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Social Construction Of Gender Roles In Society

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An individual’s gender is not something that is actively thought about during the day. But, it shapes who they are as a person. Gender influences how a person walks, talks, dresses, and it shapes a person’s personality, and effects how they are perceived by others. However, society has stamped an image into the minds of many people of how roles of each gender should be played out with two recognized gender types, a man and a woman. There are many types of gender roles a man or a woman may assume to be, and how they are placed into society. This can be referred to as the “social construction of gender” - the gender difference of a man and woman. The ideas of how one should act and behave are often times ascribed by their gender on how society …show more content…

They refer to the rights and responsibilities, including relationships in all individuals. Yet, much gender relations are not as highly known. For instance, in terms of the sociological imagination: “Patterns of gender relations are found throughout society, although much of the time these patterns remain invisible to us” (Mills, 2000), explains huge breakthroughs in society that are still patterns of gender relations found throughout society. I have always been identified as a female and have enjoyed partaking in activities that society has deemed ‘girly.’ For instance, as I mentioned in my daily routine, I love to do my makeup and hair. But, I also love fashion, shopping for clothes, draw, and listen to pop or female centered music. I consider myself to be a feminist in many ways. For example, I recently begun to realize that most of what I perceive to be feminine, and acceptable behaviors for a female has been shaped by my own surroundings. I grew up with parents that carried a combination of some religious beliefs of Catholicism, along with a mix of liberal politics. I am very lucky that my parents emphasized the importance of education, having goals, and achieving them. Growing up, it was assumed that I would go to a university and have a career after my undergrad, which I did carry but it is still in the process. In addition, it was deemed likely that I would marry and have children when I get older and when I am …show more content…

"Construction of gender theory argues that girls and boys are actively involved in constructing their own gendered identities. Men and women can even take up a range of different masculinities and femininities that may at times contradict each other. This construction of gender identities (or subjectivities), varieties of femininities or masculinities, is also seen as dynamic, ongoing, changing and changeable, rather than static or fixed" (Allard, Cooper, Hildebrand, & Wealands, 1995: 24). However, it should not matter how society portrays each gender to be. Everyone should be accepted for the way they are happy to be, no matter if you carry more femininities or masculinities and you are not set up to be that way. All people should be comfortable with their own personality and how they perceive the way of

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The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable

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Gender is something that is brought to the attention of people well before people are even brought into the world. Take for instance, when a woman finds out that she is pregnant and is about to have a child. The first question that that women is asked is “What are you having?” In doing this we are automatically emphasizing the importance of being able to identify whether or not to buy “boy” things or “girl” things. As a society we deem it important for each sex to practice a set of “norms” of how to behave via that sex.

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Unlike ‘sex’, which typically refers to the biological and physiological differences, gender is a sociological concept that describes the social and cultural constructions that is associated with one’s sex (Giddens & Sutton, 2013, p. 623-667). The constructed (or invented) characteristics that defines gender is an ongoing process that varies between societies and culture and it can change over time. For example, features that are overly masculine in one culture can be seen as feminine in another; however, the relation between the two should not be seen as static. Gender socialization is thought to be a major explanation for gender differences, where children adhere to traditional gender roles from different agencies of socialization. Gender

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What we think of as proper behaviours for men and women are rooted in the gender binary: the idea that there are only two genders, that those genders have distinct and separate sets of inherent characteristics and traits, and that any deviation from these is somehow wrong. The way that our society constructs gendered categories goes far beyond people. For example, fruity cocktails and wine coolers are considered to be “women’s drinks”, while whiskey and beer are “men’s drinks”. Even certain cars and genres of music and movies are considered to be more “manly” than others.

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It is stated that society is filled with many biases and stereotypes which are taught to children. Children are socialized differently based on their gender and are brought up to adopt gender roles based on their sex and as they grow up they are put into situations that influence their behaviours and attitudes about gender roles. These norms are generally taught first in the home and then are reinforced by peer groups, education and social media. The writer states that she believes that the most influential influence on gender roles comes from the specific family situation in which the child is brought up, with parents and family members passing down and reinforcing their own beliefs on gender onto the children. The writer aims to suggest that a more androgynous (gender neutral) gender role orientation is more beneficial to the child as it does not influence the child to be a certain way based on their perceived

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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%.

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