Gender Norms: An Analysis

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.

How did this activity shape your understanding of how gender norms can shift across generations and over time?

Historically, sexuality has been a source of oppression, as well as pleasure and empowerment. The manner in which law recognizes sexuality is important for it produces a standard to be adhered to. From this standard, norms are established. The legal system acts a regulatory and governance body that acknowledges and legitimized cultural norms influence gendered identities. Cultural feminism suggests that gender disparities can be justified through biological differences. Gendered assumptions are therefore justified through reproductive capabilities, such as nurturing and domestic attributes of women. The analysis of law and cultural norms that perpetuate sexual danger and inhibit pleasure will be conducted through a sequential analysis of the three primary waves of feminism in light of Catherine MacKinnon and Gayle Rubin’s feminist critiques. Radical feminists such as Catherine MacKinnon argues that sexuality is the linchpin of women’s oppression. Gender is a hierarchy and a division of power, and therefore, women are inherently oppressed due to their sexuality. The source of sexual oppression originated from gendered patriarchy, specifically through woman being viewed as subordinates to their male counterparts. In contrast, sex-positive feminists, such as Gayle Rubin, reject sexual essentialism and suggest that sexuality is constructed.

Gender and familial roles are one of the common themes that films of all time employ. Some films challenge the patriarchy and traditional gender roles while others confirm to the stereotyped roles. Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure (2014) is a Swedish comedy-drama film that won numerous awards including the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It portrays the issue of socially constructed gender and familial roles through its in a different way from the common patriarchal ideologies in mainstream Hollywood cinema. . These familial and gender roles are strongly associated with each other because they are both preserved by children’s acquirement of behaviors from their same-sex parent. Thus, Force Majeure stresses the importance of gender equality by rejecting our unconscious expectations of how each member of a family should be and further our society’s anticipations.

People tend to conform to what we as of now have deemed acceptable in our society. Girls especially may feel pressured to look or dress a specific way, wanting to be “beautiful” in the eyes of society. Every so often I will walk around and see people who all dress in similar fashion, or all wear the same brands as though the name alone will make them more noticeable. Some groups, though they are harder to find as people are starting to try and be individuals, do it to the point where they all really just look like clones of one another as shown in the picture. Girls who look different from the norm, such as ones who wear baggy clothing or have a different body type or even dyed hair tend to stand out among the crowds. They don’t necessarily

Since the start of human civilization, the creation of social norms has continuously laid the foundation of what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors are not. These norms are what society as a whole looks to for guidance on how to act and live their lives. Although these normalities are often seen as positive, and while they do help carry society and it’s people, they also can have negative effects by creating unneeded pressures and tensions within relationships. Relationships being romantic, friendly, or family like. Social norms play the most influencing role in people's lives not matter if they are healthy or beneficial, they still shape and mold human civilization and its people.

Kimberly I agree with you on how you said you’re amazed by people falling for a scam like this. For me I was also baffled on how the people in this situation could fall victims to petty scam like this. Not only does this story baffle me but it’s even more unclear that after two hours and fifteen minutes Donna Summers tells the phony officer that she is basically fed up with him and decides to hang up the phone. I can’t help but wonder why Donna Summers, waited two hours and fifteen minutes to hang up the phone after obeying every order that the officer was giving her. Somehow maybe Summers conscience kicked in and let her know that the entire situation was immoral. I agree with you on how the idea of social norms forced Louise Ogborn into compliance.

I trudged into this class the first day unaware that I was going to be hit in the face with the reality of social gender norms and how awful they are. It’s as if we’re put in a trance growing up that puts us in specific lanes that we need to stay in called gender norms one lane is titled “female” and the other is “male.” I was asked “What is a woman?” and the first few things that popped into my head were well long hair, breasts, makeup, and a vagina. None of these things are what should define a woman although a vagina is something a female is born with at birth. What I’ve learned so far has made me look at things differently or more like the right way. We fall into these roles that society developed throughout the years and we’re expected

Women are told to keep busy with housework, while men go out and become breadwinners for their families. These are typical gender norms that affect society. Throughout my life I have been introduced to gender norms, whether through the toys I was supposed to play with, how I ought to dress, or what extracurricular activities I should involve myself with. In my opinion, I often broke any gender norm I encountered. I was somewhat of a tom-boy growing up, so I did not play with Barbie’s or wear pretty dresses. I even played on an all-boys baseball team. Now I am pursuing a degree in engineering. This contradicts the many gender norms often associated with what are thought to be serious and male orientated professions. Foremost that women are not capable of succeeding in the engineering fields in this day and age, an idea that is cultivated by society and the culture that surrounds us.

November 24, 1922 12pm.: Ever since I cut my hair I’ve never felt so free. I refuse to wear the corsets that I have been obligated to use since childhood. You cannot believe how relived I am to not have to wear those tight close fitting undergarments. So instead I have started wearing loose dresses that I feel more comfortable in. My mother always told me that men liked women with a slim waist and emphasized breast and with my new look no man will want to marry me. Of course she is livid. Not only at the fact that I cut the “beautiful long cascade of never ending long dark hair” as she says, but mostly because I’m rebelling against society’s norm. I’ve decided that it is time to take a stand for my rights and fight for my independence. I refuse to comply too these social norms. The submissive woman, restricted from freedom due to her traditional modest, accustomed, womanly gender roles. I will not be that woman. I will be the change. I’ve seen my mother, grandmother do it for years and I’ve had it. We have been repressed, and made slaves of the household generating a perspective that all we have to offer is pleasing our men and doing chores. But these social conventions will finally come to an end. Thanks too many women who have decided to be the change for today’s society. The Voting right for women has already commenced. And I can’t find the words to describe how incredibly joyful I am that now we have the right to vote. As of now we have a whole new sector of power and

In the past, as a society, we used traditional norms to dictate men and women’s behavior. For example, we often use the breadwinner notion to define a man’s identity. However, recent development in our society has caused a massive shift in perspective when it comes to father’s involvement with children. Together with the recession and the shift of gender roles, number of stay at home father has increased significantly over the years. It’s safe to say that stay at home fathers provide great benefit to both the father and the child, as it helps the fathers defy the traditional norms and create a strong bond and relationship with their child.

Disparities in health status among men and women can be attributed to the overarching patriarchal society in Africa. Men make the bulk of the decisions, whereas women simply take care of the house and children. This leaves taking the imitative in sex, partner selection regardless of marriage status, using condoms, and acknowledging sexual consent of both partners purely at the discretion of the man. Women are expected to respect their husbands and moreover, accept the polygamous relationships that their husbands are involved in.

Gender norms are rules that live all around us but there is a conflict whether, the relationship between complying with the gender norms and coercion is that both agree to gender norms.

Gender roles are sets of rules, and societal norms that dictate how people should act, or behave in society. Many gender norms are often influenced by the pressures from culture, family, media, and peers. Although gender roles are not biological, many people are still coerced into believing that individuals are not supposed to practice desired wants, or freedom because only certain genders can exercise the right to paint one’s nails, open doors, pay for a date, and more. Often, gender roles and gender norms begin at birth. Parents often purchase items that reflect femininity or masculinity. Society has also placed stigmas on those that use certain colors such as pink even though it was once viewed as a masculine color. Thus, people are afraid to violate these norms in fear that he or she may be hurt, ridiculed, and out casted. A norm violation are actions or behaviors that defies the social norms of communities. These social norms vary from culture to culture. However, norm violations are not taken too lightly in many places, and often, individuals who break these norms are mistreated similarly.

Today we live in a world that continually stresses to us that, "All men are created equal." While this sounds great at face value, further inspection tells us that this is far from realistic and sadly may never be. One can examine any aspect of society whether it be race, religion, language, level of education, sexual orientation or economic status and notice that there are numerous characteristics and factors of identity that enable others to treat others differently. This truth may not be pleasant or make one feel all warm and fuzzy inside, however it is our society’s reality, however dismal it may be. Even if the statement above as to the equality of all men were true, how about women? Clearly women have made tremendous strides towards