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Social Constructionism: A Sociological Analysis

1251 Words6 Pages

The ideology that gender is socially constructed is a view that has been present in a variance of philosophical, sociological and psychological theories. This view shares an understanding that gender is a product of enculturation through a prescribed ideal as well as what is socially appropriate behaviour for a person of the specific gender. Society is shaped globally through social order. Each culture and society share a social order that is defined as a particular set of customs, relationships, values and practices that are maintained and enforced in society. These customs are engrained within society through contexts and shared meanings. There are multiple variables that comprise social ordering, one of them being gender. Gender is …show more content…

When looking at gender with this percpective,
(David buss Robert sapolsky Judith lorber )
Although biological determinism makes their arguments within the ring of truth, there are multiple accounts and instances where it is evident that socialization had a key role in gender. Alike many other sciences, sociology critiques biological determinism and essentialism. Sociology itself is understood as the study of social behaviour, behaviour in groups that includes the organizations, institutions, and development. Thus, sociologists conceptualize gender with a social constructionist perspective, aiming to understand and demonstrate how society relies on social interaction in order to develop.
Social constructionism is defined as “ the theoretical orientation that sees the expression and organization of gender not as the outcome of biology, but as the result of historical and cultural change, [and] the socialization of individuals…” (Kimmel 111) Through the examination of past experiments, situations, and case studies it is evident that the implantation of culture and socialization is a key aspect in the development of the …show more content…

It offers a sense of fluidity between the two by explaining gender as the product of enculturation rather than a specific set of traits. Gender is examined as product of social constructionism and enculturation by exploring three distinct levels in which gender is present.
The first being the perspective that gender is not defined as a set of characteristics but rather an identity. As we progress through our daily lives, gender takes form in how we act, carry ourselves and interact with individuals. This can be understood as how each individual internally experience gender. This could take shape in male, female, neither or along a spectrum. As well, an individual’s gender identity is not solidified by their birth-assigned sex, allowing the individual the freedom to identify themselves without binary categories.
The second level of gender is interaction. Over time, men and women have been taught how to act in accordance with gender conformed behaviours, and looked upon as “abnormal” if they deviant from what is expected. Gender is evolving within each generation as the individual partakes in a gender identity daily by either reinforcing instilled norms, or with an attempt to normalize deviant

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