Gender Roles In Cultures

Gender is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the state of being male or female. However after taking Psychology of Gender I would have to say I strongly disagree with this. I believe gender is a socio-cultural construct of female and male identity that shapes how individuals live and interpret the world around them. The older I get the more faults I find in my culture and the gender ideology behind it. Growing up Hispanic in the United States has made a huge impact in my life today, and while I believe it has benefitted me personally, research however seems to prove the opposite. Research today proves that even though these beliefs prove to be changing, the influence Hispanic culture has can negatively affect the way both men and women view their own gender roles and identity. Although research supports the idea of reinforcing negative stereotypes related to cultural gender roles. I also believe that these ideas are changing and will continue to evolve in the future.

Your _____ depends on whether you were born with distinct male or female genitals and a genetic program that released either male or female hormones to stimulate the development of your reproductive system.

From prehistory to 1450 CE, in many different and complex civilizations, religion has influenced the gender roles of many societies. From prehistory to 600 BCE, in Mesopotamia, women could own property, maintain their dowry, and even trade. However, from 600 BCE to 600 CE, in Rome, women were completely under the control of their paterfamilias. Than, from 600 to 1450 CE, in the Byzantine Empire, women were constrained to their homes, and when they went out, they had to wear veils over their faces. Religion influenced the gender roles of many societies and civilizations from prehistory to 1450 CE.

The proper gender roles during that time produce restriction on accomplishing goals out of the norm by society. The Chloe culture in the book viewed woman as overseer of the home and family. This could be overwhelming or boring causing them to seek other avenues for pleasure. When that direction was followed it was not acceptable in their society, therefore, provoking them to feel that the only way to be happy is in death. Although the gender role was hash over time, it began to change giving women the desired freedom. After all, our gender roles in our today society also have altered over the years with the advancement of the profession women are now viewed by their skill that qualifies them for top jobs. In the past women roles and attitudes

When we look back in history, we often think about our advances in technology, religion, education, and how we view the world. For years, humans have creating societies that have introduced us to political structures and the way we govern our citizens. In the very beginning, the hunters and gatherers spread across the globe and spent their lives constantly on the move. They then advanced into small settlements with agriculture and writing as the basis for a much larger civilization of tomorrow. Today, we live in a world where we can be overshadowed by concrete and steel skyscrapers, live in a neighborhood with friends and family close by, or out in the country with vast views of grass and cattle.

Throughout history, many professions have been categorized as either masculine or feminine. For example, whenever people hear the words teacher, nurse, flight attendant, and prostitute, they usually automatically think of these “service” professions as feminine. There are many masculine professions which produce similar effects. Interestingly, while there is no linguistic symbolism in most feminine careers, many masculine professions end in the word “man.” Out of the many professions that end in “man,” the words “policeman,” “fireman,” “chairman,” “businessman,” and “weatherman” seem to be five of the most commonly used ones. The meanings of these words, and especially the qualities they imply, not only describe gender roles and norms in today’s society, but also describe gender roles from previous societies.

After reading about many gender roles in different cultures, I have decided to research Saudi Arabia. I chose this because I have heard how strict their gender roles are, and wanted to read more into it. One thing I learned about Saudi Arabia is that women, regardless of age, must ask a male to do almost anything, such as working, traveling, studying, seeking medical attention, and, of course, marrying (Mandea, 2013). Women are also not allowed to make many decisions for her children, unlike women in America, who usually play a huge part in parenting (Mandea, 2013).

Sex and gender vary throughout cultures across the world, including the notion of gender roles and how they are more important in some cultures than in others. In ‘The Handbook of Culture & Psychology’ the authors interviewed Indian and American students on their views of qualities women should and should not express, the Indian students expressed the importance of more traditional traits, which is in line with culture since it values more ‘traditional’ gender roles in contrast to their American counterparts. It should be noted that the women in both groups were more liberal and modern than men when asked the same question, displaying that women seem to be more progressive in thought while men might stick with ideologies that keep them in

Woven throughout the world’s individual cultures are a variety of rules and traditions. Some things that differ among cultures are the expectations that opposing genders face. In some places, such as Europe, women are viewed as weak, emotional, and compassionate. In these same places, men are seen as strong, aggressive, and competitive. These beliefs cause a separation within society between opposite genders. Using the novel Nectar in a Sieve, as well as the internet and my own experiences, I have tried to determine stereotypes people face because of where they come from. While some argue that gender roles originate from agricultural ability, they most clearly come from within certain cultures and their traditions.

Broadly conceptualized, gender roles are what our society expects and values in their community. They shape our behavior and values, thoughts and feelings, even going so far as to denote a person’s worth. Gender roles are present in everyday situations. In the past they strictly dictated the behavior of people in the community (the right to vote, occupations women were allowed to work in), though in the recent past have become more subtle and more successfully challenged. In some instances they are learned consciously, in others they are more subtly ingrained in our lives. Put simply, they are ubiquitous not only in intimate partner violence, but in almost every part of our lives.

Education and employment go hand in hand now a day in order to become financially successful in life. These are two unmistakably major parts of society today. In order to become successful a good job is needed, and in order to get the job a good education is needed as well. But women especially need to emphasize more in these two subjects than men; due to past gender discrimination which brought on Equal Employment Opportunity Laws and challenges dissimilar from men’s: such as physical problems which effect their earnings, and that change their education habits.

Throughout the years, gender roles have been present in our day-to-day lives and within our households. We were taught from a young age how boys are supposed to behave or carry themselves as well as how girls should act or dress. These views that were instilled in us at a very young age evolved into the gender role opinions most people acquire today. The most common or “traditional” opinion of what the preferred gender roles should be are the man belongs in the work place making the money for the household, while the woman remains at home making along with raising the children and keeping the home clean with a hot meal for when the man returns home. Over a period of time the “traditional” gender roles society obtained began to be questioned

Imagine a world that's been evolved enough to forget traditional gender roles. A world where people break from the molds and liberate themselves. That would be progressive and productive. That is the kind of world that the future of our people should strive for. Maybe there was a time that the human race needed these roles to establish themselves, but now the times have changed. One by one, the stigmas are breaking. Despite this, some molds are harder to break and need a little more cracking to release the people from that specific roles. There are many categories of which gender and culture can be dissected and redirected to a more progressive outlook. (may have to take that out) To go into specifics, traditional gender roles in the United States are inhibiting the progression of equal wages, social expectations, and self-acceptance.

The female gender role in society has created a torturous fate for those who have failed in their role as a woman, whether as a mother, a daughter, or a wife. The restrictive nature of the role that society imposes on women causes extreme repercussions for those women who cannot fulfill their purpose as designated by society. These repercussions can be as common as being reprimanded or as severe as being berated or beaten by a husband or father. The role that women were given by society entails being a submissive homemaker who dotes on her husband and many children. The wife keeps the home impeccably neat, tends to the children and ensures their education and well being, and acts obsequiously to do everything possible to please her husband. She must be cheerful and sweet and pretty, like a dainty little doll. The perfect woman in the eyes of society is exactly like a doll: she always smiles, always looks her best and has no feelings or opinions that she can truly call her own. She responds only to the demands of her husband and does not act or speak out of turn. A woman who speaks her mind or challenges the word of any man, especially her husband, is undesirable because she is not the obedient little doll that men cherish. Women who do not conform to the rules that society has set for them are downgraded to the only feature that differentiates them from men; their sex. Society’s women do not speak or think of sex unless their husband requires

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