SOC20040

The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to the field of gender studies in sociology. Gender continues to be an important structure in contemporary societies. It is also a central component of identity and lived experience. The course integrates a range of theoretical approaches to the study of gender with recent empirical research on gender inequalities. There have been many changes in the lives of Irish men and women in the last thirty years that are of particular interest. The first part of the module will focus on key theories and concepts. In everyday life gender is often understood as something biologically given and fixed. The theoretical models central to sociology of gender offer alternative ways of understanding gender and point to its intersections with other inequalities. In the second part we will focus on how Irish society is gendered, and how this produces and reproduces gender inequalities. Topics include gender norms and stereotypes, paid and unpaid work, leadership and gender based violence. In the final part of the module we will consider why gender inequalities persist and how a more gender equal society might be created.