Gender - Week 1: Introduction

Gender Week 1 Introduction • • • Why study geo and gender How will the module run What do I need to do Why study gender and geography • • • • Gender as central to social and spatial relations Studying gender recognizes and reveals the experiences of men and women and highlights important topics that may otherwise not be considered. The study of gender and geography has created a body of theoretical work that has been important throughout geography, not just in work on gender. Gender and geography has helped to highlight the connections between academic work and political action, encouraging equality within the discipline and academia generally. Gendered lens?? • The module considers the kinds of empirical work/topics that are brought to the fore through a gendered focus – eg. certain kinds of labour, the family, gender inequality, the body Gender theory in geography • • • Early arguments that Geographers needed to recognize that the world is gendered and that gendered divisions are as important as other forms of social division such as class Recognition that this meant understanding the power behind gender differences Over time our understanding of gender has become shaped by debates about identity, performance and embodiment and by queer theory and intersectionality. The politics of gender and geography • • • • • Constituted a challenge to the way geography was studied before the 1980s Recognised the importance of the link between what is studied and who is studying it. Questioned not only what was researched but how it was done – 1970/80s Highlighted gender imbalance in academia and developed a commitment to change. Met with strong opposition initially but now accepted as a central part of Geography. Topics The main aim of this module is to examine the role and importance of gender as a basis for inequality and social stratification. It explores the centrality of gender to the geographies of social and cultural life and to everyday practices. The module begins by examining how gender has been conceptualized in geographical study from the early emphasis on gender role through to more recent work on subjectivity and performance. It then moves on to show how an appreciation of gender has informed the work of geographers across a range of different parts of the discipline from studies of urban form and planning and employment to work on topics such as rurality, leisure and sexuality. The module draws extensively on original research work, from the UK and from other Western countries to provide case studies relevant to the various topic areas. In so doing the module explores the contribution of feminist geography to the discipline both in terms of individual topic areas and also in relation to epistemology and methodology. Introduction to the module The development of gender theory in Geography The gendered city – physical, social, economic space in organization, use and connections Gender and embodiment – gendered approaches questioned performance of identity and centrality gendered expectations of body Gender and work – labour market and gendered jobs, issues of inequality in workplace and changed over time Reading and coursework Sexualities – debate on performing masculinity and feminity Gender and rurality – rural focus Gender, health, wellbeing and care – issues of care and health and gendered in terms of delivering care and how care approach has opened up areas of thinking about gender and health/wellbeing Reading this week Maddrell, A., Thomas, N. and Wise, S. (2018) Glass ceilings and stone floors: an intersectional approach to the challenges UK geographers face across the career lifecycle. Geografiska Annerler B Human Geography, vol 101, p7-20. Assessment The module is assessed by two coursework essays (this replaces the word limit for coursework essays is 2,500 words. 2 questions given 3 options for each. Due date: Gender essay – 12th March Gender essay – 29th April Online live session Material on early debates of gender, what is it, structural issue, class, development of cities around gender Contested area not always thought of as important – recognition society and attitudes and practices have changed and evolved in last 20/30 years Made the topic of gender more central to geography – gender previously fought for to be included in geography – previously seen as womens issues only Increase of gendered issues recognized and increasingly ‘equalized’ in employment, sport etc – legitimacy socially and discipline driven to research gender as a fundamental of society As gender has become more acceptable in geography, the range of questions have increased that are discussed and thought about e.g. sexuality, rurality Background to geography and gender will be developed through the course – also looking at developmental literature – important to recognize relationships between geography as academic discipline and the doing of geography and involvement of academics, RGS Topic of how geography developed especially pertinent to development of gender – informed by political positions around equality, who gets to do research, decide what research to do etc (demonstrated in first reading) Geography development related to issues of gender and paid work – women’s role influencing the subject matter of geography combined with unfair conditions etc Geography of gender and geography of women are different – gender as a way of structure in society, way our experiences are shaped partially as a result of our gender and therefore aware of the different experiences of men and women At the start of gender research in geography done primarily about women, but increasingly looking at everyone’s lives and looking at issues of family, home, childcare, inequalities and power relations that are gendered Focus in gender but in the process have to highlight different experiences of men and women – but e.g. in service work sometimes converging of gendered experiences and rise in role of intersectional e.g. race, class, age Feminist geography was a term used in early development of gender studies when it was deeply political and readdressing balance of female perspective as well as mans in addressing the world – feminist in its political ambition and direction You can talk about gender without being feminist, but a lot of work on gender has come from feminist perspective, looking at women’s perspective and power relations, but not all Group work Get into self created groups of 4-6 people and make time with those people to discuss articles – write groups in link Gender Groups Jan 2021.xlsx (sharepoint.com)