IGNOU BOOK | Sociology of Gender[Hindi medium] BSOC-107

Product Overview & Details

Sociology of Gender: Description

Sociology of Gender is a branch of sociology that examines how societies construct, define, and regulate gender, gender roles, identities, and relationships. The course explores gender not simply as a biological difference, but as a social and cultural phenomenon shaped by institutions, norms, values, and power relations.

Major areas covered

• Sex and gender: Understanding the distinction between biological sex and socially constructed gender.
• Gender socialization: How family, education, media, religion, peer groups, and other institutions shape gender identities and expectations.
• Gender roles and stereotypes: Examination of socially prescribed roles and expectations associated with masculinity and femininity.
• Patriarchy: Understanding male-dominated social structures and their effects on women and other gender groups.
• Gender and power: Exploring inequalities in access to resources, authority, opportunities, and decision-making.
• Masculinities and femininities: Studying how different forms of masculinity and femininity are socially produced and experienced.
• Gender and work: Gender division of labour, unpaid domestic work, occupational segregation, wage inequality, and women's participation in the workforce.
• Gender and institutions: The role of family, education, politics, economy, religion, and media in reproducing or challenging gender inequalities.
• Intersectionality: Examining how gender interacts with class, caste, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, disability, and other social identities.
• Gender and social change: Studying feminism, women's movements, LGBTQ+ movements, and changing ideas about gender and equality.