Abstract
In the 1970s, gender theory emerged under the influence of the research of the American psychoanalyst Robert Stoller. Scholars in women studies who rely on gender theory focused on the social construction of gender identity, elaborating on how the discourse around men and women shape masculinity and femininity, and how masculinity and femininity construct the hierarchy of men and women. Under the influence of gender theory, researchers conducted research in four areas: the analysis of symbolic images, the construction of different disciplines, the distinction of social roles and the internalization of value systems. Gender theory also prompts us to accept the generalized power and ignore the function of contexts, leading to the narrow-mindedness, rigidity and stereotyping in women studies.
First Page
141
Last Page
147
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Chenghua. 2017. "The Influence of Gender Theory on Women Studies and Its Debates." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 37, (2): pp.141-147. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol37/iss2/15
