Gender Ideology: Comparing the Characteristics of Males and Females

Blum consulted University of California at Berkeley behavioral endocrinologist Marc Breedlove about how hormones contribute to gender differences. Breedlove’s studies support the idea that there are biological differences between males and females that distinguish each gender’s behavior. This suggests that it’s worthwhile to look at human evolution to understand why these biological differences exist – what is the purpose of masculinity and why do masculine traits such as aggression develop predominantly in males?

As stated above, the societal expectation for a male is to be aggressive, promiscuous, and combative. Some of these personality traits can lead to physical health problems, high blood pressure and violence. Research has shown that men with higher levels of aggression are more likely to develop hypertension. According to Friedman & Rosenman, women are frowned upon if they possess any of these “masculine” personality traits,.

Males, on the other hand, are defined in The Masculine Mystique as withholding “barely repressed violence” however they are not as vengeful as females. Men used muscle and aggression to get what they wanted, while women used acidic tongues and sharp wits.

Both Deborah Blum’s The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over? and Aaron Devor’s “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes” challenges the concept of how gender behavior is socially constructed. Blum resides on the idea that gender behavior is developed mainly through adolescence and societal expectations of a gender. Based on reference from personal experiences to back her argument up, Blum explains that each individual develops their expected traits as they grow up, while she also claims that genes and testosterones also play a role into establishing the differentiation of gender behavior. Whereas, Devor focuses mainly on the idea that gender behavior is portrayed mainly among two different categories: masculinity and

In the excerpt “Why Do We Make So Much of Gender?”, from his 1997 book The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy, Allan Johnson argues gender through identity and culture. Johnson starts out by expressing opposition on how women are looked at through a patriarchal society and not the biology from which they came. He mentions the feminist argument that women in a patriarchal society are “oppressed” and that this comes from social order (545). He goes on to point out, the focus should be on raising children to adulthood rather than worrying about reproduction. Although, I agree with Johnson’s arguments, there are things in this world that cannot and should not be changed.

Whether it is on TV or movie screens, the faces of white actors and actresses have always been prevalent in the media. For generations, many teenagers have been exposed to countless movies with white people in major roles. Moreover, the few roles that are cast to minorities feature the characters in their stereotypical personas (Bonilla-Silva 179). Even in advertising, Asians are placed in business settings, upholding the hard-working Asian stereotype (Taylor and Stern 50). As Taylor and Stern mention in their paper, the “model minority” has made the issue of stereotyping seem less important for Asians. The majority of these actors that are examined, regardless of race, are typically middle-age and well established in their acting careers. However, there is a lack of research behind Asian youth acting and their perceived roles. To account for this knowledge deficit, I examine how whiteness influences the media to portray youth actors as individuals that stray from their stereotypes in an attempt to achieve whiteness. My research site centres around Fresh Off the Boat (FOB), a comedic television series featuring a Taiwanese family. The title of the show Fresh Off the Boat or “FOB” is also a term used to describe a person that is considered too ethnic and as a term of denigration. I utilize Pyke and Dang’s categorization of “FOB” and “whitewashed” to analyze the narrator, Eddie Huang. I chose to limit my research primarily to the first “pilot” episode where the audience is

Now, taking into account the SQ/EQ, we can determine how individuals would respond to regular situations. The response to stimuli is heavily weighted on self and our own experiences - as we are a product of our environment. However, fifty percent of one’s own personality is determined genetically, within one’s very own alleles. This is why people act so much like their parents. Mothers can actually pass down a gene to their sons that makes them dangerously unempathetic. This exact gene is what causes more men than women to become serial killers. In addition to the basis of human structure, men also have a higher tendency to be aggressive, rendering most empathetic responses null, and barely thought about. Since males are more likely to be systemizers, their

Every day I go on TV, there is at least one story or more relating to rape, assault towards woman, and of course violence. It is getting repetitive; as a result, more and more people are starting to brush it off their shoulders like a dust. Within rape culture, there is controversy on which it is to blame. The writers Walter Moseley and Rae Gomes write an article about the remedies for rape culture “Ten Things to End Rape Culture” and how it can create an atmosphere that enable both sexes to change for the better. In “Masculinity Is More Than a Mask”, Christina Hoff Sommers discusses the relationship between violence and masculinity when she critiques and analyzes a documentary based on the biological side of masculinity.

However, it is important to note that gender-based violence also effects men as well, specifically in the ways in which gender, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status perpetuate men’s violent acts. Society’s meaning of “being a man” or “being masculine” are harmful influences to the overarching problem.

Firstly, masculinity and hyper-masculine qualities such as violence are shown as inherently powerful and admirable qualities. For example, when Lady Macbeth pleads,

Whether you drowned in the text in your final year of school, or saw it in that one ‘Simpsons’ episode in 2009, everyone at least, kind of knows the story of that curse’d Scottish Play. Yet, what you might not know is that the hardest part to nail about the play isn’t the language, but instead, the complex themes that run through the story. Throughout this tragic tale, countless characters succumb to the pressures of maintaining their macho-man status, while others use their new-found ‘manliness’ to accomplish unbelievable things. Masculine ambition is a theme that underpins the entire plot and is the unfortunate downfall of many great (and not so great) characters.

the winning and holding of power and the formation (and destruction) of social groups in that process” (644) such that it is crucial that the ruling class establishes and maintains its domination. Moreover, it includes persuasion of a big part of the population, especially through the media and the organization of social institutions. Homophobia and heterosexuality form the foundation for hegemonic masculinity and all comprehension of its meaning is predicated “on the feminist insight that in general the relationship of men to women is oppressive” (644). Hegemonic masculinity is grounded in form of the hero and displayed through forms that deal with heroes, e.g., sagas, and westerns, in television, books, and movies (Connell qtd. in Donaldson 646). To define a specific form of masculinity as hegemonic, it is important to note that “its exaltation stabilizes a structure of dominance and oppression in the gender order as a whole” (Connell qtd. in Donaldson 646).

All societies behave in a different way towards two sexes and distinguish two genders. Through innumerable indications, we are taught that men and women are different. In everyday life, it is commonly assumed that men are more aggressive than women. Statistics indicate that males are more likely than females to commit such crimes as murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault which are the result of feeling aggressive. In addition men describe themselves as being aggressive to a greater extent than do women and show greater potential for acting aggressively. All of these assumptions lead us to a certain question: Why are human males more aggressive than females? Actually, there are two

Society today places many ideals when it comes to proper behaviours regarding gender roles. These are considered societal norms that are widely debated and controversial. Society has created a norm, which encompasses specific expectations and rules that change the daily lives of men and women, giving them specific tasks and behaviours to abide by. These standards are known as gender roles, which are defined as distinguishing actions, thoughts, and feelings of males and females. Gender roles are said to be a result of nature, which is a natural process, every male or female is to follow. On the other hand it can be a result of nurture, which changes ones way of thinking and adapting their lifestyle to fit their environment. Either way gender roles are a part of someone’s life from the moment of their birth, as they develop, and long after that, this proves that gender roles are influential to a person’s life and development. This essay examines how media such as music, family life, and different parenting styles encompass gender roles and teaches behaviours regarding them. Therefore, gender roles define males and females are a result of nurture and not nature.

The Effects of Gender Roles and Gender Identity on Behaviour Gender is a psychological term, which refers to our awareness and reaction to biological sex. It is also a fundamental part of our learning concept. Gender is influenced by many things, which include: Biological Influences = == ==