (2002). Feminism in a global era. Economy and Society, 31(4), pp.533-557.

Henry, A. (2004). Not my mother's sister. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Conrad, L. (2001). Third Wave Feminism, A Case Study of BUST Magazine. 1st ed. [ebook] California, p.2. Available at: http://grrrlzines.net/writing/Conrad_thesis.pdf [Accessed 29 May 2015].

Feminist.com, (2015). ASK AMY: FEMINISM. [online] Available at: http://www.feminist.com/askamy/feminism/fem160.html [Accessed 29 May 2015].

Heywood, L. and Drake, J. (1997). Third wave agenda. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

5 locations/places:

• City/town centers (at protests/demonstrations)
• The workplace
• Live entertainment/ performances
• The home - where people feel safest and can be themselves
• Schools/Colleges/Universities

5 Websites:

1. http://www.feminist.com/
2. http://www.thefword.org.uk/
3. http://everydayfeminism.com/
4. http://feministing.com/
5. http://thefeministwire.com/
6. https://bitchmedia.org/
7. http://ungfeminist.tumblr.com/

5 relevant/inspiring images:

5 Sketches:

L6 Proposal Ideas

Potential areas for enquiry:

• 3rd Wave Feminism
• Gender roles and equality (similar to above?)
• "Meninism" - a result of misandry or people who just don't understand feminism?
• The female role in popular entertainment (TV, video games, film etc)

These areas for enquiry are quite broad at the moment. I want to continue writing about feminist issues, but I don't want to just re-hash my essay from level 5. Currently I am swaying towards looking at the female role in popular entertainment.