Unit 12 Gender Bias in Language语言中的性别偏见

Unit12GenderBiasinLanguage

TeachingObjectives

Tohelpstudentstobeawareofgenderbiasinlanguage

Tohelpstudentsunderstandthebasicstructureandfeaturesofanexpositiveessay

Tohelpstudentstolearnlanguagepointsandrhetoricaldevicesusedinthetext

Pre-readingActivities

I.Pre-readingquestions

1.DoyouthinkChineseteachersfavorboysovergirls?Supportyouranswerbygivingexamplesbasedonyourownexperience.

2.Doyoupreferasingle-sexclassormixedone?Stateyourreasons.

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II

.Culturalinformation

1.WhyWeNeedanEqualRightsAmendment:

WhyWeNeedanERA;TheGenderGapRunsDeepinAmericanLaw

MarthaBurkandEleanorSmeal

Whyistheamendmentneeded?Twenty-threecountries—includingSriLankaandMoldova—havesmallergendergapsineducation,politicsandhealththantheUnitedStates,accordingtotheWorldEconomicForum.Weare68thintheworldinwomen'sparticipationinnationallegislatures.Onaverage,awomanworkingfulltimeandyear-roundstillmakesonly77centstoaman'sdollar.Womenhold98percentofthelow-paying"women's"jobsandfewerthan15percentoftheboardseatsatmajorcorporations.Becausetheirprivatepensions—iftheyhavethematall—arelowerandbecauseSocialSecurityputsworkingwomenatadisadvantageandgrantsnocreditforyearsspentathomecaringforchildrenoragingparents,three-quartersoftheelderlyinpovertyarewomen.AndineverystateexceptMontana,womenstillpayhigherratesthansimilarlysituatedmenforalmostallkindsofinsurance.AllthatcouldchangeifweputequalrightsforwomeninourConstitution.

2.Genderbiasineducation

Genderbiasineducationisaninsidiousproblemthatcausesveryfewpeopletostandupandtakenotice.Thevictimsofthisbiashavebeentrainedthroughyearsofschoolingtobesilentandpassive,andarethereforeunwillingtostandupandmakenoiseabouttheunfairtreatmenttheyarereceiving.Girlsandboystodayarereceivingseparateandunequaleducationsduetothegendersocializationthattakesplaceinourschoolsandduetothesexisthiddencurriculumstudentsarefacedwitheveryday.Unlessteachersaremadeawareofthegender-rolesocializationandthebiasedmessagestheyareunintentionallyimpartingtostudentseveryday,anduntilteachersareprovidedwiththemethodsandresourcesnecessarytoeliminategender-biasintheirclassrooms,girlswillcontinuetoreceiveaninequitableeducation.

Sadker,D.,Sadker,M.(1994)"FailingatFairness:HowOurSchoolsCheatGirls".Toronto,ON:Simon&SchusterInc.

GlobalReading

I.Textanalysis

1.Whichtwoopinionsarepresentedinthefirstparagraph?

Therearethosewhobelievethatthelanguagethatweuseeverydayisbiasedinandofitself.Thentherearethosewhofeelthatlanguageisareflectionoftheprejudicesthatpeoplehavewithinthemselves.

2.Whichsentencesintheconclusionshowthewriter’sattitude?

Inthelastparagraph,wefindthesesentences:“Itisnecessaryforpeopletomaketheproperadjustmentsinternallytouseappropriatelanguagetoeffectivelyincludebothgenders.Wequalifylanguage.Itisuptoustodecidewhatwewillallowtobeusedandmadeproperintheareaoflanguage.”Evidently,theydenotethewriter’sattitudetowardwhatweshoulddoaboutgenderbiasinlanguage.

II.Structuralanalysis

1.Whattypeofwritingisthetext?

Thistextisanexpositiveessaywithreferencetogenderbiasinlanguage.

2.What’sthemainstrategytodevelopthisexpositiveessay?

Thetextismainlydevelopedbymeansofexemplification.Examplesareabundantlyusedin

Paragraphs2-6.

3.Workoutthestructureofthetextbycompletingthetable.

Paragraph(s)

Mainidea

1

Thewriterraisestheissuetobediscussed:Islanguagethecauseofthebiasorisitreflectiveofthepreexistingbiasthattheuserholds?

2-6

Thewriterprovidesquiteanumberoftypicalexamplestoillustrategenderbiasinlanguage.

7

Thewritermakeshisattitudeoropinionclearontheissueofgenderbiasinlanguage.

DetailedReading

TextIGenderBiasinLanguage

Paragraph1

Questions:

1.Whatdoesthewriterthinkoflanguage?

Theauthorthinksthatlanguageisverypowerfulandthemostcommonmethodofcommunication,butisoftenmisunderstoodandmisinterpreted,foritisaverycomplicatedsystemofsymbolswithplentyofsubtledifferences.

Paragraphs2-6

Questions:

1.WhatisthemainideaofParagraph2?(Paragraph2)

Paragraph2explainsandillustratesthefactthatsomewordsinEnglishareinherentlybiasedagainstwomenandthattheEnglishlanguagegenerallyreflectsmalesupremacyandfemalesubservience.

2.WhichisthetopicsentenceofParagraph3?(Paragraph3)

ThisshowsthattheusageofmanyoftheEnglishwordsisalsowhatcontributestothebiaspresentintheEnglishlanguage.

3.WhatdoyouthinkofthetwoexamplesgiveninParagraph4?(Paragraph4)

Thetwoexamples,whicharevividandinteresting,arecloselyrelatedtothemainideathatwomenareseenaspassivewhilemenareactiveandbringthingsintobeing.

4.WhichsentenceinParagraph5showsthatgenderconnotationsinwordsaffectpeople’sbehavior?(Paragraph5)

Itisthelastsentence,“Itisalsocommonplacenottoscoldlittlegirlsforbeing‘tomboys’buttoscoffatlittleboyswhoplaywithdollsorridegirl’sbicycles.”

5.WhichsentencesinParagraph6denotethewriter’sattitude?(Paragraph6)

Thesentencesthatshowthewriter’sattitudetowardstheuseofimpolitetermsinreferencetowomenare“…butwhyusethemwhentherearesomanymoretochoosefrom?”and“Itisalsothemosteffectiveweaponofdestruction.”

Paragraph7

Questions:

1.Whatkindchangehastakenplaceinregardtogenderbiasinlanguage?

PeoplehaverecognizedgenderbiasinEnglishandmadenecessarychanges.

2.Whatisthewriter’sopinioninreferencetogenderbiasinlanguage?

Thewriterthinksitisnecessarytomaketheproperadjustmentsinternallytouseappropriatelanguagetoeffectivelyincludebothgenders,andthatitisuptoourdecisionoftheproperwordused.

FurtherEnhancement

TextIITheDifferenceBetweenSexandGender

Lead-inQuestions

1.Accordingtoyou,whatarethegenderdifferencesbetweenmaleandfemale?

2.Whatarethecausesofthosedifferences?

Notes

1.connotativemeanings(Paragraph1):theadditionalmeaningsthatawordorphrasehasbeyond

itscentralmeaning.Thesemeaningsshowpeople’semotionsandattitudeswhatthewordorphraserefersto.Forexample,childcouldbedefinedasayounghumanbeingbuttherearemanyothercharacteristicswhichdifferentpeopleassociatewithchild,e.g.affectionate,amusing,lovable,sweet,noisy,irritating.Someconnotationsmaybesharedbyagroupofpeopleofthesameculturalorsocialbackground,sex,orrace;othersmayberestrictedtooneorseveralindividualsanddependontheirpersonalexperience.

2.BarryWhite(Paragraph2):(1944-2003)wasanAmericanrecordproducer,songwriterandsinger.AmultipleGrammyAward-winnerknownforhisdeepbassvoiceandromanticimage,White’sgreatestsuccesscameinthe1970swiththeLoveUnlimitedOrchestra,craftingmanyenduringhitsoulanddiscosongs.

3.Theynormallywalkwithaswitchandspeakwithsoftvoices.(Paragraph2):Womenusually

walkswayingfromsidetosideandspeakwithgentlevoices.

4.Thesedescriptionsmaynotapplytoallmenandwomen,…(Paragraph2):Theseoversimplifiedcharacteristicsmaynotbeappliedasageneralizationtoallmenandwomen.

5.sexualidentity(Paragraph3):Sexualidentityisaperson’sstrongfeelingofbeingamaleorfemale.Itincludessexualorientation–thatis,whetherapersonissexuallyattractedtotheoppositesexorthesamesex.Peoplewhoareprimarilyattractedtomembersoftheirownsexarecalledhomosexual,gay,or,iftheyarewomen,lesbian.Peoplewhoareattractedtotheoppositesexarecalledheterosexualorstraight.Peoplewhofeelattractedtopeopleofbothsexesarebisexual.Despiteconsiderableresearch,theoriginsofsexualorientationarenotcompletelyunderstood.

6.Certaintraitsmaygetmixedupwhendealingwithpeoplewholiketocross-dress.(Paragraph4):Certainfeaturesofthetwosexesmaybefoundmixedinthecaseofthosewholiketoweartheclothesoftheoppositesex.

7.Somepeoplegetsexchangeoperationsandbecometranssexuals.(Paragraph4):Asmallnumberofmalesandfemalesbelievetheyshouldhavebeenbornamemberoftheothersex.Suchindividuals,calledtranssexuals,believetheyhavethewrongbodyfortheirfeelingsandemotions.Theyfeel“trapped”inthebodyofthewrongsex.Sometranssexualshavesurgerytochangetheiranatomytomatchtheirfeelings.Transsexualismoccursmoreinmalesthaninfemales.Itscauseisunknown.Somebehavioralscientiststhinkitresultsfromanearlydisturbanceinthemother-infantrelationshipandalackofproperidentificationwiththesame-sexparent.Thereisnoevidenceofhormonalabnormalitiesintranssexuals.

8.hermaphrodites(Paragraph4):Ahermaphroditeisananimalwithbothmaleandfemaleorgansofreproduction.Inhumanbeings,hermaphroditismisnotnormal.Theorgansandfunctionsofoneorbothsexesusuallydevelopimperfectlyinsuchrareindividuals.Fewhumancasesofhermaphroditismhavebeenreported.

9.deformity(Paragraph4):aconditioninwhichpartofsomeone’sbodyisnotthenormalshape

10.Backthenthiswouldhavebeenaprettygoodhypothesis.(Paragraph5):Yearsagoone’soccupationwouldhaveprovidedasound,thoughtentative,cluetoone’ssexualidentity.

11.gradeschool(Paragraph6):IntheUnitedStates,agradeschoolisanelementaryschoolorgrammarschool.Elementaryschoolisaschoolforchildrenfromage5or6toage12or14.

12.Theyjugglehomelifeandwork…(Paragraph7):Theymanagetofittheirworkintohomemaking……

13.Womenhavebrokenthegenderbarrierinalmosteverysportexceptforfootballandhockey.(Paragraph8):Beforethe20thcenturyintheUnitedStateswomencouldnotplayinmostorganizedsports.Soon,however,theybegantoenterthesportsarena.In1972TitleIXoftheEducationAmendmentsActoutlaweddiscriminationbasedongenderineducation,includingschoolsports.Schoolsthenspentadditionalfundingonwomen’sathletics,whichprovidedanenormousboosttowomen’ssportsofallkinds,especiallybasketball,whichbecameverypopular.Women’scollegebasketball,partoftheNationalCollegiateAthleticAssociation(NCAA),isapopularfocusofinterest.Bytheendofthe20thcentury,thisenthusiasmledtothecreationofamajorprofessionalwomen’sbasketballleague.Womenhavebecomealargepartofathletics,makingtheirmarkinawiderangeofsports.

14.RosaParks(Paragraph9):AfricanAmericancivilrightsactivist.In1955inMontgomery,Alabama,Parksrefusedtogiveupherbusseattoawhiteman.HeractionledtotheMontgomerybusstrike,whichwasthefirstlarge-scale,organizedprotestagainstsegregationthatusednonviolenttactics.RosaParks’spersonalactofdefianceopenedadecisivechapterinthecivilrightsmovementintheUnitedStates.

15.HilaryClinton(Paragraph9):DemocraticmemberoftheUnitedStatesSenatefromNewYork(2001-)andwifeoftheex-presidentoftheUnitedStatesBillClinton.Duringherhusband’spresidency(1993-2001),shebecameapowerfulsymbolofthechangingroleandstatusofwomeninAmericansociety.HerelectiontotheU.S.SenatewhilebeingfirstladywasunprecedentedinU.S.history.AndsheisnowservingasSecretaryofStateintheObamaAdministration.

16.Thetermgenderisalittlesexistbecauseitassociatessexwithsocialstatus.(Paragraph10):Thetermgenderreflectsthebeliefthatfemalesareinferiortomalesinavarietyofattributesbecauseithelpsdeterminesexbywhatapersondoesforaliving.

Questionsfordiscussion

1.Whatisthedifferencebetweensexandgender?

2.Whatdoestheword“feminine”inthesecondparagraphmean?Whatistheoppositeoftheword?

3.Accordingtotheauthorhowdoessexualidentitydevelop?

4.Whatpromptstheauthortosuggestthatsexbesubstitutedforgender?

5.Whatistheauthor’spurposeofwritingthispassage?

KeytoQuestionsfordiscussion

1.Manypeopleusethetermssexandgenderinterchangeably.However,twotermshavedifferentmeanings.Sexreferstothephysicalcharacteristicsthatmakeapersonmaleorfemale.ItisalsousedtodescribethesexualactivitiesthatoccurbetweenintimateindividualsGenderreferstoasenseofbeingmaleorfemaleorhavingtherecognizabletraitsofone’ssex.Itcarriesamoresocialtone,concerningasociety’sexpectationsformalesandfemales,includingvalues,attitudes,andbehavior.

2.Itreferstocharacteristicsandbehaviorthataregenerallyassociatedwithbeingafemalesuchasbodyshape,voice,hairstyle,clothing,bodymovements,anddisplayofemotions.Characteristicsandbehaviorgenerallyassociatedwithbeingamalearecalledmasculine.

3.Eachpersonmustdecidehowheorshewantstoexpresssexuality.Sexualidentitydevelopspartlyfrombiologicalinfluences,andpartlyfromculturalinfluences.Mostpeopleareinfluencedintheirdecisionbyvalueslearnedfromtheirfamily,cultureorpeergroup.

4.Womenhistoricallyhaveenduredprejudicebecauseofsocialandsexualtaboos.Buttheauthorfeelsthatintheprocessofpursuitgenderequality,thereisconfusionaboutthedefinitionofgenderbecauseitconsistsofsocialclassificationswhichunderminewomen’ssenseoftheirhumanidentity.Sexwouldincludebothsexes,eliminatingthedifferencesthatsocietyhasimposed.

5.Itencouragesasociety’srespectforhumanrightsandfundamentalfreedomforallwithoutdistinctionastorace,sex,language,orreligion.

MemorableQuotes

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