The Social Construction Of Gender

The “gender role” refers to a theoretical construct in society that refers to the set of social and behavioral norms

This reading centers around the idea of gender being a social contrast rather than being biological. The reading argues that what we perceive as man and woman has little to do with the biological make up of a being and more so the role that being plays in society. Judith Lorber gives examples of two men she recalled seeing in New York. Both men were caring for children. One was carrying the baby on his chest and the other had the baby in the stroller. She could tell that both individuals were male almost instantaneously. But why? When she looked at the babies in which they were holding the job was not as easy. Was the baby male or female? This raised the question that maybe we identify gender by social signs and imagery rather than

A strong written argument is supported by several methods that are used to legitimize the author’s position as well as to discredit any counterargument brought forth. The techniques include introducing a counterargument and weakening it’s position with evidence. Providing legitimate academic research such as statistics as well as anecdotes from scholars on the given subject can reinforce the author’s argument. Another important method used is requiring the reader to critically think about a subject brought forth by challenging their preconceived ideas about a topic. This may also include using hidden assumptions that use implicit statements which have a certain opinion such as “If I follow the rules, good things will happen”, this is common

Gender is actually a set of rules, customs and traditions assigned to people of a particular sex. Gender is not biological but sex is. Rather, according to Lorber, it is influenced by our society and our culture. By proving this claim, Judith Lorber has put forth the example of the man and this example is efficient in distinguishing “gender” as a practice than as an innate attribute.

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 first part of They Say I Say focuses on how to properly introduce what others are saying and stresses the importance of providing context for one’s own argument. The authors explain how the context and purpose for the writing needs to be established, preferably early on, in order to interest readers to about an argument (20). By giving the readers background information, the readers will have a much easier time relating to the author’s argument. After demonstrating the need to provide the “they say” portion of an essay, the authors move on to how exactly one can introduce others’ arguments. The three main ways of introducing others’ ideas discussed throughout the first part of the book are paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting. For each of the three, the authors discuss pitfalls that writers should avoid and strategies that writers can use to improve. An example of a pitfall when summarizing is how many writers can accidentally create a “list summary”, which does not differentiate the information in the original work that is

“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved” (Matthew Henry). Gender roles are how each human is supposed to act, speak, or dress according to their assigned sex. The world has always depended on them to make crucial decisions and they have marked every aspect of society. Several people have taken advantage of gender stereotypes to determine what to do with their lives or to come up with excuses as to why they are carrying out a task. Literature is one of the main agents that exposes human attitude towards life. It has been affected by time

Clearly, society has been created around two separate classes or genders: men and women. Lorber argues that much of what we consider to be gender has no place in the natural order of the things. She is able

Gender or sex roles are the expected patterns of behavior assumed to follow from a person's sex. Gender roles are not natural. They are formed by and vary within society, culture, geographic location, politics and time. There is a strong relationship between the social construction of gender and compulsory heterosexuality. People are programmed into certain gender roles and social categories through socialization and interaction with others.

-each time we meet a new person we make a gender attribution and based on appearance and mannerisms we make a distinction between men and women

“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

In the reading, Judith Lorber discusses the social construction of gender. She talks about “performing gender” as a way to fit into society and describes how gender construction begins at birth and has to be either reaffirmed or redefined. Mock

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,

What are the argument’s main ideas and what reasoning does the author use to develop it?

Research Question/Problem: whether gender is a social construction and what types of genders there are