Gender Socialisation And Gender Analysis

A Functionalist View on Gender Socialisation

Introduction

Male, female, transgender, words which is used in society to describe a specific image of that gender and what is acceptable and what is not. Which behaviour is appropriate and which is not. Society states a specific idea on what is acceptable for different gender roles and identities, which are passed on through generations. Gender socialisation is the process by which society influences members to internalize attitudes and expectations (M.A. Lamanna, A.Riedmann & S. Stewart, 2015). It’s the thought processes that are involved in our behaviour. Socialisation is the process in which society moulds us to behave in a certain manner. During this process each gender is taught specific behaviour

Within nuclear families socialisation is more centred on the view of the parents, whereas extended and non-traditional families have a more open view on socialisation. These families give us a different aspect to what gender identity is and how people deal or accept it.. Absent fathers, single mother households and adoption are the various types of families you may find in South Africa. These families influence a child’s identity and socialization. Boys with absent fathers tend to have identity problems or they become overprotective of their mothers and sisters. They may also see their fathers less masculine and think they may have that type of attribute too. Girls with no mothers have trouble growing up, they tend to be rebellious and do things they tend to regret later in life. Children with no parents feel lost and unloved and feel that no one will ever love them. They get into very dangerous situations because they don’t have roles models to help them better their situations. They feel like they don’t have an

According to Walter and Davie (1988), women are more religious due to “differential gender socialisation”. Further research conducted suggests that men are less religious than women due to their higher risk taking behaviour which is socialised in men, and is seen more acceptable within society than women partaking in risky behaviour. People from different backgrounds, race, culture or religion have their specific or strict way in which they interact with someone from the opposite gender, for example: women from the Islam religion are not allowed to talk to men or look them in the eyes. Indian women are suppose to be home taking care of the house, cook the food and look after the children while the men are suppose to take care of the family financially. In the modern society these traditional ways of behaviour are changing, men are becoming household fathers while the women are working and making a success of themselves in the workplace. This makes it easier for people to interact with the opposite gender, because there isn’t a “punishment” for interacting with the opposite sex. According the research we did, men from coloured and black backgrounds are raised to show more masculine attributes. They must be successful or is seen as failures. They tend to associate themselves with people from the similar backgrounds, religion and race. They say it’s easier to relate and interact with them but