Four Gender Constructs

As a result of this feminism became a widely talked about topic and there are millions of feminists that talk about all of the issues that they are put through. But with all of this going on it is easily overlooked that men are also put into these stereotypes. For example, some people even go to the extreme of immediately categorizing men with high voices and a smaller build as gay. Being someone who is about to go off into the world and create the person that I am going to be for the rest of my life, this whole topic of “being a man” is something that I think about often. What if I go into this world on my own and don’t fit the social norm for being a man? What will I do then? What society tells you is to “fake it ‘till you make it”, act like you’re something that you aren’t so people will think that you’re

There are multiple examples and instances where the object of a joke has something to do with gender and gender stereotypes. These types of jokes seem to take center stage at any comedy performance or routine, and the audience loves it. Gender in association with humor brings up a great deal of questions. Do males and females see humor differently? Are there any similarities in the way the sexes view humor? And is there any truth to the thought that humans enjoy crass humor more than other types of jokes? These questions have been popping up in the scientific world, and researchers are trying to answer them. Even though there have been studies conducted, it is still a new field with much more potential.

Traditional American masculinity focuses on a few key concepts. Males are supposed to remain stoic and hide emotions, they are tough, they do not open up or show feelings, and they are not girl-like or feminine in any way (Oransky and Marecek). In a study of masculinity in male friendship and peer groups, Oransky and Marecek found that boys feel “that acting stoic, tough, and emotionally invulnerable was necessary for being regarded manly by their peers. ‘Soft’ emotions such as fear, pain, and sadness, as well as outward expressions of distress or worry, marked a boy as gay or girly” (Oransky and Marecek 225-226). William Pollack found similar views of

Masculinity is a topic that has been debated in our society extensively, through research as well as in informal settings. Many wonder what it means to be masculine, and if we can really assign a definition to such a subjective term. After all, shouldn't one's own perception be the determinant of what constitutes masculinity? This self-construction would be the ideal in our society, but unfortunately, it represents a false belief. Masculinity has certain characteristics assigned to it by our culture.

Many females who live in the twenty first century now often take for granted of their rights and freedoms that permit them to pursue their own interests and desires. However, this starkly contrasts with how women were treated in the past due to their submissive, powerless position that prohibited them from being able to truly embrace their own identity. This is particularly illustrated with female immigrants into which constrictive gender roles created a constraint upon each person’s freedom, resulting in feelings of unhomeliness in a completely different environment. However, while some women decide to passively accept the strict boundaries that society has imposed upon them, others will rebel against this confinement and confront against

Social constructs shape the way individuals live their everyday life, with respect to their geographical location being put into context. The effects of social constructs can also be witnessed upon studying their influence on feminism, and its advancements in history. In this discussion I will explain the following terms: genderism, binary, patriarchy, liberal feminist theory, systemic oppression, social feminist theory, and institutional sexism, and how they highlight the explicit dichotomy of equity in North-American society. These constructs create stigmas around the study of feminism, and all of its prior successors, making it more difficult to advance in the workplace, and in societies perspective.. This process oppresses many individuals,

The society has regulations in which people have to obey making social life be structured. Society has expectations for people to live by. People tend to live up to the norms in order to feel part of the world. Individuals do not want to be judged and labeled, so unconsciously live by the roles that they believe their gender has to follow. Gender is socially constructed concept in which society acts upon. The family is the first to influence individuals to this idea. Gender has roles in which boys and girls are supposed to follow. Depending on one’s gender, they are expected to dress, behave, and act accordingly to either portray a masculine or feminine personality. These gender roles are implied by society and if individuals do not follow are seen as outcast. It is difficult for people to comply to these characteristics and roles because they might have different life experiences and situations that might influence to act other than their gender roles imply.

“One is not born but, rather becomes a woman,” (Butler, 1988, p. 519). Perhaps one could be referring to gender as a performative act which serves as a ‘doing’ in bringing into being what it names. By observing how specific corporeal acts affects gender construction, similarities can be drawn in relation to performative acts. It resembles to how a person chooses a particular outfit from a wardrobe, however one must realize that the available choices are curtailed to an extent often through societal contexts. Butler emphasized that the world does not merely construct our gender but we ourselves are able to construct it in turn through our individual being. In regards to the wardrobe analogy, if a person seeks to transcend beyond the limitations

Prior to this moment I had never really felt pressured from society to fit my gender. I had seen many ideal beauty standards for females that I never felt I met but I had never had a moment where I felt like my appearance was associated with my gender. This moment was really jarring to me because when I decided to cut my hair short, I never once thought about how this would change the perception people had about me; It seemed like a small cosmetic decision.

There is a 4:1 boy to girl ratio found in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This gender disparity, although heavily studied, is little understood. There are two main theories that attempt to explain this gender disparity: the extreme male brain theory, which is supported by research on fetal testosterone, X-chromosomes, Y-chromosomes, and the female protective effect; and the biased diagnostic criteria theory, which is also supported by many research studies that explore phenotypic differences in the symptoms of boys and girls with ASD. Ultimately, the gender disparity is best explained by a merging of these two theories, in a model that shows that there are genetic differences that lead males to be more likely to develop

In western patriarchal society, hegemonic masculinity is still a social norm. *****Heterosexuality and homophobia are the bedrock of hegemonic masculinity and any understanding of its nature and meaning is predicated on the feminist insight that in general the relationship of men to women is oppressive.****** To be important and respected, you must live up to the standards of being a “real man”. Within this culture, men are pressured into conforming to “manly” behavioural traits, and when they bare to “come out of the box”, they are forced back into it and ridiculed. Social constructionists believe that we become who we are, and are shaped by our environment. Moreover, they believe sex and gender are different, and often, gender is based on

Gender is conducted between two people that interacts with each other which explains the difference between boys and girls, men and women, but it is a term that is used to show that men and women can be different as they have different biological characteristics. Gender contains a lot of fluid that does not depend on the person’s biological traits. Gender is also the way men and women reacts different including different behaviour when they are in public compared to what their personal life behaviours are like (What the is gender, 2016).

A social construction is something that is created by society and believed to be natural. Social constructions are both a myth and a reality because social constructions aren’t natural, but it has real effects on the people who experience them. What society identifies as masculine and feminine is the social construction of gender. For example, masculinity and femininity is closely tie to being a man and a woman, respectively. In our society, men are supposed to be aggressive and unemotional, while women are supposed to be soft and gentle. This social construction of gender affect individuals lives because it makes those who don’t fit into these gender roles feel as if they aren’t the ideal man or woman. Women and men can both develop problems

Main stream culture is consistently changing and actions such as bullying seem to always be overwhelmingly present, however, one thing has remained the same for decades; real men don’t cry. The “Guy Code” is every man’s worst enemy. The ideas of beauty and sexuality are ever changing. In the past, men used to not work in the fashion industry in fear of losing their masculine reputation; now men appear in a variety of media and advertisements. Men used to strive to prove their worth as a real man; now they are doing anything to prove they are not a homosexual. Although generations are passing and times are changing, Michael Kimmel firmly believes that the “Guy Code” is engrained in the minds of men forever; in fear of being emasculated, men will jump hurdles to prove themselves, even with the psychological repercussions.

The article examines the relationship between gender and gender color stereotypes, through tested experiments with 98 Israeli preschoolers and 3rd graders. In the experiments Karniol have two types of coloring books, one blue with a Bratz doll on the cover, and one pink with Batman on the cover. Inside the coloring books there are three coloring options, an action figure, a fairy, and five stars they have to color in different colors. In conclusion they find that the boys try to distance themselves from girl-stereotypes, so that they won’t appear feminine, especially the color pink. The children do however, chose to color the figures in their appropriate stereotyped colors, since a fairy is seen as feminine, it is colored in bright colors.