Caren Kamel
SOCI 243
October 13, 2015
RCG Midterm Question 3
In the reading “The social Construction of Gender” by Judith Lorber she describes how gender is socially constructed. Sex is the biological difference while gender is the social and cultural meanings attached to femininity and masculinity (lecture). From the time that a child is born the doctor assigns it a gender, girl or boy, depending on its genitalia. In the reading “Naming All the Parts” it focused on how when doctors view genitalia to decide the gender they say there is a penis or there is no penis, no acknowledgment of the vagina. Gender construction begins when we start using gender markers such as naming a child a certain name, dressing it in certain colors such as pink or blue, and giving it gender based toys such as dolls for girls and cars for boys. As we get older we learn to behave in ways that are associated with hegemonic masculinity or exaggerated femininity (lecture). We are also expected to have specific careers based on our gender. Due to gender stratification, which is the ranking of the sexes in such a way that women are unequal in power, resources, and opportunities (lecture),women are more likely to have lower paying jobs, take care of children, and keep up with housework. At the same time men can earn more working the same job. We become who we become in response to the social forces relevant to society (lecture). Gender is socially constructed, but the function of gender in
When it comes to gender, it is as easy to determine as quantum physics; all the pieces are there but it is impossible to put together. Without hard evidence, all people can do is to make assumptions. The two biggest arguments on how gender is determined right now is based upon social and biological construct. Arguing for the sociological aspect is Aaron Devor, writer of the article, “Gender roles behaviors and attitudes”. Dover believes that, “People use femininity and masculinity to claim and communicate their membership in their assigned, or chosen, sex or gender” (Devor 505). Devor considers that society has certain roles that are predetermined towards males, females and anyone in between. A man has to act a certain way to be masculine and a female a certain way to be considered feminine. On the not so opposite side of the spectrum is Deborah Blum, author of the work, “The gender blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?”. Blum doesn’t necessarily disagree with Devor, but asks the question, “Do the gender roles of our culture reflect an underlying biology, and, in turn, does the way we behave influence that biology” (Blum 512). Blum is arguing that maybe it was our genetic makeup that built the foundation on how a gender should act. Both authors present valid points for their arguments, but in the end, it is Blum who comes over on top with her usage of tone, evidence, and the use of a counterargument.
Research Question/Problem: whether gender is a social construction and what types of genders there are
“Social construction theory, in contrast, argues that gender roles, behaviours, and differences are not the natural consequence of minor biological differences, but are instead the result of historical, economic, and cultural forces which have pushed women into social and economic roles and men into others. It sees biology as providing the raw materials, and sees social institutions, culture, history and individual agency as what shape those raw materials into human beings who also happen to be gendered as men, women, and other genders” ( Klement 3). In this day and age gender and sexuality are very sensitive topics. Gender differences and inequalities has been a thing that has been engraved in our minds since the dawn of time.
Through a symbolic interactionist perspective, the social construction of gender will be analyzed by examining differences between the sexes and the expectation to follow the social norms of how people are supposed to dress, socialize with, and behave taught by common institutions of socialization.
In this meme it show a women that looks like your stereotype hippie. She is use to personify the people who believe that “thinks gender is a social construct with no basis in biology” and “thinks conservation are science deniers”. The creator use humor to make fun of the people who believe that gender is a social construct and thinks the right wing are the one who science deniers but it is the ones who believe that gender is a social construct are the real science deniers. They are the real science deniers because gender is not a social construct it has basis in biology. The kind of humor style that is use in this is aggressive humor to mock the people that believe the idea that gender is a social construct. The supporters of the idea that gender is a social construct said that gender is taught to us by society and we are socialize into gender roles. I am going to go in details about why the idea that gender is a social construct is a myth by taking a look at gender socialization theory and what the experts who support it said the evident is.
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.
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,
“The social construction of gender comes out of the general school of thought entitled social constructionism. Social constructionism proposes that everything people "know" or see as "reality" is partially, if not entirely, socially situated. To say that something is socially constructed does not mitigate the power of the concept. These basic theories of social constructionism can be applied to any issue of study pertaining to human life, including gender. This is
Gender roles have influenced our society our whole lives, without us realizing it. They determine the way in which we, as members of society, behave among others and what is deemed socially acceptable and what is not, all based on our gender. From the moment children take their first breaths, they are exposed to the gender roles society has set. This is all part of a social construction to categorize the two genders into believing that they should act in a particular matter, using toys as an advertising method. If the baby is a female, parents will opt to dress her in pink or purple, classifying the child as “girly”. However, if the child is male, parents will often opt for blue and green, avoiding pink in order to confirm the masculine gender by society’s standards. Even as kids, a girl will automatically head to the pink side of the toy store, just as a boy would head to the blue section due to their pre-exposed view of society.
People learn to “do” gender is almost another way of expressing that gender is our everyday life. Doing gender can be seen as a way people all believe in their own religion. While reading throughout chapter 3 “The social Construction of gender” Judith Lorber (1994) taught me that gender construction starts with assignment to a sex category. This highlights the understanding that gender can be displayed through variations of trade marks such as the way a parent may dress or name their new born baby to keep people from asking whether it is a boy or girl. Most importantly what I found interesting while engaging in this week’s article “Toys are more divided by gender now than they were 50 years ago”. Elizabeth sweet expressed doing gender behind
The word gender can be described as the state of being male or female and is typically used to describe cultural differences as opposed to biological ones. Additionally, the definition of gender has continuously been a controversial issue due to its lack of clarity in regards to battling complicated social injustices. Furthermore, the construction of gender as a social category has recently been criticized for the lack of inclusiveness to women of color and the consistent habit to view both gender and race as restrictive divisions of experience and reasoning. Seeing those criticisms has led to the development of the term intersectionality which deals with various layers of subjection that women live with and addresses more than just the
Gender is conducted between two people that interacts with each other which explains the difference between boys and girls, men and women, but it is a term that is used to show that men and women can be different as they have different biological characteristics. Gender contains a lot of fluid that does not depend on the person’s biological traits. Gender is also the way men and women reacts different including different behaviour when they are in public compared to what their personal life behaviours are like (What the is gender, 2016).
I am a strong believer that gender roles are a social construct. However, gender identity is not. Therefore, it is very important to know the difference. Gender roles are defined as “theoretical constructs involving of social and behavioral norms that are widely considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex. The perception of gender roles includes attitudes, actions, and personality traits associated with a particular gender within that culture. Gender roles are predominantly considered within a family context as well as within society in general”. I believe that gender roles and gender expression are social constructs. There is almost nothing that is intrinsically male or female and merely things that are coded as male or female by the culture we live
The social construction of gender has caused adverse effects in today’s society through stereotypes established for men and women presented at birth. The creation of these stereotypes have forced men and women to chase gender based behaviors in order to be supported by society. Both articles reinforce how the pessimistic lenses of male and female cause gender specific stereotypes.
Prior to this moment I had never really felt pressured from society to fit my gender. I had seen many ideal beauty standards for females that I never felt I met but I had never had a moment where I felt like my appearance was associated with my gender. This moment was really jarring to me because when I decided to cut my hair short, I never once thought about how this would change the perception people had about me; It seemed like a small cosmetic decision.