The Role of Gender in Myths

1. The Role of Gender in Myths HU300

2. Goddess Character Types • Literary Character Types • Great Mother, Universal Womb, “births, feeds, clothes, teaches, and guards all living things” • Queens of the Underworld, witches, sorceress, mediums, wise women; can control sterility and fertility • “appear as virgins and nymphs, as objects of sexual desire, and as sponsors of and the inspiration for everything beautiful” Goddess of Life: Goddess of Death: Goddess of Regeneration:

3. “A Taste of Earth” • Vietnamese Myth • Au Co, “youngest and loveliest goddess,” solely creates the sun and the moon. • Desiring to bath in the warmth of the sun, she and her sisters transform themselves into birds and fly to the earth. • Out of curiosity, Au Co tastes the earth, which hinders her ability to fly back home with her sisters. • She befriends the Dragon Prince, who eventually becomes her husband and the father of her half-human and half-dragon children. • They live a seemingly happy life together teaching their children until the Dragon Prince has to return to his underwater home to inherit the throne. • The myth leaves off with his promise to return while she calls longingly for him.

4. Cephalus and Procris Cephalus and Procris

5. Cephalus and Procris • Cephalus, a devoted husband, aided his country in a time of distress by sending out his dog to capture a savage fox. • Tired from the hunt, Cephalus rested in the woods and said aloud, “Come, sweet breeze, come and fan my breast, come and allay the heat the burns me” (Bulfinch 22). • Nosey maidens told his wife that he was in the woods calling for another lover. • In an effort to learn the truth, his wife set out to the woods, there finding her husband. • Upon hearing a noise, Cephalus threw his trusty javelin, killing his wife. • With her dying words, she pleaded with him not to marry the other woman named, “Breeze.”

6. Cupid and Psyche

7. Cupid and Psyche • Venus was enraged that Psyche was being praised with the same affections as she was, so she commanded her son, Cupid, to cast a spell upon her that would make her love the lowliest monster. • Cupid mistakenly wounds himself with his own arrow, and he does not fulfill the wishes of his mother. • Psyche learns of her fate and goes by a mountainside where she falls asleep. Upon awaking, she is catered by invisible hosts. • She “marries” her host, who she is not allowed to see. • Overly intrigued (and encouraged by her sisters), she betrays her husband and looks at him while he sleeps; she discovers that it is Cupid. • In order to win Cupid’s heart back, she endures a series of tests from his mother Venus all the while being aided by various gods. • She becomes immortal, and she and Cupid are once again bound by love.

8. Discussion Point Two • Consider the myths of Cephalus and Procris, and Cupid and Psyche. What is the resulting consequence from curious action? • Typically, the goddesses are curious when it comes to their male partners. What does this say about the female gender as well as the male gender? • Consider why the women feel the need to be curious; do women consider men to be untrustworthy? Do the women consider the men to be their property?

9. Definitions (cont.) • Sex - the biological and physiological differences between men and women. • Sex Roles - the behaviors and patterns of activities men and women may engage in that are directly related to their biological differences. • Sexual Identity - the degree of awareness and recognition of sex and sex roles. • Gender - behaviors or patterns of activities that a society or culture deems appropriate for men and women.

10. Definitions (cont.) • Gender Role - the degree to which a person adopts the gender-specific behaviors ascribed by his or her culture. • Gender Identity - the degree to which a person has awareness or recognition that he or she adopts a particular gender role. • Gender Stereotypes - the psychological or behavioral characteristics typically associated with men and women.

11. Introductory Comments • Who does what? • It is clear that men and women perform different tasks in most cultures. • Hence, division of labor between the man and women, among other things, is said to be culturally determined.

12. Sex • Sex refers to the physical and biological attributes of men and women • Sex includes the chromosomal, hormonal, and anatomical components of males and females.

13. Gender and Gender Identity • Gender refers to the social, psychological and cultural attributes of masculinity and femininity, many of which are based on biological distinctions • Gender includes people’s self image and expectations for behavior among other things • Gender describes societal attitudes and behaviors expected of and associated with the two sexes. • Gender identity refers to the degree to which an individual sees herself or himself as feminine or masculine based on society’s definitions of appropriate gender roles.

14. Gender Characteristics? • Generally, sex is considered to be an ascribed status while gender is an achieved status • Examples of gender characteristics? What physical, emotional, or other characteristics are considered “masculine” or “Feminine”?

15. The Social Construction of Gender • Gender Roles • Expectations regarding proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females • Gender roles evident in work and in how we react to others

16. Gender Role Socialization • Gender role socialization is “...a lifelong process whereby people learn the values, attitudes, motivations, and behavior considered appropriate to each sex by their culture” • Gender role socialization takes place from earliest childhood through adolescence and throughout all social interactions in which we participate

17. Gender Role Socialization • Socialization approach emphasizes conscious social learning • ‘Proper’ behavior is reinforced through rewards while inappropriate behavior is punished - children modify behavior in order to maximize rewards and minimize sanctions

18. Gender Role Socialization • Children learn proper behavior for girls and boys through parents, the media, peer groups, and other sources of socialization • At an early age, children develop stereotypical conceptions of both genders, and begin to use these conceptions to organize their knowledge and behavior

19. Masculine Scripts • No sissy-stuff - men are expected to distance themselves from anything feminine. • Big wheel - men should be occupationally or financially successful. • Sturdy oak - men should be confident and self-reliant. • Give ‘em hell -men should do what is necessary to “make it”

20. Feminine Scripts • Women should offer emotional support. • Ideal woman is attractive, not too competitive, a good listener and adaptable. • Women are expected to be good mothers and put the needs of others first. • Superwoman - successful at a career and a good wife/mother.

21. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective • Gender and gender roles are learned through socialization process. • Women are socialized into expressive roles; men are socialized into instrumental roles. • The Interactionist Approach • Study micro level of everyday behavior • Men are more likely than women to: • Change topics of conversation • Ignore topics chosen by women • Minimize ideas of women • Interrupt women

22. Rubin, Provenzano, and Luria, 1974 - in the first 24 hours after birth, parents described girls and boys differently, though there were no actual differences between them • Jacklin, 1984 - parents give sons toys that encourage invention and manipulation, while girls receive toys that emphasize caring and imitation • McHale et al., 1990 - parents assign boys maintenance chores, and give girls domestic tasks

23. Media Influences • Messages about gendered behavior and interactions are also conveyed through television, movies, magazines, and books • On average, each day a 4-year-old watches 2 hours of television and a 12-year-old watches 4 hours (Comstock and Scharrer, 2001) • Some European nations ban ads before, during, and after children’s television programming

24. Questions?