Social Construction Of Gender Analysis

Gender, defined by Sara Arber refers to the social, economical and cultural expectations and norms given to men and women. Gender is an important socially constructed idea that differentiates the roles and responsibilities given to the sexes, deeming what is appropriate and acceptable for men and women as well as the way in which they are treated by their social groups. Social construction is a specific concept based on space and time, thus gender being a social construction, is continuously changing throughout time and varies amongst societies. The socialization of gender has increased the thoughts that males and females acquire certain traits in order to become masculine or feminine, creating gender differences and deeming them as ‘natural’,

Sex is a physical classification of men and women by their different natural and biological attributes (chromosomes, sex organs, chromosomes. etc.)(Arber, S and Thomas, 2001:18).In contrast to sex, gender refers to the experience of masculinity and femininity, which relates to the societal norms and roles put in place for men and women. Gender entails the social roles learned by males and females through socialization, linked with culture to understand the different behaviors and social roles expected of men and women, despite biological differences (Vcampus.uom.ac.mu, 2015)(Nobelius, 2004). Owing to the fact that gender is a social construction, ideas of gender change across time and differ within cultures, for example: the ideas of being a man in all cultures and not the same. In many cultures in Thailand, it is okay and acceptable to be a feminist; feminism is not looked down upon, however, in other cultures feminism amongst males is looked down and frowned upon and seen as a sign of weakness because of gender constructed

Example: women are socially perceived as weak and inferior to men, allowing women to be undermined and deemed socially and economically powerless. It also portrays an unequal status among men and women; women are portrayed as easy targets for diseases and viruses such as HIV, owing to social constructions and the vulnerability associated with women in a gender and sex perspective. Women are easy targets, thus gang rape, sexual abuse and violence is more common among women and has enormous effects and consequences on physical and mental health (Arber, S and Thomas, 2001:14,15). In addition to HIV, more women are prone to develop illnesses such as osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety. Etc.With reference to osteoporosis, more women are affected than men because of deep social reason –such which relate to why women do not get enough nutrition and exercise. These reasons are influenced by social perception of women, the diet they should have or the roles directed to them, example: women should be at home looking after and caring for the children rather than at the gym exercising to keep healthy (Arber, S and Thomas,