UNIT 2. LESSON 1

GENDER AND STEREOTYPES 

In this Unit, we will discuss gender and stereotypes. Most of the examples are from a US or UK perspective. As you go through the unit, think about whether you agree with the views of the speakers and writers. 

Here are some words and expressious to talk about gender and stereotypes:

- I don't agree that men don't like talking about their feelings. I think it's a stereotype.

- My father believes a woman's place is in the home. He's so sexist and old-fashioned!

NOUNS CLAUSES AS OBJECTS

Noun clauses can function as the object of a sentence, the structure is : subject + verb + thatt noun clause. Remember, that can often be omitted. 

- She says that she holds traditional values,

- She insinuated (that) I shouldn't order for her. 

You can use a noun clause to add information to certain adjectives.

- Rhonde was upset that Walter got the job. 

 - I'm so sorry (that) I'm late.

- She's a feminist. She believes in women's rights. 

- I work hard, I'm good at my job, and I just want equal rights, my gender is not important.

- Traditional values are changing. In the past, men were supposed to take care of women, but now women are much more independent.

- We mustn't generalize. Not all men are the same, and us all women are, either.

WH- words such as who, what, where and why cau also be used to introduce noun clauses as objects.

- Adrian explained why he wants to have children. 

- He announced where he wants to go to college. 

- He believes what the president says. 

- I wonder who his new girlfriend is.

MAKING INFERENCES.

Making inferences is a key reading skill. If you can't infer what a writer means, you may have an incomplete understanding of a text. Here are some tips on how to draw inferences. 

1- Use Graphics. 

The text you will read is accompanied by an image of a 1950s American housewife. Looking at the image, these are among, the inferences you might make: 

What it was like to be a 1950's housewife.

Gender relationships in the 1950s. 

The changes in gender relationships between the 19503 and now. 

2- Go From Parts To The Whole 

Start off by forming an understanding of the main idea of each sentence then combine these ideas to infer the main idea of the paragraph. Finally, combine the main ideas of each para- graph to form a broader understanding of the text.

3- Use Topic Sentences And Transitions As Clues. 

In the text you will read, the topic sentence of one paragraph is "Time has changed or have they?" "From this, you might infer that the writer is:

going to compare the past and present.

Not convinced that things have changed as much as we think.

4- Look For Key Idiomatic Expressions. 

In the text, you will find the expression, He was the King of the house. From this, you can quess the writer is the 1950s.

5 Beware Of Illogical Inferences. 

Do not infer the writer's overall opinion from one sentence read the rest of the text before you do so. For example the question "Is this the death of feneévisue?" Might suggest the writer thinks feminism is dead. But if you read on you'll find the writer's opinion is more complex.