Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Data for Cross-cultural Research: NationMaster and Our World in Data

NationMaster

Compare Countries on Just about Anything!
NationMaster is where stats come alive! We are a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations.
NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from hundreds of sources. Using the forms below, you can get maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease.
We want to be the web’s one-stop resource for country statistics on everything from obesity to murders.

https://www.nationmaster.com/


Our World in Data

Our World in Data is focussing on the powerful changes that reshape our world.To work towards a better future, we all need to understand how and why the world has changed up to now. We must carefully measure what we care about, and let the facts and research inform our worldview.We cannot know what is happening in the world from the daily news alone. The news media focuses on single events, too often missing the long-lasting, forceful changes that reshape the world we live in.Our World in Data is a non-profit website that brings together the data and research on the powerful, long-run trends reshaping our world: Through interactive data visualizations we show how the world has changed; by summarizing the scientific literature we explain why.

Gender data

Inquiry-based learning seeks to empower students to ask questions and research the answers.  It pursues critical thinking in meaningful ways. 

The inquiry question is:

How do we know that males and females are not simply different because of biology and evolution?  Are males simply wired to be more aggressive and dominant and violent?


Here are some sources to get you started:

https://ourworldindata.org/homicides

https://contexts.org/blog/quicklit-6-recent-sociological-findings-on-domestic-violence/

https://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2016/08/bullying-and-doing-gender.html

https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/violence-against-women-1959171-Feb2015/
Neither gender is innately predisposed to violence – social environment is key
The evidence so far available suggests two important conclusions.
First, there is no conclusive evidence that men and women differ in their innate biological or psychological propensity for violence. The fact that men commit the majority of violent acts may instead be understood as arising mainly from the social environment.
Second, the fact that explanations of persistent violent behaviour are to be found to varying degrees in brain damage, psychological abnormality, childhood trauma, group peer pressure, and adverse social environments allows us to go one step further and conclude that persistent violent behaviour is an abnormality that emerges under certain circumstances.
Under the patriarchal circumstances that currently prevail world-wide, this abnormality emerges in men to a much greater degree than in women.


https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Crime/Murders/Per-capita





Monday, March 4, 2019

Gender Lab and the Gender Binary

Toys:
  -differences in toys; boys=action figures, weapons;  girls=jewelry, dolls
         
And see this post about other products that are pointlessly gendered thus reifying the idea of traditional gender traits.  And this is 5 reasons why these products are not just funny, but they have important role in inequality in society.

Gendered Halloween costumes.

And, this post about Barbie shows how the doll creates unrealistic expectations for the female body.



And here is Ellen making fun of Bic pens for women.





Qualitative Study of Professor Reviews
Here is a qualitative study
 of sex and the words used to describe professors on ratemyprofessor.com.








Thursday, February 28, 2019

All of the agents of socialization help to construct gender.  Please read the number you are assigned and say what the author's claim and evidence are.

Family:

  • (1) This article from Newsweek explains the research by neuroscientist Lise Eliot. 

Peers 

  • (2) This research by Patricia and Peter Adler published in Sociology of Education. 


School 





Toys







When you are finished, we will discuss the evidence that supports gender socialization.