What is “Gender Studies”?
- Details
- Category: What is
- Published: Thursday, 02 July 2015 11:52
- Written by Super User
- Hits: 14774
Drawing on diverse methodologies and perspectives, gender studies scholars nevertheless share a common passion in discovering how a seemingly private and intimate dimension of human existence, namely, sex and gender, actually impacts on and, at the same time, being constructed by wider social, cultural, economic and political forces. Neglected in the early studies of social science and humanities, the gender dimension is now transforming the subject matter, methodology and conceptual frameworks of traditional academic disciplines. Gender is recognized globally as an important principle of social organization. The acquisition of knowledge and skills in understanding gender is thus requisite of the contemporary intellectual.
Gender refers to the socially differentiated roles and characteristics attributed to the female and male biological sexes. Gender is therefore not inborn, but socially constructed. For example, the social identity of a woman and a man is defined in relation to each other. Gender is a salient schema in the study of people and society. It is commonly used as an underlying principle to structure perceptions about oneself or others, to guide behaviour, and to make decisions. It is an important dimension influencing human behaviour, social development and public policy.
