The Social Construction Of Female And Male Identity

​​Gender is defined as whatever behaviors and attitudes a group considers proper for its males and females. Unlike sex, gender is something that we learn from the day we are born. “Young children begin to acquire gender role stereotypes at about the same time they develop gender identity and by the age of 3 or 4 most children” (Amanda Youmans). Peers, community, media, religion and our upbringing all play a role in the understanding of our culture and what is considered acceptable for males and females. When the sex of a child is revealed, they are automatically placed into a gender specific role with certain expectations. There are things in this world such as colors, toys, media depiction and taught behaviors that play into these gender roles.

The word identity has become the most discussed idea in our society. It is described mostly, to be a word that stands for who we are. Therefore, because of who we are, identity has come to be a word that we use to claim and understand people’s actions in our society. So in this paper I will be analysing how social practices surrounding identity relates to gender in social, personal levels, through the work of three authors; by Ian Hacking on “kind making”, Margaret Somers on “Narrative construction of identity” and finally, Frederick Cooper and Rogers Brubaker on “beyond identity” . However, I will tilt more toward Frederick Cooper and Rogers Bruakers article on identity. This is because I feel that their article contributes better to my

Gender identity is an extremely personal part of who we are, and how we perceive and express ourselves in the world. It is a separate issue entirely from sex or sexual orientation. There are dozens of dynamic and evolving terms related to how people identify. “Although Children are taught that their genes decree whether they will grow into men or women, people are not born socially or culturally female or male. Like race and ethnicity, gender can be thought of as socially constructed” (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2015, p. 196). I identify as female because I was taught as a child that I am female because of the genital parts I was born with. I also feel like I am a female. I do have my beliefs on what being a female or male entails.

In a recent South Park episode, titles “The Cissy”, in order for his own personal gain to use the girls’ bathroom and later to receive his own bathroom, Cartman dons a pink bow on his head to become “Erica.” Meanwhile, Randy Marsh (as known as Lorde to most and Stan’s dad) must battle with his gender identity and that of his music as women at his work are uncomfortable with sharing a bathroom with him, therefore he must receive his own against his wishes. While both Cartman’s and Randy Marsh’s struggles with their gender identity revolve around the use of a bathroom, through the juxtaposition of the actions of shooting a school and becoming transgender, the symbolism of the “executive bathroom,” and the final scene of Stan singing in the bathroom designated for “Cissys’” reveal society’s inability to comprehend gender- identity struggles, thus exposing the uselessness of gender- labeling.

The role movies played on gender identity in the twentieth century was substantial. Views that were defined by charismatic actors paved the way on how society accepted social standings. Religious groups and other dominant organizations controlled the content these films used to shape gender roles. Social pressure ensured these values were upheld and sustained.

What is gender? Most people feel as though gender consists only of the terms “boy“ & “girl“ , but it’s so much more than that. Gender is a very complex reality that is not just about what genetalia you have. In this paper I will explore all the subcategories and misconceptions of gender.

Gender identity is the personal conception of being a man or a woman and the society creates standards and comes up with gender roles basing them on existing norms and traditions which will in turn influence gender identity. For instance, most societies associate strength and dominance to be masculine roles while caring and assisting or subordination known to be feminine roles. This clearly makes gender identity be bred within the society. One’s identity is important as it influences his or her life through events like life experiences, how one is being taken or treated, how to do one associate or socialize with others, the type of job one will have to do and also opportunities that may come up favoring a certain type of gender identity. One is also likely to face obstacles or discrimination due to his or her identity.

By outlining the social and racial inflicted prejudice which consumed British ideology, there is a clear identity crisis for the black female characters in The Final Passage, Small Island and Second-Class Citizen. The inexplicable cultural ties to the colonial country indicate an erasable diasporic history which often surfaces within the relationships and liminal spaces which the Black female characters encounter in the mother country. As a result, we can see the character of Leila in severe turmoil due to her hybrid identity and the racial discrimination inflicted upon her. Thus, racial identity is crucial in mapping, re-negotiating and constructing the female diaspora throughout the texts. The positioning of Black women in post-war Britain

I personally feel as if even though gender is socially constructed, it is binary because these are the beliefs that a majority of the population has been raised to accept as normal for ages now. With a majority of the population identifying as either male or female and accepting the genders placed upon them, it will be hard to break this construction that has been imbedded in our mindset. When you have individuals that are different from the majority, they get ridiculed for not being like everyone else. This behavior has been going on since our young adolescents years, whether individuals point out others flaws, bully individuals for being different, etc. Therefore, since those who are transgender are seen as different to the majority this

A social construction is something that is created by society and believed to be natural. Social constructions are both a myth and a reality because social constructions aren’t natural, but it has real effects on the people who experience them. What society identifies as masculine and feminine is the social construction of gender. For example, masculinity and femininity is closely tie to being a man and a woman, respectively. In our society, men are supposed to be aggressive and unemotional, while women are supposed to be soft and gentle. This social construction of gender affect individuals lives because it makes those who don’t fit into these gender roles feel as if they aren’t the ideal man or woman. Women and men can both develop problems

From birth, certainly more or less marked way, boys and girls are educated and socialized on the basis of these models of masculinity/femininity. Thus, the child learns very early to "behave as a member of its culture" (Le Maner-Idrissi, 1997, p. 110). The construction of sexual identity is the result of the interaction between biological factors, cultural normative influence (mediated by the education and socialization) and structuring activity of the subject that involves its ability but also his desire to be as expected it is. As P. Molinier points out in his text, "the gendered is essential from the outside through the eyes of others, as requirement for compliance. Normally, each boy (and every man), every girl (and every woman), must provide

Gender appears to be a fundamental category taken place in our identity and has emphasized to us at an early age. Going to Wal-Mart and Target we discovered that tons of our preferences are made for us before we are even born. As an infant, it seems that boys prefer blue and girls prefer pink. Because of our gender ideology and socialization, it is easy to differentiate which clothes/toys are for boys and which are for the girls.

Gendered identity seemed to be well defined during the 1950s and this appeared to be reflected in fashion. These clearly defined roles and images however have not, historically, been consistent. At the beginning of the 20th century women’s style and fashion started to change intensely, this changing has helped women to fight for their independence of their style in fashion. Clothing moved to be more practical, a huge change from the narrowed and restricted frills and corsets of the 19th century. Fashion in the 1900s started to see a decline of the train on women’s dresses but soon enough hems began to develop (above the ankle). In the 1910s style began to concentrated more on the female shape, and just after one year later the world saw the beauty of slender silhouette. However, women were still required to keep the

A career pathway is a journey that you take so that you reach your goals throughout your life and become what you want to be. It is basically combination of your experiences in life such as your education, training and your interests. Your career pathway will involve developing your personal skills, interests

When I first started thinking about gender roles and how they influence us, I wanted to argue for how things have gotten more equal for both sexes in our society. Women and men alike have gradually shifted into roles once believed to be the sole territory of either one sex or the other, making gender equality highly valued by most people now-a-days. We also now acknowledge the differences between gender identity and sexual identity, and the roles that transgender, bisexual, gay/lesbian, and heterosexual individuals bring to our society. However, when I started to really reflect upon the 21st century, I began to realize that many of the culturally defined ways of behaving for men and women today still seem to be from the norm of a time so long past it isn’t funny. Two current examples, in our society today women face caps on how far they can go in the workforce due to a pre-established “glass ceiling” that dominates in a still very male oriented work environment; on the flipside, many people, men and women alike, will snub their nose at the “stay-at-home dad,” because both sexes still see house work and childcare as the women place.