Level 3 Gender Roles And Social Constructs Research Paper

Snyder 1
Emily Snyder
Clark
AP Language and Composition
3 April 2015 Gender Roles and Social Constructs
The connotations of the terms “gender”, and the words “male” and “female” have evolved from signifying a simple difference in reproductive organs, to signifying differences in social status and privilege, emotional states, and general mentality between the two groups. Most everybody has a clear mental inventory of what it means to be a male, and what it means to be a female. Women are often seen as a the weaker sex, and men as their providers. Women are often thought of in their domestic sphere­­doing their “duties” as the cookers, cleaners, child­rearers, and husband­pleasers­­while men are often thought of in a more worldly sphere­­performing
Another problem with the idea that is falls to females to be the primary caregivers is that it results in females being taught that their place in in the home, while their male counterparts are awarded with more opportunities simply because they are males, thus perpetuating the idea that women are inferior to men and making it impossible for them to break out of their domestic spheres. In the past, gender roles were meant to optimize the hunter­gatherer economy, but where they once served to advance the human race, they have now evolved in such a way as to bar its progression.
It could be argued that gender roles are practical until they block the progress of one gender; otherwise, these roles can peacefully coexist. The people of Russia, for example, view their women not as the “weaker sex” but as the “prettier sex”. It is customary for women to live up to the standard, by dressing well and carrying themselves in a dignified manner. Men respect this by behaving chivalrously and courteously, holding doors open and offering hands and
In an article for
Time
, author Lisa Abend describes a primary school with elements such as a library
“
carefully calibrated” to contain books with an equal amount of female and male protagonists, and “access to pirate and princess costumes” alike for both boys and girls, to en sure that boys and girls receive exactly the same treatment, and meticulously equal exposure to both genders, as if they are not one or the other (Abend). While Sweden’s is a solution toward gender coexistence, to do away with gender completely would serve to be illogical, as they are, at their root, biologically determined, and there is no way to eliminate the core differences between sexes. However, both Russia and Sweden display non­rigidity in the way that they view the roles of men and women in their societies.
In the grand scheme of things, rigid social construct that is gender has existed for an infinitesimal times compared to gender roles. These constructs have a tendency to cast a negative light on natural, biological gender roles.