Social Construction Of Gender

The determination of gender identity is much deeper than whether a person is born a male or a female. The exact identifier that separates gender identity is currently unknown but researchers believe that genetics, hormones, reproductive organs, biological, and environmental factors all play a role in distinguishing a person’s gender identity. A person’s physical gender and their sense of gender are formed at two different times in two different parts of the body. A person’s gender is whether they are born male or female, but the way they identify themselves may be the opposite, which is not uncommon and has occurred since the beginning of time. In culture males are known to be the stronger, more aggressive sex, while females are the

Gender is defined as the state of being male or female. In most instances, this state is determined based on the biology of an individual’s genitalia. Those born

Gender as a Social Construction This annotated bibliography is focused on research that supports the idea that gender has been socially constructed. Haslanger’s chapter offers an understanding of what is meant by the term ‘socially constructed’ and how gender can be defined from this viewpoint. Zimman complements Haslanger’s argument by explaining that it is our discourse that influences our perceptions of gender. Eckert and McConnell-Ginet’s chapter is helpful when explaining how gender is socially constructed by exploring how from birth we are treated and labeled according to whether we’ are male or female.

Gender is among several concepts taught from birth that eventually become our nature. The degree of inequality between men and women has varied among a wide range of cultures, but has ultimately constructed a glass ceiling for women. While the United States has experienced progressive change towards gender equality, other areas have yet to advance. The social construction of gender has shaped different mentalities, even in recreational aspects of culture. I recognized this after attending a local Salsa dancing event for the student body.

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,

Some individuals believe that more than two genders do not exist. Some people believe that it is all in the head and the reason why they do not exist is because people are born with the biological female and male parts. In reality, these gender identities are very real. To illustrate, a study was conducted by Laura E. Kuper, who is associated with the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, to see the different genders that people associate themselves as. From the survey, 161 individuals identify themselves as genderqueer, 29 individuals identify themselves as bigender, 29 individuals identify themselves as intergender, and the list goes on to nine different genders (Kuper 247). Nearly 725 people were surveyed and the results were very diverse. This study proves that these genders are in fact real, and it is not about the biological aspect of someone. These people truly feel that their gender is beyond the rigid binary that many parents force onto children. It is important to acknowledge these genders so people do not feel excluded from society and be accepted as someone finding who they are in this

Gender doesn’t necessarily reflect your biological sex. Gender is created and re-created depending on our social life (Lorber). It is something we construct, adjust since birth and might keep throughout our lives . Since gender identity is presented at a very early age, this social construction starts with parents because no matter how we think about it, as a society, we have gendered roles we follow(Lorber). When you're born, parents decide which way to direct you. It’s all about timing and the way gender is applied to us. “Parenting is gendered, with different expectations for mothers and fathers” Lorber says. It is from parenting where we start to learn how we should behave depending on our biological sex. That’s why the way parents dress

In my paper I will be arguing in support that gender is a social construct with three reasons. First that gender is not equivalent to sex, second that the image of women is always changing (or their role is inconsistent) by the media, culture, and environment and third that transgendered women are real women.

A person 's gender identity is a multi-faceted social construct that is defined as a person 's

There are many different ways that people understand what their culture prescribes as appropriate behavior for males and females. While there are a variety of ways that people are socialized and acculturated with respect to gender, mass media, in its various forms, is the primary way that people learn "how to act" as a girl or boy. Mass media is a powerful method of communication, entertainment, education, and socialization. The necessity and the relevancy of mass media becomes more prominent and urgent in the 21st century world, as the 21st century landscape is exceptionally more mediated than in previous eras of human history. It behooves producers, distributors, and consumers of mass media to understand and consider the interplay between power and discourse within the context of mass media. Where is the power of mass media and who wields it? What does the political economy of power in mass media reflect about the structures and mechanisms at work in society? How does mass media work within a context of power and discourse? The paper argues that mass media is used as part of a power strategy so as to inoculate and perpetuate specific discourses that are lived in the everyday experiences of subjects within such systems where mass media is used in such ways, particularly the experience of being male or female, or another gender altogether. Mass media has the

Fred Ward, an American actor, producer and model, once said, “I think we 're struggling with trying to redefine various positions at this point in history. To allow freedom for women, freedom for men, freedom from those sharply defined gender roles.” Ward mentions how much society emphasizes gender to create this social construction of gender, which restricts personal freedoms. Many articles have been written about the social norms of gender, and the differences between men and women. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” (1978) illustrates a conversation with a woman and a young girl about how a girl is to behave. The women advises that the goal is to not be deemed a slut by doing woman’s work, keeping good hygiene and behaving in a respectable manner. Aaron H. Devor’s “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender” (1989) describes how children see gender and adopts the world’s social construction of gender in terms of behavior, personality and appearance. Michael Kimmel’s ““Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code” (2008) explains how a man is to behave and appear in terms of competing with other men and asserting dominance as a sex. Kincaid’s “Girl,” Devor’s “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender” and Kimmel’s “”Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code” persuade the audience to believe the social constructs that define men and women into completely separate categories, making men the more dominant sex, based on appearance, behavior and job roles.

What is gender identity? Unlike the sex of a person, gender cannot be easily defined or located on the body nor does another person designate it. People can be classified by sex because a physician easily identifies it when they are born. You are either male or female or, on rare occasions, there are anomalies where both sex organs are present; but in most cases you are either male or female. Life gets more complicated than that, however, when a person begins to develop a gender identity which is defined as “a person’s innate, deeply felt psychological identification as a man, woman, or some other gender, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth” (www.hrc.org 2014). So, as opposed to a person’s sex, when it comes to gender, every person has to come to their own conclusion as to who they are. It is not automatic that a male will identify as male or that a female will identify as female; gender identification falls on the individual. Each individual defines gender identity, but how does an individual define his or her gender? Hausman (2000) writes, “While many scholars might think of gender as a social construction, many of those still adhere to a belief in gender as an ontology, a mode of being that is itself not questioned” (117). Among scholars, there is a divide between what gender actually is. Is it simply a construction of society, or does it originate inside an individual? A person will identify as a certain gender based on their inner

Catholic church of her time, and made a new ideal for servant hood as a woman in the church.

While observing interactions between people of both different and the same genders in the park at Orange Circle, it becomes evident how the social construction of gender and standard gender roles may or may not follow archetypal manner and can be applied differently depending on the individuals. Some of the observations recorded during this period have provided evidence that gender roles and gender stereotypes may be followed or applied in an archetypal way. However, what is most interesting is that the observation of select individuals has delineated the manner by which certain aspects of gender roles are shown to be subverted, challenged, or even reversed. Based on these observations, it can be surmised that people may have a choice in the ways in which the social construction of gender does and does not apply to their lives.

It is normally thought that gender is something that is developed at birth and is something that is set in stone. More recently in time, people have started to express that they feel that their gender identity is different and separate from their sex at birth. Egan and Perry are considered very important researchers in the field of gender identity and psychology. The two proposed that gender identity is multi-faceted and is made up of five different components that are generally independent of one another. The categories are as follows: knowing one belongs to one gender or another, how much they feel they belong to the category, how happy they are with that gender, how much pressure they feel to conform to gender stereotypes and how much they feel their sex is superior to the opposite (Carver, Yunger & Perry, 2003, p. 95). All of these relate to adjustment in different senses. Egan and Perry found that by middle childhood, most have a fairly stable idea of their standing on all of these categories. Their perception thrives most when they are confident in themselves and when they feel that they are not constricted in their freedom to explore other