Glossary
Abaya
- Also known as chador
- Garment worn by Muslim women to cover their entire bodies except for their eyes, hands and feet
- Said to be worn so that the women will not be treated and viewed as sex objects by men
- Official dress code for women in the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries
Androgyny
- Hermaphroditic or having both male and female sexual organs
- Possessing both male and female qualities or features
- Neither male nor female in terms of appearance or behaviour
Bisexuality
- A person who is sexually attracted to both persons of the opposite sex and persons of the same sex
Democracy
- A political philosophy grounded in values such as equality and human rights
- Usually used to represent Western liberal democracy (albeit only one form of democracy)
- Liberal democracy is the form of social order that has a belief in freedom of the people and the protection of the people's rights
Developed countries
- Countries with high economic development, thus with high income per capita and high human development (literary, health and standard of living)
- Includes United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Germany, France, etc.
Egalitarian
- Social, political or economic life that is a result of the advocating of and belief in equal rights and freedoms of humans
Female Genital Mutilation
- Also known as female genital cutting or female circumcision
- The cutting of a female's external genitalia, mostly for cultural and religious reasons
Female infanticide
- Sex-selective murdering of girl babies at birth or soon after
- Usually occurs in developing countries due to age-old notions of the superiority of boys
Femininity
- Qualities and traits that are often associated with women
- Includes characteristics such as meekness, patience and vanity
Feminism
- Belief that the two sexes should be equal in social, political and economic spheres
- Movement advocating this belief
Gender equality
- Equality of all individuals regardless of sexual orientation
- Advocates equal rights of both men and women
- Rejects misogyny, misandry and other forms of sexism
Great Goddess
- Source of all life and represents the earth's fertility
- Goddess of life, death and rebirth
- Worshipped in ancient cultures (Pre-Indo period) as females are seen to be divine and life-giving
Heterosexual
- A person who is sexually attracted to persons of the opposite sex
Homosexual
- A person who is sexually attracted to persons of the same sex
Industralisation
- Part of modernisation process
- Social and economic change in which economies now depend on industries to function
- Characterised with the advancement of technology and wide-scale production
Misogyny
- Loathing or hatred of women
Masculinity
- Qualities and traits that are often associated with men
- Includes characteristics such as aggression, decisiveness and strength
Matriarchy
- Form of social order that acknowledges the mother to be the supreme authority where lineage is maternal
- Any kind of community that is grounded in such a social organisation
Matrifocal
- Culture that concentrates on women
- Society in which the mother heads the family as the father is absent for long periods of time
Matrilineal
- A form of social organisation that is based on lineage and property ownership being maternal
Men's Movement
- Movement that involves standing up for men's rights and supporting men
- Seeks to alter the male gender role, to achieve equal rights for men and women in terms of child access and support male victims of domestic violence
- Advocates men's liberation, masculism, men's health, father's rights and rights of male victims of rape
Metrosexual
- A heterosexual man who possesses feminine traits that are often attributed to homosexual men, such as having aesthetic and fashion sense and paying close attention to the grooming of oneself
Middle East
- Loose grouping of countries that reside in Western Asia and North Africa
- Influenced by Judaism, Islam and Christianity
- Includes countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Yemen, Kuwait and Sudan
Modernisation
- Phenomena in which societies move from a more agrarian-based lifestyle to a more urbanised and industrialised one
- Move from barbaric civilisations to more modern states
- Modern states have a higher standard of living and provide for wealthier lifestyles
Neolithic
- The New Stone Age or the last part of the Stone Age
- Began with humans' discovery of farming as it slowly spread throughout cultures
Oppression
- The execution of one's power over another in an unjustified and abusive manner
Patriarchy
- Form of social order that acknowledges the father to be the supreme authority where lineage is paternal
- Any kind of community that is grounded in such a social organisation
Prostitution
- The offer or engagement in sexual intercourse as a job or for money
Purdah
- Cultural practice of preventing women to be seen by men
- Takes two forms - physical separation of men and women and the women to conceal their bodies
- Prevalent in the Islamic world as well as Hindu women in areas of India
South Asia
- Southern area of the Asian continent
- Includes countries such as India, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Bangladesh
- Predominantly cultures of Indo-Aryan and Dravidian
Ubersexual
- The ubersexual is the super-male and is above all other males, combining both metrosexual elements as well as traditional traits of men such as strength and confidence
- New age male who has positive male characteristics but do not carry negative stereotypes of men