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What Influences Gender Roles In Society

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What Influences Gender Role Specifics Within Society? Colleen Ann Jardine Thongsook College, July 2016 Abstract The family unit, education, and the media play a huge role in socially constructing genders to into specific behaviors and roles that are the expected and termed “norms” within society. Children are made aware of the cultural and societal norms through subtle messages at a very young age and it has been embedded in them by the age of 4 or 5. Children, being at a disadvantage accept it as a natural form of behavior which has lasting effects, good and bad right into their adulthood. Unfortunately, not all adults realize the true reality and continue the same cycle with their offspring. Introduction What …show more content…

From birth, children are socialized into the stereotypical roles that are linked to their specific biological sex. Studies have shown that the awareness of gender roles have already been perceived by the age of 2 or 3 and deeply embedded by the age of 4 or 5 years. It has also been found that children distinguish these differences in toys and will only play with the “gender appropriate toy” whether there is a cross-gender toy selection due to the positive or negative feedback given by the parents. These perceived notions continue into adulthood where there is a lot more men found in professions such as law enforcement, politics, and military whereas females are mainly found in social work, hospitals, and childcare. This adherence to gender specific roles is evident of the fulfillment of society expectations but not a true reflection of personal preference. Sexism and the enforcement of Gender role The belief of valuing males over females is the basis for sexism in modern society. Women are expected to display friendliness, passivity, and nurturing qualities if she is aggressive or assertive she may not be accepted or liked because she has contravened the society gender role whereas the male will be respected as he is strong and assertive. Sexism extends into the workplace where you would rarely find women in engineering; construction as …show more content…

Conclusion Unfortunately, the status quo of subordination, passiveness and nurturing as an expected behavior by women within society will not change unless; children are socialized from a very young age that there are no differences amongst the gender. Parents as the first form of contact would have their jobs cut out for them to change the status quo as they too have been indoctrinated; people find it extremely difficult to change their habits. Therefore, the powerful and powerless gender stereotype will be an ongoing

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