Skeggs (quoted in Pini & Previte 2013, 345) asserts that “class is always encoded by bodily dispositions – the body is the most ubiquitous signifier of class.” An example of this is the constructed distinction between gender and sex. While sex is now understood to refer to the biological characteristics that distinguish men from women, gender conceptualizes the social, psychological, and cultural traits that distinguish men from women (Wharton, 2011, 4). Bourdieu understands this distinction as a consequence of status; sex confers status because it is innate whereas gender is constructed and must be learned (Wharton, 2011, 4). We can consider that this fundamental constructed distinction perpetuates new inequalities. An example of this is the gendered social stigma that manifests through the body and is experienced through the stereotype of the “bogan”. In a study by Barbara Pini and Josephine Previte (2013, 358), it was found that "alongside motherhood, the bogan woman is judged incredibly harshly for her failure to embody middle-class femininity – as demure, gentle, nice and thin.” These stereotypes normalize a class-based hierarchy of tastes, heavily influenced by Bourdieu's theory of habitus. Habitus refers to “a set of dispositions, expectations and behaviors that influence the “practices, perceptions and attitudes” that members of a social class consider normal or appropriate (Gray and Kish-Gephart, 2013, 671). Thus, Bourdieu's theory of habitus can be used to perform a class analysis that illuminates the secret but still relevant language of class in a gendered society. Furthermore, it can also be used to highlight the power of people with status to define the “norm” and thus exclude those who do not fit within its boundaries (Bauman, 2004, 106). This argument is, however, limited by

Essay / Skeggs (quoted in Pini & Previte 2013, 345) asserts that “class is always encoded by bodily dispositions – the body is the most ubiquitous signifier of class.” An example of this is the constructed distinction between gender and sex. While sex is now understood to refer to the biological characteristics that distinguish men from women, gender conceptualizes the social, psychological, and cultural traits that distinguish men from women (Wharton, 2011, 4). Bourdieu understands this distinction as a consequence of status; sex confers status because it is innate whereas gender is constructed and must be learned (Wharton, 2011, 4). We can consider that this fundamental constructed distinction perpetuates new inequalities. An example of this is the gendered social stigma that manifests through the body and is experienced through the stereotype of the “bogan”. In a study by Barbara Pini and Josephine Previte (2013, 358), it was found that "alongside motherhood, the bogan woman is judged incredibly harshly for her failure to embody middle-class femininity – as demure, gentle, nice and thin.” These stereotypes normalize a class-based hierarchy of tastes, heavily influenced by Bourdieu's theory of habitus. Habitus refers to “a set of dispositions, expectations and behaviors that influence the “practices, perceptions and attitudes” that members of a social class consider normal or appropriate (Gray and Kish-Gephart, 2013, 671). Thus, Bourdieu's theory of habitus can be used to perform a class analysis that illuminates the secret but still relevant language of class in a gendered society. Furthermore, it can also be used to highlight the power of people with status to define the “norm” and thus exclude those who do not fit within its boundaries (Bauman, 2004, 106). This argument is, however, limited by

Navigation

« Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next »

Get In Touch