preview

The Roles Of Gender And Social Stereotypes For Gender

Decent Essays

If you walk down the aisles of Toys R Us, you will find Barbie’s for girls, and trucks for boys. Balloons for the birth of a baby girl are usually pink, while the balloons for boys are light blue. We typically do this for one reason- the social norms for gender. Social norms are the unwritten rules about how to behave. Some people may be blind to this, but society has given us the standard for what to think and how to act towards groups other than our own. Although it is slowly changing, heterosexual marriage is perceived as the social norm. Stereotypes against oppressed groups, such as gays, lesbians, transgendered people, women and the working class are more prevalent than some people would like to admit. This did not just happen by accident- gender, sex and class are all socially constructed. The authors of The authors of Race, Gender, Sexuality & Social Class emphasize the fact that the four systems of social inequality- race, gender, class and sexuality- are all socially constructed. Society has created social norms, and anything that goes against the perceived norms are frowned upon. The authors acknowledge that social expectations and arrangements have led the subordinate groups to lack access to information and resources that dominant groups control. (Ferguson 8). Specifically, members of oppressed groups lack access to medical care and education and experience high unemployment and poverty rates. As Ferguson points out, society has distorted or excluded the

Get Access