Gender Roles And Social Construction

In the world of toy marketing, choices are made with direction put in place for both genders (girl and boy). For example, as I walked down each toy aisle, I felt the gender conformity among the parents as they were with their children. With multiple aisles and two dominant colors (pink and purple) designated for girls, the message (in my perspective) marketed on the toy package yelled: “Your ambition is to be stylish, while a nurturing mother who partakes in domestic works!” In addition to the toy packages being in pink, the words (on the toy) were predominately frivolous and amusing. On the contrary, the boys’ aisle contained wide varieties of colors, although the color blue caught my eye the most. The boys’ toys entailed sports, building sets, as well as action figures. Conversely, the message in my perspective, marketed on the toy package screamed: “You have the power to do whatever you want; however, it is imperative that you build yourself physically, as well as train yourself in order to properly excel.” This type of act, referred to as the social role theory—“a gender difference that mainly results from the contrasting roles of females and males” (p.165),—gives a great cause of difference in gender regarding power, nurture, and

Sociologist Dalton Conley wrote his book, You May Ask Yourself, addressing how “gender is a social construction” that is so normal for society to think how a man or woman should act towards the public. Society often categorizes roles that females and males are suppose to play in, but not only are they categorized they are also being taught what their gender role is suppose to do. The beginning of gender socialization can start with a child who is not born yet by simply having the parents purchase items that are all pink if its expected to be a girl, but if its expected to be a boy then everything they purchase will be blue. Conley states that gender roles are “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany ones’ status as male or female” (Conley [2008] 2013:134). So even when a child is growing into their infant years, toys are made specifically for their gender. By examining how social construction places gender in categories it becomes apparent that males and females get differentiated a lot which emphasizes inequality between them.

Gender or sex roles are the expected patterns of behavior assumed to follow from a person's sex. Gender roles are not natural. They are formed by and vary within society, culture, geographic location, politics and time. There is a strong relationship between the social construction of gender and compulsory heterosexuality. People are programmed into certain gender roles and social categories through socialization and interaction with others.

Throughout this course, we have discussed how the differences in the social construction of gender, race, class, and sexuality have led to discrimination and inequality of those classified under a variety of these categories. Through understanding the significance of these social constructs on society it becomes apparent the intersectionality they have when it comes to understanding why certain groups may face discrimination or inequality. This paper examines gender inequality and how the social construction of gender makes it difficult for the pursuit of equality amongst genders.

The way society is taught to be socialized is salient and goes unnoticed, therefore it is valid to claim that gender is socially constructed through our everyday practices, whether we are aware of the construction or not. With socialization beginning the instant a child is born, the process is continuous through out adolescence and varies dramatically across the two genders. With guidance from institutions and arenas such as education, sports, music and the mass media gender seems to be coerced, as it comes with a scripted set of behaviors and attitudes. This essay argues that gender is socially constructed on an everyday basis. To further explain this thesis the essay will draw on early childhood socialization of masculinity and femininity,

This course has given me plentiful information about how men and women live their lives differently due to societal expectations, gender norms, inequalities and above all the pressures of fitting into the gender binary. As a class, we discussed how children are often born into a family that has this ingrained concept that their child will either be a masculine boy or a feminine female. This is known as the gender binary, which is the idea that there are only those two categories a person can fit into, and they have opposing qualities and traits. An example of how this is placed into a child’s life even before it’s born is a gender announcement party. If the child is a girl, the color pink will be uncovered, and if the child is a boy, the color blue will. One may not see this as a negative thing, however from that point on the parents are often expecting their child to stay within the gender norms, to try and raise a normal child in a normal family. What exactly determines if your child is normal? Society, society decides what is expected of a person and polices anything and anyone that veers into a different path. What is typically overlooked or turned a blind eye to, is the fact that these early implanted gender expectations can turn into inequality, and more specifically justifying inequality. Since we have this idea in our minds that men and women have opposing traits, then we begin to think that for specific tasks and jobs, there

In our society, there are norms of what is considered to be feminine and what is to be considered masculine, but how are these norms constructed? Through the use of toys, books, and clothing, children are socialized into their “appropriate” gender. These objects provide influence over behavior and appearance, showing boys and girls what is appropriate for each gender. After some investigation it was found that the toys, books, and clothing that children use not only foster the norms of gender behavior and appearance, but also construct gender roles in their young minds.

Gender identity is a highly controversial subject. The notion that one's gender is a significant determination of personality traits, behavioral characteristics, social tendencies, romantic engagements and self-perception is a critical one. However, it is also subject to debate because of the imperatives created by the social construct of gender. This often clashes with what are, in reality, more nuanced and individualized connections to gender. This is particularly highlighted by the interview which has informed the research here. Specifically, the interview subject is a male of the homosexual orientation who would endure difficulty as a child fully understanding the meaning of his gender identity. As the discussion shows here, this is a common emotional disorder for individuals contending with some sexual confusion but should also not be conflated with homosexuality itself.

Social construction is the idea that people are “shaped” or “constructed” based on the world around them. As human beings living in a society with so much hate, we are used to putting people in categories or groups, no matter how they are different. We are all people living in the same society, but yet we still feel the need to categorize them. These concepts or theories that are being perceived by people help to judge and make assumptions about people based on their race, gender, disabilities and many other factors.

Every one of us have been influenced in one way or another by social relations to gender roles. All human cultures have various expectations regarding the male or female gender. There are many standards that dictate how individuals should dress, think, behave, and interact with the world around them. It is when these roles begin to reduce the life chances of individuals and preserve inequality that becomes problematic. Humans, as a society, crafted their own definitions of what it means to be a man or a woman. Because of this if a female partakes in a “masculine” activity it is often met with disgust and hostility and if a male partakes in a “feminine” activity it is scorned by men and women alike. Gender “norms” have existed throughout

men". They do not have to behave or dress as men to have the social

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.

One cannot talk about social interactions in society without talking about gender. Gender is part of According to Macionis (2015), gender is “the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male”. Most societies only view gender as being either male or female. An individual must portray their gender correctly in order to be normal in society. Meaning a woman must act feminine and a man must act masculine. However, what happens when an individual chooses not to “do” gender? How does society respond to those who do not participate in “doing gender”? In order to answer these questions we will have to explore what it means to say that gender is a social construction and what is means to “do” gender. In the process we will define impression management and explain how Lucal (2012) engages in impression management with regards to doing gender and along with identifying which sociological theoretical approach best explains why we do gender.

Gender coding is not a natural or biological characteristic. People are born with different physical and biological characteristics, but make sense of their gender roles through cultural influences. “Stereotypes are amazingly powerful, and we may not realize the degree to which our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are shaped by them” (Silverman, Rader, 2010). Boys and girls are labeled as masculine or feminine, which is considered the “norm” for society. Children are not born masculine or feminine, they learn these roles from parents, peers, media, and even religion. Concepts of gender identity are sometimes placed on children even before their birth, such as with the selection of paint colors for the nursery.” Children begin to form concepts of gender beginning around the age of 2, and most children know if they are a boy or girl by age of 3” (Martin & Ruble, 2004). From an early age, children are encouraged to identify with gender coding. Gender is formed at birth, but self-identification as being male or female is imbedded into their minds by parents and society. A child learns to understand their gender role and their identity by what is taught and expressed to them by others. Yet as a child grows, gender coding can cause cultural confusion, and insecurity issues throughout the course of their life.

Children learn as early as age two what it means to be a “boy” or a “girl” (Aina & Cameron). This is described as gender identity, a person’s sense of self as male or female. Gender stereotyping emerges hand in hand with the development of gender identity in Early Childhood (Halim). Gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes and activities of males and females. When babies are born they are either put in pink or blue, as they grow up they still maintain the same “gender” colors. As young children start to socialize, they are playing with either “girl” toys or “boy” toys. When they get older they