Gender Roles : American Society

Throughout history, women have been regarded as of lesser value than men particularly in the public sphere. This is the result of gender stratification. Gender stratification refers to the issue of sexism, “or the belief that one sex is superior to the other” (Carl et al., 2012, p. 78). The theory that men are superior to women is essential to sexism. Sexism has always had negative consequences for women. It has caused some women to avoid pursuing successful careers typically described as “masculine”—perhaps to avoid the social impression that they are less desirable as spouses or mothers, or even less “feminine.”

Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex. Gender roles are never comprehensive, even within a single country, and they are always historically and culturally unpredictable. Gender roles in the United States for one cultural group likely is not true for another cultural group. Similarly, gender roles in the United States have changed drastically over the time period. Gender roles has been the historical evolution from a single family income in which only the male spouse works and generates income, to dual family income or a family in which both spouses generate family income. The shifting gender roles in the past years has been huge. It happened so quickly

‘Women produce children; women are mothers and wives; women do the cooking, cleaning, sewing and washing; they take care of men and are subordinate to male authority; they are largely excluded from high-status occupations and from positions of power.’ (Haralambous and Holborn 1995, Sociology Themes and Perspectives, HarperCollins Publishers) These stereotypes have come from our past and have now become quite frequently used in today’s society. Women have been seen as the maintainers of the household while the men go out to work and earn a living. “When our ancient ancestors switched to hunting as a way of life, the relationship between males and females was dramatically

Gender plays a substantial role in how Chicanxs and Latinxs live their lives in the United States. Despite that both men and women who identify as Chicanxs or Latinxs, have had a very rough time feeling accepted and respected in the United States, gender is one of the many factors that contributes to how these individuals live out their lives. Hegemony in gender roles contributes to the different lifestyles both at work and in society of Chicanx and Latinx men and women in the way that women and men are expected to live up to the traditional gender roles. The living experiences of male and females differ greatly based on their gender; this goes to say for both Chicanx and Latinx men and women born in the United States of immigrants.

Throughout life every man and woman fits into a specific gender role. We are told what is expected of men and women from birth until death. Many people influence our view of how we should act and what we should say such as our parents, friends, and even the media. Males and females play very different roles and these differences are apparent in our every day lives. These differences are not the same as they used to be. Society has changed the way it treats men and women over time.

America is claimed to be the greatest country on earth. Many of people think of America as a place for opportunity and equality. Although America is all of those things today, it was not crafted lightly. There were many horrific event that took place to create this melting pot of a country. Discrimination and entitlement was what founded this country that is supposed to be so fair. The quality of life was not great for those of color or female. Throughout the beginning of America, race and gender roles were crucial factors of how you would live and be treated.

In my opinion, I think that it is definitely more accepted for women to assume traditionally masculine roles than for men to assumes traditionally feminine roles in the American society. I think that this first began during WWI, when men were sent to war and women took over jobs that men held before they were drafted. This showed that women were able to leave the home and hold their own in a workplace setting- and to this day women are still out in the workforce working alongside men in all types of jobs. Women are even applauded as brave when they take roles as the 'bread winner' for the family and are successful in jobs where they are the boss/CEO/manager. Though sometimes this does backfire on women, because some people will judge them because they aren't at home 'taking care of their family' and judging them for other people raising their children if they are in day-care while the mother is at work. People also call women who are in charge 'b**chy' or 'bossy', because they do not like a woman as their superior.

Throughout the nineteenth century, the role of women began to change. Slowly the role of women went from strict domestic work, to having their own say in their own reform groups. After the American Revolution, women began to have a say in what went on during their everyday lives or the lives of their children and husbands. A woman having her own say was something new for men to have to deal with, but they were willing to listen. Women do not get the right to vote nationally until the 1920s, but the start of their suffrage and political movement begins in the nineteenth century with the changing times of the Industrial Revolution and life after the American Revolution.

Ever since I was little, all I have ever dreamt about was becoming a successful doctor and living in a beautiful modern home with my husband and many children. You could say that I’m aspiring for my version of the “American dream.” My parents, who I look up to, portray a glimpse of this future that I hope to achieve. Since I grew up in a Nigerian Muslim household, with conservative parents, my sister and I were raised to uphold certain beliefs regarding gender roles. In a traditional African culture, it’s customary for women to be raised as ‘housewives’ as men are believed to be the ‘breadwinners’ of the household. From a very young age, I was taught to cook, clean and care for my future family. As extra ‘motivation’ my parents would often tell me how shameful it would be to fail as a 'housewife' and unable to marry as a result. Just getting married, does not cut it, women are also expected to birth a child for their husbands (notice the FOR) otherwise, they are looked down upon. My parents always made sure to tell my sister and me, that for us to obtain a happy marriage, we should look for an African Muslim

I believe that gender roles are still relevant in American culture in the 21st century. There is a great statement about gender that was presented in the lecture PowerPoint Sex vs. Gender: “In our society, gender is a master status. In other words, gender impacts almost every single area of our lives, including our relationship with others. If we don’t know what someone’s gender is, then we often don’t know how to react with him or her and we get uncomfortable. As a result we like to know what people sex and gender are.” Today, however, we're less likely to stereotype though there are still narrow- minded people around.

On a different note, Schmitz and Sarah (1998) examined traditional gender roles among men and women in the United States as well as in Mexico. The study revealed distinct differences between traditional gender roles perceptions held by Americans and Mexicans. The authors state that family settings in Mexico have been characterized by a dominance of the husband. The women are expected to make sacrifices for the sake of their families. They engage in household chores while the men are tasked with the role of providing income to the family. Some of the ultimate sacrifices that the women have to make include: the acquisition of education, development of careers, and having a social life. On the other hand, men enjoy all these rights as their work is majorly within the public sphere and their involvement with their family’s actual functioning is minimal. Due to Mexicans’ beliefs that gender roles stabilize families, they believe that “men should play the role of decision makers while women should play the roles of homemakers and family caretakers” (Schmitz & Sarah, 1998, p.140). On the other hand, the study found out that gender roles in the U.S were not generally delineated according to gender since they are more focused on the attainment of gender equity. Therefore, household chores can be done by either gender. However, the general trend was that women mostly performed household chores especially in households where both the husband and the wife were professionally working.

When examined, gender roles have remained traditional in certain aspects. However, there is a place where traditional gender roles are not being excepted as they once were. Sadly, not everyone excepts that it is becoming more egalitarian.In the United States, women reported that they experienced one to two sexist incidents each week (Gervais, Hillard, & Vescio, 2010). These are either verbal or nonverbal behaviors that people were presented to them (Gervais, Hillard, & Vescio, 2010). With that aside, a man and woman who are in a relationship are starting to have more flexible roles.

D. I believe the numbers provided in the first paragraph are general and do not provide an accurate reflection of society today. It brings me to question how differently the numbers would read if focused on each economic class. The results would show completely different numbers for each economic class level. In today’s society lower class tend to experience first childbirth, marriage, divorce, health care issues, and enter into the workforce at earlier ages than shown. If they do not enter the work force earlier, they are using government assistance earlier. The individuals’ economic class, education levels, and home life will vastly influence the outcome of the age at first marriage and childbirth. It will also affect the probability

     Femininity and masculinity are topics that have been debated over in our society extensively, through psychological research and day to day interaction with people. Children learn from their parents as well as society the concept of “feminine” and “masculine.” The majority of people tend to believe that these conceptions are biological but I believe it is more cultural. From birth, female children are shaped by society as being sweet, caring, loving, and delicate and usually associated with the color pink. While male children are shaped by being tough, aggressive, and competitive and associated with the color blue. As these children grow, the boy is given a football to play with and the girl a

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.