...people and society or it is indeed the natural state with virtue of their sexual character. This essay, which is written under the guidance of Daniel Bosley, part-time lecturer at Maldives National University, will focus upon the formation of gender, sex roles, feminine and masculine character, gender stereotypes and how it leads to gender inequality. SEX ROLES AND GENDER INEQUALITY Formation of Gender: Feminine and Masculine As people live together in a society, different roles are taught based on their sex known as sex roles, not much different from social role and socialization. The way individuals of different sexes acquire these roles, also known as role learning or socialization, is important in understanding how sexual characters are formed. “Feminine character is produced by socialization into the female role, masculine character by socialization into the male role – and deviants by some kind of failure in socialization” (Connell, 1987). The sex roles are therefore a set of prescriptions, attributes and expectations with relation to the respective sex provided by the society. Individuals learn these roles through “Agencies of Socialization” which are mainly family, school, peer groups and media. Acquiring the correct sex roles is key in successful socialization as role learning is rewarded with positive reinforcement and deviation from the roles result in negative reinforcements and sanctions. Hence,...
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...Masculinity is what it means to be a man which I think is not such a simple thing” (Grey Beyer) Being a man or a woman is the biological sex of a person, it is a descriptive biological concept. It is a physical and bodily nature but being masculine or feminine includes a mix of behaviours, characteristics and beliefs. Our society usually associates masculine traits with a boy or man and feminine traits with a girl or woman. Our cultures teaches men and women to be completely the opposite of each other. Pezzote (2008) tries to explains that when people refer what a ‘real man’ is in the everyday sense they actually combine four things together. • Biological sex ( Male and female reproductive organs) • Gender expression (How gender is expressed whether as masculine or feminine) • Gender identity ( The inner sense of being a man or woman) • Sexual orientation ( Straight or gay) When we combine these four categories it creates the perception that a biological male, masculine and hetereosexual and who identifies himself as a man is the norm to which all the other types of men should aim. Different types of masculinities Just like in societies...
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...primary authoritative figure in society. Fathers control the home, and men control the institutions. Gender hierarchy inhibits female dominance over male because it makes women subordinate to men. This power is exerted in forms of masculinity. Masculine men are emotionless, strong, aggressive, competitive, and independent. They are able to show dominance over women because subordinate women contrast from these characteristics. In modern day however, male dominance is becoming less and less prevalent in society. Media including television shows, movies, and magazines, has begun to create a more womanlike, emotional masculinity. It is less emasculating than it used to be to act in stereotypically feminine ways. Women are objectifying men almost as much as men are objectify women. Having traits that are not stereotypically masculine has become an acceptable life for a man, creating uniformity between the two genders. The feminization of men in media is creating equality amongst men and women because it is empowering women to eradicate the traditional patriarchal structure. Putting men on display is opening the opportunity for women to judge and objectify men. As Bordo says in her article “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” “It is feminine to be on display” (135). Being put on display takes away a person’s freedom. It takes away the ability to be oneself, and welcomes self-consciousness, inferiority, and pain; all are very unmanly traits. In every issue of “Cosmopolitan,” the girls...
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...is deemed to be masculine or feminine, so whether something is feminine or not depends on the culture. The influences of culture are seen everywhere within that specific society; from what is the typical standard of what to think, eat, wear, and even write. One form of media that is influenced by culture is comic books. Within Western culture, the genre of superheroes in comics is one in which the main protagonist is portrayed in a masculine manner. Comic books neither follow nor lead society but are reflective of a society and if that society looks down upon being feminine, it causes superheroes to be portrayed as being masculine regardless of gender or sexual orientations. Before starting off with the portrayal and acceptance of protagonists being masculine, it is important to understand the difference in comics following society and comics being reflective of society. Spatially, if something is following another then that would mean that it is behind in space and time. So if...
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...importance of the role of beauty in the female gender role showing how young women are being more sexualized. Also, the role of eating disorders in men and women’s genders is addressed. Men’s struggle with masculinity in present society as well as fear of feminism is talked about. Finally, the Bugis tribe, located in South Sulawesi, Indonesia is studied. Their five separate genders show a fascinating look at social construction. Gender And Its Social Unstoppable Construction Gender is an extremely captivating concept. The social construction of gender is an extensive and complicated subject. Looking at the views children have of gender roles shows social construction. Studying how women’s gender roles are socially constructed with feminine behavior is very interesting. Also is fascinating how men attempt to balance and uphold masculinity. Finally, gender in other cultures, specifically the Bugis tribe of Indonesia, have extremely different takes on gender, which is curious to see. Gender is an intriguing subject that not enough people are educated on, however, this paper will dive into the topic of gender and social construction. There is a very common misconception when talking about gender. Most people see gender and sex as identical concepts; however, gender and sex are two different entities. When someone is born, they are...
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...Running Head: MASCULINE VS. FEMININE 1 Women all over continually complain about how men do not show their emotions; however, when they finally do, these women are in for a rude awakening. A man’s emotions are often times confusing and sometimes contradictory. People have the preconceived notion that men simply do not have feelings. This is far from the case. The problem is in the fact that women believe men should feel things the way they do. The truth is that men have a much harder time processing these feelings. Men are taught from an early age that they need to be strong, confident and stoic. They begin to equate emotions with weakness. Societal expectations have “taught” men not to display any emotions. This becomes a huge problem in relationships because men suppress their feelings since they tend not to have socially acceptable emotional outlets. They do not want to seem “emasculated” for caring about someone or something on a deeper level. It is very obvious that men and women differ in the way they each express their emotions, but the difference is how they outwardly express and react to them. Scientifically, it has been proven that men tend to use the left side of their brain, which is where reasoning lies, whereas women tend to use the right side of their brain, which is attributed to emotion. This is what gives women the greater ability to comprehend people and express their emotions more efficiently. Culture determines gender roles and what is masculine and feminine ()...
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...role attitudes. Jennifer Garst; Galen V. Bodenhausen. Author's Abstract: COPYRIGHT 1997 Plenum Publishing Corporation We posited that media images of men influence the gender role attitudes that men express soon after exposure to the images. A total of 212 men (87% European American, 7% Asian or Asian American, 3% African American, and 3% other) viewed magazine advertisements containing images of men that varied in terms of how traditionally masculine vs. androgynous they were and whether the models were the same age or much older than the viewers. Men who had initially been less traditional espoused more traditional attitudes than any other group after exposure to traditionally masculine models, although they continued to endorse relatively nontraditional views after exposure to androgynous models. These findings suggest that nontraditional men's gender role attitudes may be rather unstable and susceptible to momentary influences such as those found in advertising. Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1997 Plenum Publishing Corporation In the average American household, the television is turned "on" for almost seven hours each day, and the typical adult or child watches two to three hours of television per day. It is estimated that the average child sees 360,000 advertisements by the age of eighteen (Harris, 1989). Due to this extensive exposure to mass media depictions, the media's influence on gender role attitudes has become an area of considerable interest and concern in the past quarter...
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...determined by the reproductive organs they were born with. Gender identity is a separate concept however men view their gender identity as male and women tend to view theirs are female. In actuality however, gender identity can be determined or influenced by various elements. Genetics, our environment, sex hormones and even psychological factors all may play an important role in how masculine or feminine a person may view themselves. When a child is born parents have a tendency of raising them with the stereotypical characteristics of their sex assignment. A boy is encourage to get dirty, play sports or with matchbox cars or trucks. It would be considered common behavior for a boy to be “rough and tough”. Many parents would discourage a male from playing with things that are considered “girly”. Girls on the other hand are generally encouraged to play with nurturing toys such as dolls, play kitchens or craft activities. Sure, it is more is now more acceptable for girls to play sports as a young child, but athletic young women are given the stereotype “tom-boy” and are viewed more masculine. Some people believe that there are roles that are specifically meant for either men or women. Not too long ago, it...
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...plays. “Barbie Doll” describes the implications and consequences of society’s definition of femininity and how the character was affected by it. Contrasting to that poem is “Rite of Passage,” which serves to portray the coming of age of a young boy into manhood, all set within the backdrop of a birthday party. While each of these poems describe the different roles in which men and women can act on, both Piercy and Olds make the point that there are pressures that come with fitting into the right character. Furthermore, both poems’ messages extend into today’s society as many young adolescents struggle with achieving the fixed notions of femininity and masculinity. Both women and girls are socialized into society’s definition of feminine behavior. The innumerable social pressures that are put onto women to be conventional to certain ways of looking and behaving are consequentially destructive. In Durham’s research, she examined and observed a group of girls’ conversations in a middle school in the southwest region of the United States. She noted that many of these young girls are influenced by what they see on magazines such as YM or Seventeen. Mariana: I saw in YM that if you put white eye shadow on like that, it makes your eyes look bigger. Mercedes (Opening Her Eyes Wide): Does it work? Mariana: I don't know. Yeah. A little bit, maybe. Nydia: Her hair is pretty. My hair is so ugly. Laura: Your hair is pretty...
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...stereotypes of what is considered masculine and feminine traits. Most women tend to be feminine as they wear makeup, dresses, miniskirts, and are soft spoken. On the other hand, men are seen as dominant, and in athletic apparel, or casual clothing. But not every female nor male fits these stereotypes. I have changed the aspect of myself from the perceived philosophies of dressing in femininity. I have created a gender argument producing an identity that does not precisely match my so called gender. I argue that cross dressing on a woman does not define a woman’s gender nor sexuality. With what is considered male clothing, I am still a woman. My intentions are to show the relationship between gender and sex and how gender and sex is socially constructed. To address the nature of identity through feminist ideas and how it is represented. I offer to show that one's...
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...Walk into any hospital in the country and there will more than likely be a nursing staff that consists almost entirely of female nurses. However, while waiting to see a physician, you more than likely expect a male doctor to walk into the room. Both health professions deal with nurturing and caring for patients, so why is it that male nurses get such a bad reputation? They make up for 6.6% of the nursing population, an increase from 5.7% from 2006. (Shah) The answer may be found by looking into gender roles, stereotyping, and the history of nursing as a profession. Nursing began with the care of infants and children. Hundreds of years ago, mothers would have been considered to be nurses. However, when diseases started to spread, people soon realized that love and nurturing were not enough to heal the sick. Early practices of nursing can be correlated with the age of Christianity, "modeling its practice after the teachings of Christ, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry and burying the dead. Therefore, during this period the history of nursing is intricately tied to the Church" ("Gonursingschools"). After the crusades, the world was ready for change. One of these changes that took place would have a major impact on the history of modern nursing. The Establishment of an institute in German: "Deaconess Institute at Kaiserswerth, Germany. A small hospital was opened which included a training school for deaconesses. Their training system was a close parallel to the educational...
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...Disney's Beauty and the Beast can be seen as a very honest way of depicting how society feels about the gender roles of men and women. Firstly, of the main characters, two out of the three are in fact males. The interesting thing about this balance is that despite there being a higher number of males in the film, they are both shown to be at least partially villainous. Throughout the entirety of the film, the only two characters, main or otherwise, who truly embody and possess typically masculine characteristics (chivalry, a wish to fight to protect women, strength etc) are both depicted as being wrong, evil, and negative. The first of these two men is Gaston. Gaston is by all accounts, the villain of the piece. His great crime? He believes that he has a duty to woo Belle, something which in context is not such a bad act. He believes, according to the long espoused value of men being the ones to make the first move, of men being the ones who are forced to take the rejection when it comes and of men being the ones who are forced to make themselves entirely powerless in the relationship, that he should try to make Belle love him. This value is not a misogynistic value, and is in fact a value that has been endorsed throughout the entirety of time, as it places women on a pedestal as special and deserving of extra privilege. Gaston's other crime, as far as watchers of the film (and in fact Belle, the only character in the piece who is really deserving of positive reactions in full...
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...housewives and mothers confined to the home and caring for their husbands and children. Even when working outside the home, women's jobs often seem to be an extension of their caring role in the home, looking after others as receptionists, secretaries, nurses, teachers, and social workers. Are these differences simply an extension of the biological make-up of males and females, or are they a product of the ways that males and females are brought up in society? (Nature vs. Nurture) SEX AND GENDER • Sex: (whether someone is male or female) refers to the natural or biological differences between men and women, such as difference in genitals, internal reproductive organs, and body hair. • Gender: (whether someone is masculine or feminine) refers to the cultural, socially constructed differences between the two sexes. It refers to the way a society encourages and teaches the two sexes to behave in different ways through socialization. • Gender role: is the pattern of behavior and activity which society expects from individuals of either sex – how a boy/man or girl/woman should behave in society. Gender roles may sometimes be referred to as sex roles. • Gender identity: refers to how much people see themselves, and others see them, in terms of their gender roles and biological sex. The differences between the terms 'sex' and 'gender' is best illustrated by the case of transsexuals: people who biologically belong to...
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...organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles.’(Princeton University – 2010). Whereas gender is listed as ‘the state of being male or female, typically with reference to social or cultural differences rather than biological.’(Michigan University – 2010). In this essay I will explore and investigate both sex and gender, whilst identifying the differences between the two. I will start by elaborating on the given definitions. Sex is defined on the Princeton University website as ‘biological’. This is a word that has recurred in many other definitions that I have researched for the word ‘sex’. This would suggest that sex is able to be categorized in a straight forward manner. However, there are several high profile cases in the media, when the issue of ‘sex’ has come into question. Perhaps most recently is the case of South African athlete, Caster Semanya. Semanya won the 800m race during the African Junior Championship, with the fastest time of the year. This lead to some spectators questioning her sex. When looking at the athlete she has an incredibly muscular and angular frame, and this coupled with her record breaking run made the International Athletic Association ask for a sex test. This case brought the issue of ‘sex’ into much disrepute. Now, we are led to believe that there is a third option, rather than just Male or Female. Scientists use the term ‘intersex’ to describe an individual who is ‘born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not seem...
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...were expected to either stay home and take care of the family or get jobs like secretaries or nurses. People who can successfully show masculine and feminine traits are said to be psychologically androgyny. They are different from other personality traits, like someone who just shows masculine or feminine characteristics or a person who is undifferentiated which is the opposite. Undifferentiated is someone who doesn't really excel in either masculine or feminine traits. People who show psychological androgyny are usually well adjusted because they can use either of their traits to their advantage depending on the situation. They can also increase their development in a wider range of subjects because they are comfortable with them. Some advantages to being Greek are you sort of have a family away from home, they can help you in making future connections, and they help you in school by giving you advise and answer to some upcoming future connections. They help you to meet many new people and they help the community. Some disadvantages are you have to pay money, people who are Greek are stereotyped as being with The idea of gender and gender roles in today's society shape the way we live and interact in our everyday lives. From the day you are born you are taught and interpret a certain way to act depending on what sex you are. The media is a leading contributor and...
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