A summary of the SLK 320(A) semester test question: "Discuss how psychology, in particular, the psychology of gender, has served to reproduce and legitimise gender inequality as well as the oppression of non-heterosexual South Africans."
ARGUMENT IF AGREE WITH QUOTE & ROLE OF PSYCH IN ADDRESSING GENDER INEQUALITY
Psych as discipline long been criticised for its reproduction of gender inequality
o Inequality apparent in content of psychological knowledge & practices of psych
o SA: usually White males dominated psych as practice & Black females underrepresented
In essay: discuss contemporary perspectives that act to reconstruct psych of transformation
o Also show how differed from previous perspectives reproducing inequality = refer to as “pre-
modern” perspectives
1st pre-modern perspective: Androcentrism
o Stemmed from fact that White males dominated discourse around gender within psych
o Thus gender differences seen as binary = legitimised & naturalised inequality of gender
New feminist perspectives emerged to challenge androcentric psych
o However continued to study gender as difference as they tried to create dialogue around
„socialisation‟ (focus on gender roles & stereotypes)
o Were unable to conceptualise gender within broader social processes/power relations
Feminists attempted to prove differences between men & women are minimal = yet still left with
polarised view of gender as difference
o Polarise: cause to concentrate on two conflicting/contrasting positions
o Dialogue did bring about shifts in theoretical thinking
Feminist psychologists state there are new ways of theorising gender in psych
o They‟re informed by post-modern/post-structuralist ways of thinking
o Post-structuralists argue real nature of male & female cannot be determined
o Rather gender is shifting, non-fixed & fluid relationship between signifier & the signified
Signification: use of signifiers (spoken/written words) to make meaning of world through
representation of signifiers; help to understand that knowledge is constructed
o Thus = move away from rigid & rational into the fluid & irrational
New thinking challenge androcentric gender conceptions of difference between male/female
o Idea of gender construction here = discourse constructs gender as we know
Scalar model: notion that gender is on a continuum
o Bring about more fluidity, yet, wherever you‟re located on continuum is where you‟re fixed
o Thus: people are constructed as objects & reified to „score‟ on a scale
Androgynous when you score high on both male & female characteristics
In contemporary perspectives is post-modern concept of queer theory
o It is critical of traditional ideas of gender, sex & sexuality
o Argue there are multiple genders not linked as we traditionally expect = thus see gendered
subjectivity is socially constructed due to dominant discourses around sexuality
Means we‟re active subjects, constantly reinterpreting ourselves within gender
Lead to inscribed body idea: post-modernists view as subject to & active in dominant
discourse = challenge ideal femininity in visual culture & rework idea of slimness ideal
Furthermore, androcentric conceptions facilitate essentialist view
o Where gender attributed to biological construct, thus masculinity & femininity seen as collection
of traits embedded in an individual that cannot be changed/constructed
Known as unitary sexual character where gender is fixed, stable & unitary
Unfortunately view still exists in society
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