Lecture 5: Gender, Sexuality, Law and
Society

Why It Matters: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
• Consider the treatment of women who have their athleticism
questioned by the International Association of Athletics Foundation
(IAAF)
• This module discusses the difference between sex and gender,
gender identity and sexuality
• Various theoretical perspectives on subjects of gender and sexuality
and how they are socially constructed will also be explored

Introduction to Gender
• The terms “sex” and “gender” are same but the contemporary social
dynamics differentiate the terms and they refer to two different identifiers
• Sex denotes biological characteristics differentiating males and females
• Gender denotes social and cultural characteristics differentiating masculine
and feminine behavior
• Children come to understand gender roles in their earliest years and perform
these gender roles through socialization as mentioned by Anthony Giddens

Sex and Gender
• Sex includes both primary sex characteristics and secondary characteristics
such as height and muscularity
• Gender is a person’s deeply held internal perception of their behavior and
attitudes based social expectations, accompanying physiological aspects of
sex
• Characteristics of sex do not vary significantly between different human
societies
• Males have XY chromosomes
• Females have XX chromosomes
• XX and XY chromosomes trigger the development of the sex steroids
• Intersex refers to a combination of primary sex characteristics, which can be
referred to as Differences of Sexual Development (DSD)
• Approximately 1.7% of babies are born with chromosomes, gonads, internal or
external sex organs that are atypical with some apparent at birth and others
that do not show themselves until puberty

Sex and Gender, continued (1)
• Gender is deeply cultural, a social construction with real consequences
• Gender identity is the way that one thinks about gender and self-identities
• Cisgender is an umbrella term used to describe people whose sense of
personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex
• Transgender describes people whose sense of personal identity does not
correspond with their birth sex
• Gender expression is how one demonstrates gender, behavior, and
interactions

Sex and Gender, continued (2)
• U.S. society allows for some level of
flexibility when it comes to acting out
gender roles or gender expression
• In most cases, the gender identity remains
cisgender although the gender expression
might be more fluid
• The dichotomous view of gender is specific
to certain cultures and is not universal
• Native American groups viewed sex and
gender as a spectrum as opposed to the
binary view held by European colonists

Gender and Socialization
• Gender role refers to society’s concept of how people are expected to look
and how they should behave based on societally created norms for
masculinity and femininity
• Gender role socialization begins at birth and continues throughout life, such
as color-coded gender labels
• Gender, like race, is a social construction with very real consequences
• Phrasing such as “boys will be boys” implies behavior is unchangeable and
part of nature

Socialization
• Children learn at a young age that there are distinct expectations
for boys and girls with studies showing awareness of gender roles by
age 2 or 3
• Gender stereotyping involves overgeneralizing about the attitudes,
traits, or behavior patterns of women or men
• Like adults, children become agents who actively facilitate and
apply normative gender expectations to those around them
• Children learn gender roles through play, learning role expectations
from toys
• There are four major agents of socialization that reinforce gender
roles: family, schools, peer groups, and mass media
• Repeated exposure to these agents over time leads men and
women into a false sense that they are acting naturally and not
following a socially constructed

Socialization, continued
• Family is the first agent of socialization with considerable evidence
that parents socialize sons and daughters differently
• In general, girls are given more latitude to step outside of their
prescribed gender role but differential socialization typically results in
greater privileges afforded to sons
• It has been found that fathers are firmer in their expectations for
gender conformity than are mothers, and their expectations are
stronger for sons than for daughters
• Parental socialization and normative expectations vary along lines of
social class, race, and ethnicity
• Gender roles and stereotypes are reinforced in schools in subtle ways
• Mass media reinforces role stereotypes by mostly male leading roles
and commercials reinforcing inequality

Sexism
• Sexism refers to prejudiced beliefs that
value one sex over another
• Women were not permitted to vote
before 1920, women did not serve
on the U.S. Supreme court until 1981,
no Latina served as a U.S. Senator
until 2016, and no openly
transgender person was elected in
a state legislature until 2017
• While illegal when practiced as
discrimination, unequal treatment of
women continues to pervade social life
• Like racism, sexism has very real
consequences in career options and
the wage gap, politics, and in laws that
are made

Global Sexism
• Gender stratification through the division of labor is not exclusive to
the United States
• George Murdock’s Outline of World Cultures(1954): Societies
classify work by gender
• When a pattern appears in all societies, it is called a cultural
universal
• The specifics of assigning work by gender are not universal
• Murdock examined division of labor among 324 societies around
the world and found that in nearly all cases the jobs assigned to
men were given greater prestige
• Where women are strongly undervalued, young girls may also not
have the same access to basics as young boys

Practice Question 1
A person’s sex, determined by their biology, does not always correspond with
their gender. Therefore,
a. the terms sex and gender are not interchangeable
b. it does not matter if the term sex or gender is used in
social science
c. it is not understood what the difference between sex
and gender are in social science
d. it is common practice in the social sciences to assume
sex and gender are the same

Practice Question 1 Answer
A person’s sex, determined by their biology, does not always correspond
with their gender. Therefore,
a.the terms sex and gender are not interchangeable
b.it does not matter if the term sex or gender is used in social science
c.it is not understood what the difference between sex and gender are
in social science
d.it is common practice in the social sciences to assume sex and gender
are the same
Explanation of answer:
The terms are not interchangeable because sex is determined by biology
and gender is a social concept.

Practice Question 2
Children acquire gender roles through ___________, a process in which people
learn to behave in a particular way as dictated by societal values, beliefs, and
attitudes.
a. prejudiced beliefs
b. manipulation
c. socialization
d. maturation

Practice Question 2 Answer
Children acquire gender roles through ___________, a process in which
people learn to behave in a particular way as dictated by societal values,
beliefs, and attitudes.
a.prejudiced beliefs
b.manipulation
c.socialization
d.maturation
Explanation of answer:
Socialization is the process through which people learn gender roles and
their culture’s value system.

Practice Question 3
Gender stratification through the division of labor is not exclusive to the United
States, all societies classify work by gender. When a pattern appears in all
societies, it is called a __________.
a. cultural universal
b. cultural stereotype
c. cultural decision
d. class system

Practice Question 3 Answer
Gender stratification through the division of labor is not exclusive to the
United States, all societies classify work by gender. When a pattern appears
in all societies, it is called a __________.
a. cultural universal
b. cultural stereotype
c. cultural decision
d. class system
Explanation of answer:
Unfortunately, gender stratification through an uneven division of labor exists
across cultures, qualifying it as a cultural universal.

Discuss: Gender Socialization
• It is easier to see examples of gender role socialization in
children than it is in adults. Think of some examples of how
adults are socialized into gender roles over the life course.
What does society expect of people based on gender at
different ages?

Sexual Orientation
• Sexual orientation is his or her physical, emotional, and sexual attraction to a
particular sex (male or female) and is divided into at least four categories in the
contemporary liberal thoughts:
• Heterosexuality: attraction to individuals of the other sex
• Homosexuality: attraction to individuals of the same sex
• Bisexuality: attraction to individuals of either sex
• Asexuality: no attraction to either sex
• According to current scientific understanding, individuals are usually aware of
their sexual orientation between middle childhood and early adolescence and
again the society, media and peer groups play vital role in this new perspective
of sexual orientation.

Sexual Orientation, continued (2)
• Eve Kosofsky Segwick expanded Kinsey’s and coined the term
“homosocial” to oppose “homosexual” describing nonsexual same-
sex relations
• Homosocial feelings include nonsexual regard for people of the
same sex and are more common in women than men
• There is no scientific consensus regarding the reasons why someone
holds a specific sexual orientation
• GLBTQs have been found to be subjected to discrimination and
violence in schools, workplace, and the military which mean it is not
acceptable naturally. (Rejection by Church)
• Heterosexism is both an ideology and institutional practices that
privilege heterosexuals and heterosexuality over other sexual
orientations and is embedded in our social institutions while the vice
versa in negated by most of the societies and human nature

Sexual Orientation, continued (3)
• Homophobia vs. homosexuals
• is considered in contemporary liberal thought an extreme or
irrational aversion (dislike or hatred);
• In 2011, President Obama overturned “don’t ask, don’t tell”, a
controversial policy requiring homosexuals in the US military to
keep their sexuality undisclosed
• They consider, gay and lesbian couples are negatively affected
in states where they are denied the legal right to marriage
• The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, 1996) was passed explicitly
limiting the definition of “marriage” to a union between one man
and one woman
• Same-sex marriage became legal nationwide in 2015 with a
ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage were
unconstitutional

Socialization and Sexual Identity
• Heteronormative society means that it assumes sexual
orientation is biologically determined and unambiguous
• Societal acceptance (US) of homosexuality has change over
time with 60% of Americans saying it should be accepted in
2013
• Like other aspects of socialization, norms and values related to
sexuality and sexual orientation are transmitted through various
agents of socialization, beginning with family
• Heteronormative behaviors are reinforced through agents of
socialization, notably through a wide range of tv shows
including some children's series
• Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay politician and the
first Wisconsin woman elected to the U.S. Senate

Discuss: Heteronormativity
• How does the concept of heteronormativity manifest in
society? Give three original examples.

Introduction to Theories of Gender and Sex
• Issues of gender, sex, sexual orientation, and sexuality can be examined
through functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism
• How does feminist theory serve to crosscut both micro and
macrosociological approaches?
• How do sociological theories help us explain and/or predict the
complexities of human sexuality and gender role norms?

The Feminist Movements
• Feminist movements refers to a series of political campaigns for
reforms on a variety of issues that affect women’s quality of life
• 1848: The first women’s rights convention was held in New York
and was the location for the Declaration of Sentiments,
principally authored by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, connecting the
slavery abolition movement and the women’s rights movement
• 1851: Lucy Gage led a state women’s convention in Ohio where
Sojourner Truth was born
• 1869: the 15th amended was proposed and was unpopular with
suffragists because it left women out
• 1920: The 19th amendment was ratified and the biggest success
of the first wave of feminism (which was limited by its lack of
inclusion of women of color and poor women)

Second Wave Feminism (1960s-1980s)
• The second phase of feminism drew in women of
color and developing nations seeking sisterhood
and solidarity and demonstrate that race, class,
and gender oppression are all related
• Second wave feminists were influenced by other
social movements of the 1960s (civil rights, anti-war,
environmental, student, gay rights, and the farm
workers movements)
• The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was ratified by
Congress in 1972 but failed to become the 23rd
Amendment
• Betty Friedan (1963) wrote The Feminine Mystique
in which she explicitly objected to the mainstream
media image of women and is widely credited
with having begun second-wave feminism

Third Wave Feminism (1990s – 2008)
• Third-wave feminism refers to several diverse strains of
feminist activity and study, arising partially as a response to
the perceived failures of and backlash against second-
wave feminism
• This wave expanded the topic of feminism to include a
diverse group of women with a diverse set of identities
• Popular television shows such as Sex in the City (1998-2004)
elevated a type of third wave feminism that merged
feminine imagery with high powered careers and robust sex
lives
• Third wave feminism effectively used mass media to create
a global, multicultural, and boundary-crossing feminism

Fourth Wave Feminism (2008 – present)
• Fourth wave feminism is defined by technology and
characterized by the #metoo and the #timesup movements
• Waves of accusations against men in powerful positions
have catalyzed feminists in a way that appears to be
fundamentally different than in previous iterations
• Successes of fourth wave feminists include the proliferation
of social media tags that promote inclusion and effectively
dismantle the gender and sex binaries that have
fragmented the movement
• Another sign of success for the fourth wave feminists are the
record number of women elected in the 2018 midterm
elections

Feminist Theory
• Feminist theory is a type of conflict theory that examines inequalities
in gender-related issues
• Patriarchy refers to a set of institutional structures that are based on
the belief that men and women are dichotomous and unequal
categories
• Dominant gender ideology is key: the assumption that physiological
sex differences between males and females are related to
differences in their character, behavior, and ability
• These differences are used to justify a gendered division of social
roles and inequality
• How does the distinction between male and female, and the
attribution of different qualities to each, serve to organize our
institutions and perpetuate inequality?

Standpoint Theory
• Standpoint theory (Dorothy Smith) was a key innovation in
sociology that enabled these issues to be seen and addressed
in a systematic way by examining one’s position in life
• Smith argued that women’s lives were more effectively
examined from the “actualities” of their lived experience in
“everyday/everynight” life
• Smith observed that women’s position in modern society is
acutely divided by the experience of dual conscience of
household and institutional
• Interactional theory combines critical race theory, gender
conflict theory and Marx’s class theory, a “prism for
understanding certain kinds of problems”

Practice Question 4
What is considered “normal” in terms of sexual behavior is based on the mores
and values of the society. Individuals are socialized to sexual attitudes
a. by the Internet.
b. by personal preference individually devised.
c. through biological concerns.
d. by their family, education system, peers, media, and
religion.

Practice Question 4 Answer
What is considered “normal” in terms of sexual behavior is based on the
mores and values of the society. Individuals are socialized to sexual attitudes
a. by the Internet.
b. by personal preference individually devised.
c. through biological concerns.
d. by their family, education system, peers, media, and religion.
Explanation of answer:
Each of these systems is a vehicle for socialization to sexual attitudes in a
given society.

Practice Question 5
__________ wrote a book that is often credited with sparking the second wave
of the women’s movement in the United States and later served as the first
President of the National Organization of Women (NOW).
a. Gloria Steinem
b. Betty Friedan
c. Sara Evans
d. Margaret Sanger

Practice Question 5 Answer
__________ wrote a book that is often credited with sparking the second wave
of the women’s movement in the United States and later served as the first
President of the National Organization of Women (NOW).
a. Gloria Steinem
b. Betty Friedan
c. Sara Evans
d. Margaret Sanger
Explanation of answer:
This book, “The Feminine Mystique”, questioned the role of housewife and
addressed the potential of educated women whose minds were not stimulated
by their roles.

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender
• Not only do we need to examine at woman’s experience in
the workforce, we should understand how each person’s
experience is also influenced by race/ethnicity, social class,
age, etc. (intersectionality)
• Structural theorists: look at how values and norms shape
societal notional of success in the workforce and how these
reinforce the division of labor and gender inequality
• Conflict theorists: might look at how the bourgeoisie use the
wage gap to perpetuate an unequal system and how that
gap is successful in keeping the working classes separated with
false consciousness
• Interactionists: examine how meaning is produced in social
interactions and how it is translated into wage inequality

Structural Functionalism
• Structural functionalism views the family as the most integral
component of society, and assumptions about gender roles
within marriage assume a prominent place
• Functionalists argue that gender roles were established well
before the pre-industrial era when men typically took care of
responsibilities outside of the home and women typically took
care of the domestic responsibilities
• Once established, these roles were passed on to subsequent
generations since they served to keep the family system
functioning properly
• Social and economic changes in the United States during WWII
resulted in changes in the family structure with women assuming
the role of breadwinner and the resulting imbalance when men
returned and wanted to reclaim jobs

Conflict Theory
• When sociologists examine gender through conflict theory, men
are seen as the dominant group and women are the subordinate
group
• Social problems, then, are created when dominant groups exploit
or oppress subordinate groups
• Friedrich Engels, a German sociologist, suggested that the same
owner-worker relationship seen in the labor force is also seen in the
household with women assuming the role of the proletariat and is
due to women’s dependence on men for wage attainment
• Contemporary conflict theorists suggest that when women
become wage earners, they can gain power in the family
structure and create more democratic arrangements in the home

Symbolic Interactionism
• Symbolic interactionism aims to understand human behavior by
analyzing the critical role of symbols in human interaction, which is
relevant to the discussion of masculinity and femininity
• Because the meanings attached to symbols are socially created and
fluid versus natural and static, we act and react to symbols based on
the current assigned meaning
• When people perform tasks or possess characteristics based on the
gender role assigned to them, they are doing gender
• The social construction of sexuality refers to the way in which socially
created definitions shape the way people see and experience
sexuality
• In contrast, biological determinism is the belief that men and women
behave differently due to biological differences

Theoretical Perspectives on Sex
• Structural Functionalism: Functionalists stress the importance of
regulating sexual behavior to ensure marital cohesion and
family stability and argue in favor of social arrangements that
promote and ensure family preservation
• The purpose of encouraging sexual activity in the confines
of marriage is to intensify the bond between spouses and to
ensure procreation occurs in a stable, legally recognized
relationship
• Homosexuality cannot, then, be promoted on a large-scale
as an acceptable substitute for heterosexuality because
procreation would eventually cease and be dysfunctional
to society

Theoretical Perspectives on Sex, continued (1)
• For conflict theorists, sexuality is another area in which power
differentials are present and where dominant groups actively
work to promote their worldview and economic interests
• There are two key dimensions to the debate over same-sex
marriage for conflict theorists: ideological and economic
• From an ideological view, dominant groups wish for their
worldview to win out over what they see as the intrusion of a
secular, individually driven worldview but activists argue that
legal marriage is a fundamental right
• From an economic perspective, activists in favor of same-sex
marriage point out that legal marriage brings with it entitlements,
many of which are financial in nature and denial of these
benefits to gay couple is wrong

Theoretical Perspectives on Sex, continued (2)
• Interactionists focus on the meanings associated with sexuality and
with sexual orientation (heterosexuality has come to signify normalcy)
• Interactionists are also interested in how discussions of homosexuals
often focus almost exclusively on the sex lives of gays and lesbians
and that the slurs used to describe homosexuals affect how they
perceive themselves
• Queer Theory is an interdisciplinary approach to sexuality studies that
focuses on the mismatches between anatomical sex, gender
identity, and sexuality and highlights the need for a more flexible and
fluid conceptualization of sexuality

Experiential
Speculative
or intellectual
4
3
2
1
Intuitive
Religious and divine
Philosophical thought
• Relates with intellectual pursuit in understanding origin and nature of
universe, man, his objective and purpose in life, and his ultimate destiny.
It could be:
Philosophical
thought

Evolution of Values: East & West
Ethical Norms
Social Construct
Social Habits
and Behavior
Local Customs
and Traditions

The Islamic Paradigm
Divine Guidance
& Wahi
Universal Values
Social Customs
and Behavior
• Divine guidance from
beyond guides through
wahi (revelation) in an
objective manner
• It is not a subjective,
intuitive, mystical, purely
rational or personal
encounter

Defining Marriage and Family
• Family: a socially recognized group (usually joined by blood,
marriage, cohabitation, or adoption) that forms an emotional
connection and serves as an economic unit of society
• family of orientation: family into which a person is born
• family of procreation: formed through marriage
• Marriage: a legally recognized social contract between two
people, traditionally based on a sexual relationship and
implying a permanence of the union
• Marriage takes many forms

• Marriage in Islam has multiple objectives like spiritual peace, cooperation,
and collaboration in accomplishing the divine obligation.
• ”The believers, males, and females, are partners of one another; they shall
jointly enjoin all that is good and counsel against all that is evil. (Qur’an, 9:71)
• Reproduction/Procreation
• And Allah hath provided you wives of your own kind, and has given you,
from your wives, descendant, and has provided you with good provision. Is it
then in vanity that they believe and in the grace of Allah that they
disbelieve? (16:72)
• Completion of Faith
Happiness and Joy
“The entire world is-source of pleasure and the best-source of pleasure of the
world is the righteous woman.”
(Muslim, n. d.)

• Establishment of Family
• Improving Social Relations
Allah, Exalted be He, says: (And Allah is who has created man from water,
and has selected for him relation by blood and relation by marriage; for thy
Lord is ever Powerful.) (Al-Furqan, 54)
• Sense of Responsibility
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
• Men are the guardian of women because Allah has made men-some of
them-to excel the other, for, they spend of their property (for the support of
women). So good women are those women who are obedient and guard in
secret what Allah has guarded. (Qur’an, 4:34)
• “Everyone is a guardian and responsible for those who are under his
charge.”
•
َّ‫ن‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ت‬ َ‫و‬ْ‫س‬ِ‫ك‬ َ‫و‬ َّ‫ن‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ق‬ ْ‫ز‬ ِ‫ر‬ ُ‫ه‬َ‫ل‬ ِ‫د‬‫و‬ُ‫ل‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫م‬ْ‫ال‬ ‫ى‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ َ‫و‬
• ...And on the child "s father (the husband) is their food and clothing... (2:233).

Anthony Giddens in His Book Chapter 14
Copied from Book

Family Life, cont. (1)
• Nuclear family
• Two-parent structure
• Single parent families
• Blended families
• Step-parents, siblings
• Alternate arrangements
• Extended family
• “Grandfamilies”- raised by grandparents

Family Life, cont. (2)
• Cohabitation
• Residing together without marriage
• Rise in percentage over time: social acceptance
• Same-sex couples
• 2005-2017: 83% reported increase of same-sex households
• 2016 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage in 50 states (US)
• More education: 40.6% same-sex households with degrees; 27.4% for opposite-sex
couples
• Staying Single
• Never-married persons, divorcees, widowed individuals

Theoretical Perspectives on
Marriage & Family
• Functionalism
• Murdock: heterosexual, nuclear family
• 4 functions:
• Sexual: marriage provides legitimate sexual outlet for adults
• Reproductive: sexual outlet leads to reproduction, societal survival
• Educational: train and socialize children, teach gender roles, culture
• Economic: supports traditional gender roles, division of labor
• Roles are instrumental (external to household): male or expressive
(inside home): female
• Fails to account for variations found in modern families

Theoretical Perspectives, cont. (1)
• Conflict Theory
• Focus on macro-level inequality
• Family: where power struggles occur
• Sexism, gender role enforcement, domestic violence
• “Second Shift” women work
• Labor imbalance in homes
• Women work both outside the home & (unpaid labor) at home; men work
only paid jobs

Theoretical Perspectives, cont. (2)
• Symbolic Interactionism
• Family as a social construct to understand roles (mother, father,
husband, wife, breadwinner, caregiver, etc.)
• Evolving meaning of “family” & roles over time
• Status, expectations of roles are social constructs
• Meaning of “good father” or “good wife,” roles, evolve

Practice Question 4
__________ hold the belief that families are an important social institution and
that they play a key role in stabilizing society.
a. Social conflict theorists
b. Structural functionalist theorists
c. Symbolic interactionist theorists
d. Instrumental and expressive theorists

Practice Question 4 Answer
__________ hold the belief that families are an important social institution and
that they play a key role in stabilizing society.
a. Social conflict theorists
b. Structural functionalist theorists
c. Symbolic interactionist theorists
d. Instrumental and expressive theorists
Explanation of answer:
Structural functionalists believe that families are important social institutions that
play a key role in stabilizing society and facilitating the prosperity and
development of society.

Practice Question 5
__________ highlight the role of power in family life and contends that the family
is often not a haven but rather an arena where power struggles can occur. This
exercise of power often entails the performance of family status roles such as
the enforcement of rules from parent to child.
a. Social conflict theorists
b. Structural functionalist theorists
c. Symbolic interactionist theorists
d. Instrumental and expressive theorists

Practice Question 5 Answer
__________ highlight the role of power in family life and contends that the family is often
not a haven but rather an arena where power struggles can occur. This exercise of
power often entails the performance of family status roles such as the enforcement of
rules from parent to child.
a. Social conflict theorists
b. Structural functionalist theorists
c. Symbolic interactionist theorists
d. Instrumental and expressive theorists
Explanation of answer:
Social conflict theorists examine how social institutions, such as marriage and family,
reproduce systems of inequality at a larger societal level. They study power struggles
that can occur as people play out their roles in families.

Practice Question 6
__________ stress that family is not an objective, concrete reality. Like other
social phenomena, it is a social construct that is subject to the ebb and flow of
social norms and ever-changing meanings.
a. Social conflict theorists
b. Structural functionalist theorists
c. Symbolic interactionist theorists
d. Instrumental and expressive theorists

Practice Question 6 Answer
__________ stress that family is not an objective, concrete reality. Like other social
phenomena, it is a social construct that is subject to the ebb and flow of social norms
and ever-changing meanings.
a. Social conflict theorists
b. Structural functionalist theorists
c. Symbolic interactionist theorists
d. Instrumental and expressive theorists
Explanation of answer:
Symbolic interactionists view the family as a group of role players that come together to
act out their parts in an effort to construct a family, and the roles they play are up for
interpretation.

Prostitution and Sex Work: A Legitimate Status

Islam and Gender Justice

1 Historic Origin of the Issue
“The fatal point in Islam is the degradation of women”
Edward William Lane
Selections from the Kuran
London, 1982 (1843), PXC

2 Western & Eastern images of Islam
• A male dominated culture
• Considers women inferior, a commodity and a cause of evil in
society
• Keeps them less educated
• Unfair in its law of inheritance
• Discriminates in law of evidence
• Deprives her of enjoying political authority
• Denies right to have more one husband
• Imposes veil
• Deprives them the privilege to participate in jihad

3 Islamic view of Justice (‘Adl, Qist, Haqq)
• ‘Adl is one of the primary values in the Qur’an.
• Used at around thirty-two places in the Qur’an it means putting a thing in
its proper places, equity, fairness, balance and moderation, proper
fashioning and justice.
“ If two parties of the believers happen to fight, make peace between them. But
then , if one of them transgresses against the other, fight the one that
transgresses until it reverts to Allah’s command. And of it does revert make
peace between them with ‘adl (justice) and be equitable for Allah loves the
equitable” al – Hujurat 49:9

4. ‘Adl is a comprehensive terminology
• One meaning of ‘adl is observance of huquq (rights)
“ Surely Allah enjoins ‘adl (justice , equity) kindness and doing good (ehsan)
to kith and kin and forbids all that is shameful, evil and oppressive”
al – Nahl 16:90
• It calls for ethical conduct by observing rights (huquq) of parents, blood
relations, neighbors etc.
• Violation of rights (huquq) is considered zulm, injustice, oppression,
immoral, and unlawful.

5 Adl also means balance, proportion, proper
shaping and beauty
“ who Created you, shaped you and made you well proportioned
(fa‘ sawaka fa‘ adalaka)”
al – Infitar 82:7
“ …. And eat and drink without going to excess. For Allah does
not like those who go to excess (asraf)
al – A‘raf 7:31

• The term also means legal justice , equity and fair treatment.
“ when you judge between people, judge with justice (and
equity)
al – Nisa 4:58
6 legal justice , equity and fair treatment

Islamic approach to Gender Issue is not founded on equality but
on equity, Justice and fairness.
• It is a qualitative and ethics – centered approach
• It wants ethical empowerment of women and men
• It liberates human mind & vision and culture from a gender based
western and eastern world view.
• This basis is provided in the Qur’an.
7 Islam’s ethical empowerment and Gender Justice

8 Moral Equality
“And whoso does good works, whether of male or female, and he (or she) is
a believer such will enter Paradise and they will be wronged the dint in a
date-stone”.
al-Nisa 4:124
“Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily
We shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in
proportion to the best of what they used to do”. al-Nahl 16:97

8.1
“ Surely the men Who submit ( to Allah ) and the women who submit ( to Allah ), the
men who have faith and the women who have faith, the men who are obedient and
the women who are obedient, the men who are truthful and the women who are
truthful, the men who are steadfast and the women who are steadfast. The men who
humble themselves (to Allah) and the women who humble themselves (to Allah) the
men who give zakah and the women who give zakah, the men who fast and the
women fast, the men who grant their chastely and the women who guard their
chastely , the men who remember Allah much and the women who remember Allah
much: for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and a mighty reward”
al- Ahzab 33:35

8.2
The norm here is ethical equality and qualitative treatment: Not gender
based, discrimination.
• At the level of faith and obedience to Allah
• In ethical conduct of Truthfulness, Steadfastness, Humbleness
• Observing social responsibilities of payment of zakah independently.
• Personal piety and sexual ethics
• Allah consciousness.

“ The believers, both men and women are allies of one another (awlia) they
enjoin good, forbid evil establish prayer, pay zakah, and obey Allah and His
Messenger. Surely Allah will show mercy to them, Allah is All Mighty, All
Wise. Allah has promised the believing men and women Garden beneath
which rivers flow. They shall abide in it. There are delightful dwelling
places for them in the gardens of eternity.
al – Tawbah 9:71-72
9 Comradeship, collaboration and not competition

10 Islam rejects gender-based world view and
gender discrimination
• Women enjoy right to life, honor, rational independence,
right to own, right to education, right to participate in
decision making, right to protest, right to legal evidence,
inheritance, and divorce.

11 Legal equality
“ … And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them,
according to what is equitable; but men have a degree (of advantage)
over them.. Allah is All powerful, All Wise”.
al – Baqarah 2:228

12 Law of evidence
“… and call upon two of your men as witness; but if two men and not
there, then let there be one man and two women as witness from
among those acceptable to you so that if one of the two women
should fail to remember the other might remind her”.
al – Baqarah 2:282

13 Dress Code
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of
the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go
abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not
annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful”
al-Ahzab 33:59

14 Polygamy
“And if your fear that you will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the
women, who seem good to you, two or three or four; and if you fear that you
cannot do justice (to so many) then one (only) or (the captives) that your right
hands possess. Thus it is more likely that you will not do injustice”
And give unto the women, (whom you marry) free gift of their marriage
portions; but if they of their own accord remit unto you a part thereof, then you
are welcome to absorb it (in your wealth)”.
al-Nisa 4:3-4

15 Inheritance
“Allah directs you concerning (the provision for) your children; to the male the
equivalent of the portion of two females, and if there be women more than two,
then their heirs is two-thirds of the inheritance, and if there be one (only) then
the half. And to his parents a sixth of the inheritance if he have a son; and if
have no son and his parents are his heirs, then to his mother appertaineth the
third; and if he have brethen, then to his mother appertaineth the sixth, after
any legacy he may have bequethed, or debt (hath been paid). Your parent or
your children: You know not which of them is nearer unto you in usefulness. It is
an injunction from Allah. Lo! Allah is knower, Wise!”
al-Nisa 4:11

“And unto you belongeth a half of that which your wives leave, if they have no child;
but if they have a child then unto you the fourth of that which they leave, after any
legacy they may have bequethed, or debt (they may have contracted, hath been paid).
And unto them belongeth the fourth of that which ye leave if you have no child, but if
you have a child then the eight of that which you leave, after any legacy you may have
bequethed, or debt (you may have contracted, hath been paid). And if a man or a
woman have a distant their (having left neither parent nor child), and he (or she) have
a brother or a sister (only on the mother’s side) then to each of them twain (the
brother and the sister) the sixth, and if they be more than two, then they shall be
sharers in the third, after any legacy that may have been bequethed or debt
(contracted) not injuring (the heirs by willing away morethan a third of the heritage)
hath been paid. A commandment from Allah. Allah is Knower, Indulgent!”
Al-Nisa 4:12
15.1

Discuss: Theoretical Perspectives on Gender
Inequality
• How does inequality based on gender impact society? How
Islam defines gender equity and what our society perceive
right or wrong about Islam for the said. Critically analyze the
concept of gender equity in our society and how Islamic
teaching in the said perspective would be cultural universal
in the next one or two decade. Compare and contrast the
functionalist and conflict views on gender inequality.

Putting It Together
• Gender identity and sexual orientation are not always as clear cut as we might assume in our
heteronormative society
• All of these concepts are currently hot topics in mainstream American media, as seen in the recent
debates surrounding public restrooms and gender identity
• The debate over restroom access has grown as transgender activism has become more mainstream.
• Islam’s ethical empowerment of women and men is distinct from the pre- Islamic notion
of gender based world view.
• Islamic approach is qualitative and not based on blind equality
• Legal and ethical empowerment also defines roles of women and men in an ethical society.
• Differentiation in roles does not mean discrimination.
• ‘Adl, ehsan , taqwa and ‘ Amal saleh are the basis for superiority of one over another.

Quick Review
• How do the definitions of sex and gender differ?
• What is meant by gender identity and differentiate between
cisgender, transgender, binary, and non-binary gender identities?
• How has socialization influenced gender roles in the United States?
• What is the definition and some examples of sexism in society?
• What are some sexual attitudes and practices around the world,
including perspectives on sex education?
• What is sexual orientation and how does it impact the role of
homophobia and heterosexism in society?

Quick Review, continued
• How are sexual identities are part of the socialization process?
• What are the feminist movements in the U.S. and each of their strengths
and weaknesses?
• What is feminist theory?
• How is gender understood through a structural-functionalist, conflict, and
symbolic interactionist perspective?
• What are the structural-functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist
perspectives on sex and sexuality?
• Why marriages of Male and Female and proper wedlock is complursory
according to the (Islamic) universal values.

Quick Review, Continuied
• How do we define marriage and family?
• What makes family a social institution?
• What changes and trends have courtship, marriage, and family patterns
experienced throughout history and today?
• How do lines of descent and residence differ?
• How do marriage and family life differ in the U.S. over time?
• How does each theoretical perspective view marriage and family? How do they
differ?

16.1Conclusion
“Human being , We created you all from a male and a female and
made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other.
Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most Allah's
fearing (Allah conscious).”
al – Hujurat 49:13

Wa ma tawfiqi illa bi Allah
Shukran
&
Thank You
May 30, 2022