Preview

Gender Social Construction

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1012 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gender Social Construction
Social constructionism is a based on theoretical knowledge and more importantly where these ideas come from; society. Gender and sexuality are social constructs. What defines a person’s gender? Their body parts, their self identification or what society says they are? Traditionally, humans are born as male, female or intersex, that is their identifier from the day a person is born. Sexuality can be viewed the same, traditionally, a person is attracted to the opposite sex and it has only recently been accepted for people to be attracted to or to identify as the opposite, one, or both.
From a young age it is clear that we are given the concept of gender roles and gender based beliefs. As humans we are born as masculine (generally males) and …show more content…
Kaur, 2012, “gender as a social construct”), process relating to the day to day interactions, stratification as society sets the idea of men having a higher status and power than women, and structure with the gender divides in the workforce and home life, for example, with men being more expected to work to provide for their partner and families, where as women are expected to stay home with their children to cook and clean. The boundaries have been pushed with the idea of gender roles that society has placed upon the individual in day to day life with males generally having higher regarded and demanding jobs such as trades, security, army, surgeons and politics, where as jobs more common for women are jobs such as teachers, childcare, nursing, midwifery and retail …show more content…
There are seven types of sexuality, these include, heterosexuality (attraction to the opposite sex), homosexuality (gay/lesbian; attraction to your same sex), bisexuality (attraction to the opposite sex and same sex), asexuality (‘nonsexuality’, no attraction to either males or females), polysexuality (attraction to more than one gender, but do not want to be identified as bisexual; poly meaning many), pansexuality (attraction toward people regardless of gender), transexualism (when a person identifies themselves with a physical sex that is different to their biological one, and attracted to the same sex of their biological). These are the most common identified sexualities, but as society grows, the more identities are added to the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Gender Schema Theory In The 1980s
    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Gender Schema Theory In The 1980s

    Gayle Rubin created the sex/gender system concept in the year 1975. She created this term to offer a new way of thinking about the difference between sex and gender. She defined the sex/gender system as “the set of arrangements by which a society transforms biological sexuality into products of human activity, and which these transformed sexual needs are satisfied” (WRWC, 2015). The sex/gender system has many explanations that attempt to address how our sex plays a role in how we learn gender. A few of these theories include: cognitive-developmental theory, social learning theory, gender schema theory, social interactions and gender roles, and lastly, performativity theory. In this essay I will explain how the sex/gender system is created and reinforced from the perspectives of feminist theorists.…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Level 3 Gender Roles And Social Constructs Research Paper
    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Level 3 Gender Roles And Social Constructs Research Paper

    female. Women are often seen as a the weaker sex, and men as their providers. Women are often…

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Fall SOC 1001: Social Construction Of Gender
    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Fall SOC 1001: Social Construction Of Gender

    A person’s sex is determined by their physical aspects, whether they have a penis or a vagina, and by their chromosomes which they have at birth (Soc 1001 Lecture 22, The Social Construction of Gender). Sometimes, though, people may fall outside of the two “main” sexes and be born as an intersex person, then given the choice to identify as male, female or neither (Psy 3666 Human Sexuality Lecture 10, Sex Education and Sexual Orientation), but are typically assigned a sex at birth via surgery and/or hormonal intervention (Soc 1001 Lecture 22, The Social Construction of Gender). Not only do intersex individuals have the choice to identify themselves as they please, everyone has a choice as to what they want to be identified as no matter if a surgery had taken place or…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Social Construction Of Gender: The Enduring Paradox
    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Social Construction Of Gender: The Enduring Paradox

    Gendering has become a way for sociologist to view the changing social structure in today’s society. With the sexual revolution of the sixties academics worked to develop a means to label the different attitudes of the new generation emerging. In the documentary Gender: The Enduring Paradox they interview the very young and old white male and female subjects, a noted African American female poet, and an Asian female writer/director. The interviews with the young have leading questions about gender roles and requirements. The elderly give an accurate account of what was taught to them for their generation. The poet infuriated me with her talk of no positive roll models for African Americans and that children raise in single parent home have identity crisis. The writer was the most honest for the stereo type for Asian was on the mark. Judith Lorber a noted sociologist in her essay “The Social Construction of Gender” puts to much stock in the belief that people are uneasy if they can not tell if a person or child is male or female. In both the documentary and essay they describe gendering as how children are dressed and taught. These may contribute to a person’s gender but biological factors have more results than a mother dressing a girl in dresses or pants.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Social Construction Research Paper
    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Social Construction Research Paper

    How does one define social construction? Well, to begin with you can certainly consider gender differences in social construction. When referring to social construction we are looking at ways society defines these characteristics and ideas within different cultures, whether it's the biologically involved or these instances are learned starting at infancy. It's these social interactions that people act and react to, and what is merely accepted by society. A woman is born a woman and a Man is born a Man. And these two human beings have different roles in this society that each one is supposed to perform. It's about how we humans in this society understand how the world is constructed through…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Social Construction Women
    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Social Construction Women

    Chapter 5, talks about social construction and deviant behaviors. Weitz talks about how, “an ill person is one whose actions, abilities, or appearance do not meet social norms: expectations within a given culture regarding proper behavior or appearance” (Weitz 104). After reading the three articles, you can tell that this issue is socially constructed. This can show a form of deviance. When women are not following the norms of society this can be looked at as an illness. The article, Pathologizing Your Period, talks about that you can be labeled with PMDD if, “you are unhappy, bloated, hard to concentrate, having food cravings, breast tenderness”. The drug Prozac was made to relax these issues, when the drug became aimed to focus on the issue of women and PMDD the pharmaceutical…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    We Wern T Born This Way

    • 295 Words
    • 1 Page

    We Wern T Born This Way

    true that you were born ‘male’ or ‘female’. We were socialized into those gender roles…

    • 295 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Assigment #2
    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Assigment #2

    In modern society, the idea of changing gender roles seem to be difficult not only woman or man do not have the skills for other one’s tasks but it also brings potentially risk to our society. In 1950s, the gender roles have been defined that man as breadwinner and woman as homemaker. As the society’s evolved, a woman becomes more active, ambitious and independent and a man becomes more emotional and involved in house tasks. According to Aaron H. Devor in his article, “Becoming members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,” “…society demands different gender performance from us and reward, tolerates, or punishes us differently for conformity to, or digression from social norm” (527). Thus, when the gender roles are defined in terms of social interaction, then social norms seem to play a key role with it. The social norms tell us how the male and female should behave, expecting people to have their own personal characteristic and act in a way appropriate to their gender. Even when the changing gender roles affect society, it still needs to consider and follow particularistic obligation of each gender roles.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gender Stereotypes And Gender Analysis
    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page

    Gender Stereotypes And Gender Analysis

    By evaluating the various structures and its functionality it provides, the function of gender contributes to the stability of our society. Specifically gender roles assign the responsibilities of women and men. In social role theory the gender stereotypes arise from historical occupations such as men being the breadwinner and women being the homemaker. In order to be in harmony with this perspective it is that women and men become active participants of these gender stereotypes in the workforce (Rudman & Phelan, 2010, p. 192). Stereotypes are learnt through the socialization process and influence stereotypical characteristics and roles. Interestingly enough Rudman & Phelan (2010) suggest that women exposed to non-traditional gender occupations,…

    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Social Constructionism In Sociology
    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Social Constructionism In Sociology

    Social constructionism is a core concept in sociology, so strongly integrated in every society globally, that it has affected the way we all think. Social constructionism displays the fact that the social world is not natural, it is not revealed, and it's not even fully determined. It is completely made up by people, who also continue to transmit and cultivate such views. Everything that we have learned, that has not originated from our own senses, intuition, or reasoning we have learned from other people. 95% of what we know, we have accepted from others, which is why some say that even our own reasoning is influenced by those around us. Essentially, social constructionism explains how and why we give everything reason, from feminine…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Social Stigmas and Gender Roles
    • 2185 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Social Stigmas and Gender Roles

    Social stigmas accompany every one of life’s categories – especially male and female. Gender-based stereotypes – existent since the beginning of time – help in both the advancement and hindrance of the sexes and of society. Gender roles helped create society. They generated a world in which the man went out into the world in order to work and provide monetarily for his family while the woman stayed in the home, working hardly to accomplish the couple’s domestic responsibilities and to raise the couple’s children. This traditional notion of the roles of genders enabled families to function in history; however, in the modern-day era, this notion only thwarts progress. As women travel out into the work place, they are not treated as the equals of men. The societal perception of the weak, lesser woman still remains, preventing women to become truly equal. On the contrary, gender stereotypes also inhibit the growth of men, causing them to feel compelled to follow the traditional definition of masculinity. Gender should be seen as fluid (with personality characteristics and preferred hobbies that can be demonstrated and admired by both sexes), rather than as a rigid set of characteristics needed to be met. Societal expectations of gender differences should not be forced upon people.…

    • 2185 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Social and Cultural Views of Healthy and Unhealthy Human Sexuality
    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Social and Cultural Views of Healthy and Unhealthy Human Sexuality

    Today society still see certain jobs as a male job or even a female job an example of this would be construction jobs are seen as male employment where child care worker are seen for females. This lead to a hidden discrimination based on sex that the majority of society is aware about but feels it is all right. From a social perspective, the male has always been the person who went to work and provided for the family but due to the economic changes and the opportunities woman now have the female hold employment that equal or succeed the male income earnings. Female’s sexuality includes issues pertaining sex, body image, self-esteem, personality. Sexuality varies across the cultures and regions of the world, and has continually changed throughout history, and this applies equally to female sexuality.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Does Social Construction Affect Gender Identity?
    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Does Social Construction Affect Gender Identity?

    Gender and sex is arguably two separate ideas that determine how a person functions in society. Therefore, the expression of, gender is something we do and not someone that we are, has multiple arguments. For instance, sex is determined by our biological makeup of genetics and genitals, unlike gender, which focuses more on how person describes themselves in public. More specifically, sex breaks down between male or female, whereas, gender is a man or women, which does not correlate to their body make-up. Also, for people to understand which role a person belongs to between a man or a woman, they determine it off of a few socializing aspects, school, family, and mass media. A school is probably the most influential era for a person to grow up…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Socially Constructed Gender Roles
    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Socially Constructed Gender Roles

    Socially constructed gender roles have dictated who works, what kind of work they do, acceptable reasons for their presence in the labor force, and even how well they are compensated. Prior to the 19th century, in this mostly agrarian society, men where attached to the land and women were expected to operate within the confines of the home. However, the changing nature of the economy and work unsettled the stasis of clearly defined roles. In trying to cope with this shift, American society was afflicted by something closely resembling cognitive dissonance. The need for female labor was at odds with the social injunction not to violate female delicacy. In the 1820s and the 1920s, the relationship between women and work was characterized by competing…

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gender Binary Definitions
    • 195 Words
    • 1 Page

    Gender Binary Definitions

    Gender Binary-Is the distinct classification of males (masculine) and females (feminine) into two complete opposite sexes. It’s a social norm to be heterosexual, also discouraged to be gay in society. Physical characteristics describe males and females. Some of my personal thoughts is the social norm is to be heterosexual, there are many forms homosexuality. “Gender-reversed homosexuality, Institutional homosexualities, Gender-reversed homosexuality, Compulsive… etc(Types of Homosexuality, n.d.)” are the many forms of homosexuality. Society and culture make sexual orientation parts, and these parts are endorsed as perfect or suitable conduct for a man of that particular sex. Gender is formed by the physical, psychological, and mental traits…

    • 195 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics