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The importance of stereotypes in gender
Stereotypes about the sexes
Impact of stereotypes on people
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More handpicked essays just for you.
The importance of stereotypes in gender
Stereotypes about the sexes
Impact of stereotypes on people
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The main point of the article is that in many cultures, there are alternatives to “man” or “woman” and that not all countries agree with the Western culture’s strict classification of male and female. Supporting Evidence The author, Walter L. Williams, first provides evidence of his main argument at the onset of the article. Before even introducing the berdache, Williams explains that Western tradition is often viewed to be normal, and anything outside of those norms may be considered abnormal. Williams then explains that to an invididual raised under Western ideals, gender is often viewed simply as male or as female.
This author uses essays from the book Exotic No More: Anthroplogy on Front Lines to support her research about the various roles of gender in societies. Her main focus, and example was showcasing the Western society and how they classified gender. In the past, gender roles were mostly composed up of the same gender. For example, domestic duties were for women, not men.
For as long as we can remember, gender inequality has been around for a long time. Gender roles have been essential in many cultures, shaping beliefs and practices. The assumption that men and women naturally have different traits was first frequently viewed skeptically in the western culture of the twenty-first century. Classical ideas, Christian ideology, and modern science and medicine all contributed to the development of gender difference theories. Men and women were believed to inhabit bodies with differing physical compositions and to have intrinsically different traits and virtues.
Synthesis #1 Our concepts of gender are constructed by our biological characteristics and societal factors. In many societies, these concepts of gender, and the differences in men and women are rooted in tradition. The moment a child is born a kind of social construction begins. A child whether girl or boy will most likely be shown some behaviors on how they should behave according to their biological characteristics. Throughout history, we have seen the same stereotypes placed on gender, men should be strong and brave.
Gender role refers to those behaviors and attitudes that are considered to belong to one sex. Gender role is based on femininity and masculinity that differentiate women and men by giving men some roles and women which results to gender inequality. There some work in society that is regarded to belong to women such as cooking, taking care of children and other less important roles while men are given roles that makes them superior than women. Most of the gender roles associated with women makes them inferior and creates a room to be oppressed. Gender roles are constructed by society and attributed to women or men.
Gender is something that is brought to the attention of people well before people are even brought into the world. Take for instance, when a woman finds out that she is pregnant and is about to have a child. The first question that that women is asked is “What are you having?” In doing this we are automatically emphasizing the importance of being able to identify whether or not to buy “boy” things or “girl” things. As a society we deem it important for each sex to practice a set of “norms” of how to behave via that sex.
Gender Roles in the Ibo and American Culture Gender roles can be found throughout history and the world and, in almost every case, there will always be differences. Girls and boys alike learn a set of behaviors, attitudes, responsibilities, and rights in accordance with their specific sex (Culture and Human Experience). The differences in gender roles can be especially obvious in Ibo culture and modern American culture.
In essence, our education acts as a series guidelines that direct us. And our society can 't function without having an underlying sense of what 's appropriate. So as with anything else, gender reflects our need for polarization. And by looking at the educational environment, we can see some of the effects.
It is understandable that some may think this way, however, my views on gender roles reflect more on egalitarian practices. According to Gere (2012, p. 301) egalitarian activities are important in families. As it enhances equality because division of household labour and responsibilities usually result in
Gender roles in society are defined differently in many manifestations. For example, countries in the Middle East and Africa have male-only judicial branches while educational systems throughout the world are mostly made up of women. But how are these roles determined? It may be the location of a civilization or the traditions and religions that a group of people adhere to. In Igbo society, these roles are defined by both their culture and beliefs.
Gender is all around us. Like water surrounding creatures in the sea, we are often unaware of its ever-present nature. Gender is actually taught to us from the moment we are born. Gender expectations and messages bombard us constantly. Upbringing, culture, peers, schools, community, media, and religion are some of the many influences that shape our understanding of this core aspect of self.
Gender roles, also known as gender stereotypes, are social and cultural norms on how females and males should conduct themselves within a society. Every culture has certain roles both genders are expected to follow. An example of this in traditional American culture is a man becoming a doctor while a female becomes a nurse or men being the hard workers and women being stay at home mothers. Gender development researchers, similar to other developmental researchers, focus on questions of change over time in gender related subjects (Ruble and Martin 1988). Research suggest that children are socialized to understand gender stereotypes at an early age.
Gender roles are beliefs about the ways in which communal and societal roles are defined by gender (Slavkin&Stright, 2000). In traditional families, traditional gender roles are common. The male is the breadwinner; while the female is responsible for childcare and housekeeping. This pattern defines masculinity as assertive, aggressive, and independent (Eagly, 1987; Eagly & Steffen, 199284) and femininity is defined as emotional, sensitive and nurturing (Bem, 1981; Slavkin&Stright 2000). Gender differences have been discussed thoroughly by many researchers in the fields of language, education and others(see for instance, Locke, 2011, Okamoto, Slattery Rashotte, & Smith-Lovin, 2002, and &Kiesling, 2007).
Today’s society still has a main set of ideas on how men and women are expected to dress, behave, and present themselves solely based on their gender. Gender role expectations can vary from each society, ethnic group, and culture. Gender based stereotypes are widely accepted judgments or biases about a person or group, but these stereotypes are typically exaggerated and not always accurate. Gender based stereotypes can cause sexism, which is defined as “prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.” (Oxford Dictionary).
In simplifying the meaning of culture, we can easily describe it as the way people live their lives. Culture consists of different elements which help to group people into specific cultural groups. These elements include values, beliefs, customs, language, rituals, art and the way people dress. With regards to these elements each culture is different (Malik, 1996). I belong to the Cape Coloured culture and even though the Cape Coloured culture is used to generally classify coloured people, not everyone in the Cape Coloured culture has the same system of values, beliefs, customs, rituals and so forth.