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Gender Roles In Society

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In the past few weeks the reading in this book has increased my awareness and understanding of the complexities of American society and culture. The readings in this book had alluded me the opportunities to see the lives of other Americans. The United States of America is a very diverse place to live and no one person has the same story. Identity is a group of characteristic that makes us who we are. The book suggest “that a person’s identity begins when a child first recognizes his or her mother as a separate being, who in turn recognizes the child as an individual. From there, however, we go through innumerable developmental stages, as we perceive and accept or reject the values and distinctions established by our particular lifestyle” (Rusciano …show more content…
Society has come to call these ideals gender roles. While these gender roles may seem innocent and harmless, they stereotype us and can have a dramatic effect on the everyday lives of people. In the reading A Transsexual’s Story Jessica Stearns states that the socialization process governs the process of growing up. A child rapidly learns to adapt to expectations of the sexual role in which they are born (Stearns 89). Both the articles Male Gender Roles, and In the Beginning There Are Babies backs this statement up. According to the article In the Beginning There Are Babies for a girl she realizes that she is to become a woman because a woman is what her mother is, she is going to become a mother just like her own and will be powerful, loving, and wise (Phillips 74). The reading states for boys they learn a different way, they learn by watching the male figures in their lives and by exploring. Males are taught to be aggressive and strong through play, while girls are taught to be caring and nurturing through the toys made for girls. Women are believed to be “submissive” while men are “aggressive and assertive”. Women are expected to be emotional while men “should manage and suppress their emotions”. The reading Male Gender Roles states that “men play a high cost for ways they have been stereotyped and for the roles they play (Thompson 84). Men are told to act tough, hide emotions and earn big buck (Thompson 85). When I think of how this effects society, I believe these expectations cause people to change who they are to be accepted by society. An example of this in the reading is the reading A Transsexual’s Story, Jessica felt almost pressured to get married and have a family and hide who she really was. The article stated that when he went into the air force and lived of base he would frequently cross dress in the privacy of his own home and

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