Essay 1 Anth University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign ANTH 103
Megan O’Loughlin
Anth 103
Essay 1
Essay Question #1
In my opinion, gender is an important category of analysis in sociocultural
anthropology. Sex is biological but gender is the way members of the two sexes are
perceived, evaluated, and expected to behave (class notes). These social definitions of
maleness vs. femalene
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Essay 1 Anth University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign ANTH 103
Megan O’Loughlin
Anth 103
Essay 1
Essay Question #1
In my opinion, gender is an important category of analysis in sociocultural
anthropology. Sex is biological but gender is the way members of the two sexes are
perceived, evaluated, and expected to behave (class notes). These social definitions of
maleness vs. femaleness vary from culture to culture, so in order to get a better
understanding on their way of life, anthropologists should observe through every lens,
including gender, and not disregard any aspects of it. By leaving out certain categories, it
creates bias and doesn’t provide the world with the whole picture. For example, many
people have the idea that the veil Muslim women wear is a form of oppression. Many
people want to “save” these women because they think these women are being forced to
wear the veils. However, according to “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving” by Lila
AbuLughod, veiling is “considered a voluntary act by women who are deeply committed
to being moral and have a sense of honor tied to family”. It is important for
anthropologists to set the story straight because the media has spread a very different and
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