Course Assessment Methods

An individual report: 30%

Mid-term test (20%)

GESC2320
Gender and Family:
a Global Perspective
TSO Ho Yee Vienne
The Department of Sociology, the CUHK

Final paper: 50%

Bonus mark: 5%

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What you can learn from this course?

UREPLY

Sensitive to gender issues

Better understand how family life is structured
and organized
Parents

Husband

Wife

Children

Family relations: we VS WE

But how and why these issues are relevant to you?

General education: help you to make better
informed choice in everyday life encounters
For example:
Would you marry to someone who are 2 years
younger than you?
Would you change diaper for your infant child?
Why did you choose science/arts/commerce
stream of study when you were in secondary 3?

Family

Sex and Gender

Sex: biological distinctions
Male: one X and one Y chromosome
Female: two X chromosomes
Gender: social distinctions - what it means to be a man
or woman in a specific time and place.
Cultural specific expectations on femininity and
masculinity
Social and psychological attributes associated with
gender, e.g. emotions, gentleness, rationality,
aggressive

Family
A conventional definition:
a group of two or more persons who reside together
and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.
(Coltrane & Adams 2008:3)

A liberal definition:
Families consist of people who have a common
history, experience a degree of emotional bonding,
and share goals and activities. (Thomlison 2007)
a set of interpersonal relationships which suggests that
there are different social meaning of those
relationships.

Diversified families

Diversified families

Diversified families families in trouble

But how and why these issues are relevant to you?

Family
- Gender roles construction,
reproduction and transformation
- Do gender
- The maintenance of gendered
division of labor
- A social institution which
reinforces a hierarchical
relationship between men and
women in which men are
privileged.

Gender
- A significant form of stratification
- Gender is a major component that
makes up family relations: e.g.
husband/wife, father/mother,
son/daughter
- The changes and politics of gender
relations in family bring impact on
family lives

Gender and family in a global perspective

Globalization:
Class
Gender
Race

Gender and Family in a global perspective

How family are impacted from various global
forces?
Alternatively, what is the role of individual
family members in adapting global changes?
Culturally specific into Chinese context
e.g. child bearing and rearing

Child-centered family; self-actualization; decrease
in number of child birth

Reference:
Thomlison, B. (2007). Family Assessment
Handbook: an Introductory Guide to Family
Assessment and Intervention. Belmont, CA,
Thomson Higher Education.

Economic dimension: e.g. economic drive +

global division of labor
Cultural dimension: e.g. human right
Political dimension: e.g. gender equality
Social dimension: e.g. female are now better
educated and active participate in labor force;
dual earner family

Understanding gender and families from a life

course perspective
Wedlock family:
Acquaintance courtship (partnership: living
apart together, cohabitation) wedding
marriage
divorce remarriage
parenthood grandparenthood
widowhood