Social Class And Gender Roles

In present day all around the world, society has certain expectations for the actions and behaviors of males and females. There are many factors in our everyday lives that contribute to the gender norms that society has set. This essay will discuss how situations in life can play a part in how people treat other people based on their gender. It is believed that males are the leaders of our world, but in present day woman can do as much as men can do. From The Journal of Marriage and Family, Hu states, “Differentiated gender roles in adulthood are rooted in one’s gender role socialization. In order to understand the persistence of gender inequalities in the domestic sphere, we need to examine the gendered patterns of children’s housework time.”(2015, P.1). Gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females that they must be taught. These roles define how females and males are viewed in society, their household, and workplace. In The Journal of Sports behavior by Hardin, he states, “Although gender role differences from biological and “Natural” exists in popular consciousness, research has long demonstrated that instead, many are long time socially constructed… Individuals understand their gender because they are given names and treated in particular ways, such as dress in pink for girls and blue for boys, that reflect social construction of gender. Bandura's social cognitive theory is key in understanding the factors in socialization”(2009, P.3). Bandura's theory of of social cognition is that behavior, environmental events, and cognitive factors are the main keys that shape attitudes and actions of an individual. Although, gender roles play a very big part in our society, specific genders are treated differently while dealing with peer influence, media influence, as well as employment.

Study on gender role stereotypes has shown that there are several negative effects of stereotyping. The study on how gender role stereotyping effects children is not as prevalent because most believe that it doesn’t matter, since children are just forming their stereotype so children do not care. However, some psychologists have done some research on it, and from their research found out that children used a mixture of moral and social conventional reasoning

Dada was an art movement described by Dada poet Tristan Tzara as “not the beginnings of art, but of disgust.” The movement came into existence through a small group of artists and poets in Zurich who eventually wrote a set of strategies and philosophies aiming to revolutionise visual art, performance and poetry, as well as revolutionary ideas about the politics and social values. Dada came into existence amid the first world war. For the artists the war was evidence that the break down of social structures, corrupt nationalist politics, and unquestioning conformity of culture and thought led to such violence. (Moma.org, n.d.)

Gender roles determine the way society works, and the way it views people. Whether it is considered unfair or not, there are many factors that are created from gender roles. Almost all parts of English life from 1674 to 1913 was influenced by gender(Clive, 1.) This way of life made a lasting impression, causing the years to follow to develop and abide by what is known as gender roles. Although gender roles have become a lot more diverse in society, there are still stereotypes and misconstrued gender identity, gender-specific expectations, and gender-specific separation and gaps that still exist today.

What is gender roles really about? What really makes it so important in our day to day lives? Well to first understand gender roles, you have to understand gender. The dictionary definition of gender is "either the male or female division of a species, especially as differentiated by social and cultural roles and behavior:" While Gender roles are more complex, they are something that society has shaped us to look at in a certain way. The sociological perspectives all help justify gender roles. They are seen as essential to society's makeup because the assigned roles work together. Men are, also, seen as dominant and women as submissive. These views are what make individuals in society act a certain way towards a gender because of the beliefs

Today it is seen as more socially acceptable for women to assume roles that are defined as traditionally masculine than it is for men to assume roles that are defined as feminine. In my opinion, this is based on stereotypical roles that have been placed by parents when babies are born – stemming from their own parent’s stereotypical and traditional roles that have been modeled and observed by them personally. For example, at a very young age, children notice whether their mother will stay at home or work and viscera what their father does. Another example, for the majority I would say that once a couple finds out their baby’s gender the nursery room tends to painted in such a way based on whether the baby is male or female. Including, toys

Many cultures and communities that exist around the planet, and each one has their own gender roles and social norms. People within these communities are raised barakaided by these stereotypes since the day they are born. The categories for these genders are passed on from generation-to-generation making them more difficult to defy. Children in their early childhood begin connecting the building blocks of specific characteristics to certain genders unknowingly because of the environment they are exposed to. With everything from children’s toys to snack packages displaying gender specific characteristics is what is leading to gender stereotypical terms that are heard on a day-to-day basis in common areas. The consequences to such classifying

The media is currently largely responsible in creating and reminding people of the existence of gender roles and social norms, which consequently influences children. Aside from media, parents are the most responsible in the upbringing of their child. That being said, parents can choose to control what they teach their child and steer them away from the societal norms of certain gender roles, but they don’t have control over the media’s content. Sometimes, parents can’t help if they give their daughter a Barbie doll and their son a Batman action figure, because they don’t realize it and they themselves were raised to understand that girls are supposed to like this and do that and boys are supposed to like that and do this. It’s all a chain

Gender roles are determined by both societal culture and the result of biological makeup. Media as an impact on the decision of what your role will be in society. Your decision on what you want to be is formed through the span of grown and observing what happens in society. Your biological makeup can also guide what you gender role is because it categorizes you into male or female.

Dada radical and poet, Tristan Tzara, confessed, “the beginnings of Dada were not the beginnings of art, but of disgust” (MoMa Dada). Largely, this was disgust to the atrocities and suffering of war. However, it was also disgust towards the bourgeoisie, political corruption,

Gender, class and traditional culture all have a prodigious impact on the fate of ones future and the obstacles that arise in the pursuit of the American Dream. In the film, Real Women Have Curves, the viewer can witness firsthand what it entails to live a lifestyle of a first generation Mexican teenager living in a Hispanic neighborhood in East Los Angles. The film draws you in on an intimate level and allows you to relate to the culture and viewpoints of traditional Mexican heritage. The take home point of the film was transpicuous: the pursuit of the American dream is characterized by ones gender, class and traditional culture that one is born into.

Throughout our semester together, our Social Issues class has discussed many different aspects of race, class and gender. We have had many opportunities to discuss and share our opinions on different topics and problems we face today. During this course, my outlook on life and other people has changed significantly. The use of projects and papers has further enlightened me to understand the perspective of others. The readings that we have been given each week have proven themselves very beneficial and have assisted greatly in furthering my awareness towards different races, classes and genders.

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.

Gender roles play a huge part in society. Gender plays a role in shaping an individuals identify and beliefs. It also helps identify what is masculine and what is feminine. Certain tasks, duties, and jobs are classified by gender. However, gender appropriate behavior should not be enforced in our society for numerous reasons and can be seen on an individual level and be demonstrated by social learning theory and sex segregation.

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.