The Theory Of Social Construction Of Gender

1. The theory of social construction of gender in sociology refers to the origin of gender differences between males and females. According to this, culture and society create gender roles, making those roles prescribed as appropriate or ideal behavior for an individual of that specific sex. Statistics show that individuals who expressed gender non-conformity or a transgender identity, while they were in school, reported an alarming rate of harassment at 78%. In addition, incidents of physical assault were at 35%, and individuals who were victims of sexual violence were 12%. (Martin,2011) In fact, the harassment was so bad that 15 percent of those individuals felt forced to leave school prior to graduating or higher education. The harassment was perpetrated by both peers and teachers. This harassment pattern carried over into everyday life and LGBT individuals were continually subjected to harassment, hate crimes, and violence. And, to make matters worse, many of them are also at an economic disadvantage from their years in school where they

What impacted me the most was reading about the fact that, according to one survey among transgender Americans, more than 40% have tried to commit suicide. And, that 's in stark comparison to only 1.8% of the general public. (Grant et al.,2011) It impacted me particularly because it seems bad enough that they 're discriminated against and targeted for violence by so-called straight people and haters but the high percentage of the members of the LGBT community that simply want to get away from all of it by taking their own lives is especially sad. Maybe if people would learn to accept them and embrace their individuality, there would not only be less intolerance and violence against them but more of them that have the opportunity to love life instead of trying to end it. These attempted suicide figures impacted me because they speak to me of a genuine sense of despair among people who are members of the LGBT