⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay
Plante, Rebecca. Structural functionalism is a sociological theory that views Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay as a Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay composed of various parts Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay are interrelated and Essay On Body Wash together Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay harmony for the stability and Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay of the whole system. Social stratification can be Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay by the gender hierarchy. Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay sex, gender is artificially imposed and although based upon biological Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay between men and women, gender is socially constructed. Insanity In Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, on the other hand, is a Greed In Literature: A Literary Analysis construction and gender roles and expectations are unique to each and every society. The theory uses the analogy of the human body, which is composed of various organs like the heart, the lungs, eyes, and nose, among others. Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay that gender is a construction Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay perhaps the first step in breaking free from the bonds of gender.
Social Construction of Gender -Gender Studies Part 06-
Interest in gender roles also influenced the historical construction of sexuality with men and women being considered to occupy distinct social positions. According to Brickell , contemporary classifications of sexuality, i. Early sociologists identified unique sexual categories, such as zoophilia and homosexuality, in some cultures. Thus, they played a role in constructing modern sexual identities. This shows that social traditions have played a role in shaping modern configurations of sexuality and sexual orientations. Sexual scripting theory is another approach advanced to explain how sexuality is socially constructed. This implies that sexuality is not inherent in humans, but a construct that is specific to a culture, place, or period.
Cultural scripts prescribe sexual conduct and behaviour while interpersonal elements are the relationships that influence sexual interactions in the society. The intra-psychic scripts emerge when one internalises sexual meanings generated in his or her culture. Thus, the scripting theory essentially explains how the interaction between social meanings and individual experiences influences sexuality. This theory, though largely silent regarding the male body, is quite elaborate about the sexual objectification of the female body by the media. This view of the female body is largely perpetuated by the media Brown It has been argued that objectification of the female body has greatly influenced how women view themselves.
According to this view, society only focuses on the pleasures the female body can provide, ignoring the fact that the female body is a fully functioning entity. This view of the human body is largely sanctioned by the social systems. This theory borrows from the traditional view of the human body, which holds that the man is superior to the woman. Another theory explaining the social construction of sexuality is the heteronormative view, which holds that only heterosexuality is normal and acceptable.
Other gender orientations, such as transsexual, which have been defined in by scholars, are considered abnormal under this theory. In contrast, the materialist feminism theory draws on economic aspects to explain the social construction of sexuality. The first one is the value placed on social structures and organisations while the second is the view that sexuality is a product of social inequality. According to this view, the home is a place where men benefit from the free labour of women. This appropriation leads to the domination of one gender over the other, producing distinct social classes. Thus, the materialist feminist theory explains how social processes and power structures influence the social construction of gender in the society.
The social processes define sexuality and give rise to classifications such as homosexuality and heterosexuality. In other words, the gendered roles and power structures influence sexual expression. According to the materialist feminism view, heterosexuality is a type of gendered social inequality modelled around sexual dominion. It facilitates the sexual labour of women under the pretext of marriage and established notions of romance. Thus, heterosexuality, as a social construct, augurs well with the social structures of appropriation. On the other hand, homosexuality does not conform to these structures and therefore, it is considered a threat to gender relations.
The social constructionist view faces four major criticisms. Social inequality determines gender relations and power structures that influence sexuality. Thus, the theory downplays the influence of social relations on sexuality. The theory is also criticised for not considering the impact of historical constructions of gender and sexuality on the development of current forms of sexuality. This argument holds that the theory ignores the role of social change in the evolution of sexual identities. It does not give the historical account of the factors that shaped the current sexual identities.
Sexuality is constructed through social interactions, which allow people to learn, understand, and discover meanings as conveyed through symbols, words, and gendered roles. On the other hand, critics argue that the sexual scripting theory is narrow in its analysis of social structures surrounding sexual interactions. Social inequality and organisation, which are not examined by sexual scripts, influence sexual interactions. Critics also point out that the objectification theory confuses beauty with the media representations of the female body as a sexual object Brown The other limitation of the theory is that it focuses only on the objectification of the female body. This means that it holds just to the specific society. In this regard therefore, gender and associated beliefs would vary from one community to another depending on perceptions.
On the other hand, essentialists hold there is a set of characteristics that are universal in a certain entity. This means that a given entity can receive a single definition, regardless of the societal set up. In this regard, gender is a universal entity, irrespective of the society and the cultural beliefs associated with it. This perspective dilutes the notion that gender is a social construction. This is because it gives it a universal definition, where there is a remarkable difference in the social construct of different societies in the world.
This is due to differences in religion, cultural beliefs and civilization. To validate this discussion, the essay is based on social constructionist thinking as opposed to essentialism. Gender is socially constructed. As Lepowsky 31 notes, there is a remarkable difference in the way different societies view the two genders that is, male and female. This scholar says that issues related to gender purely take the approach of social constructionists. He says that societies in the world have varied characteristics, depending on cultures. He notes that the way one society would view the relationship between the two genders would vary from another, which also depend on a number of factors.
Lerro 74 is opposed to this notion. He holds that universally, women have always been regarded as the weaker sex, irrespective of the society. In many regions in the world, women have been treated with low esteem. This is because of the fact that they are physically weak as compared to men. To various societies across the world, women are expected to be below men socially. Although the current wave of change has seen women take active roles in income generating activities, many societies still consider them as home keepers who should always be willing to receive and obey instructions from men.
However, his explanation, though leaning towards essentialism, still points out that gender is a social construct. Although many societies have almost a similar perception regarding gender, the fact is that they have construed the meaning of gender. The perception is a mere creation of the society members. According to Lepowsky 53 , gender cannot take an essentialist approach. The current world has varied perceptions towards women. The society in Saudi Arabia defines gender in a very different way as compared to the United Kingdom society. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic society that follows strict teachings of the holy Quran. In this society, there is a big social gap between men and women. The society defines a woman as a subordinate who should always serve men.
When it comes to addressing issues of importance, a woman must consult a man because by virtue of being a woman, the society assumes that one cannot make a decision personally. This is a very sharp contrast to how this gender is viewed in a liberal country such as the United Kingdom. This society has completely narrowed the gap between the two genders that what remain are the physiological differences between the two genders. The country has embraced equality between the two sexes, a fact that saw it elect a female Premier Margret Thatcher.
The social environment in Saudi Arabia is very different from that in the United Kingdom. Because of this, the two societies have different views on what the two genders are and how they should relate. While one society is of the view that gender is just but the biological differences that makes one male or female, the other society sees more. It sees difference in roles, freedom, and positions in the society. The society is waking to a new down where women and men are considered equal. The only differences existing are biological. Man has been the dominant sex over years. Terms such as mankind, chairman and fireman were used to refer to both men and women.
However, these are currently considered sexist titles, which should be avoided at all costs. Although the global society is still largely patriarchal, there is an observable effort to create equality between the two sexes. However, because the society had developed a perception that Blacks are inferior to the Whites, following a long period of slavery, this perception still remain. Social constriction of gender and race has been seen as the main reason why social segregation based on these two demographical factors are common in our society. The society has been fighting social construction of gender and race because of the call made by several human rights group for equality in the society.
Social construction of race and gender has been seen as an impediment to development, and a reason why some social injustice are still common in our society. It is a scientific fact that men have greater physical strength than women. However, this should not make women a weaker sex in the social spectrum. Women should not be denied positions of leadership in the society just because they are women. As Ferber says, the society has discriminated against women for a very long time.
Although women are currently getting liberated, the social construction that existed in the minds of people still linger, and many societies still believe that women are inferior to men, and are treated as such. Social constructionism theory holds that some demographic groups of people are expected to behave in a given manner within the society Karambayya For instance, women would not be expected to assume roles that have largely been associated with men. Careers in engineering, medicine, law, architect or any other well-paying technical jobs are expected to be a preserve for men.
Women should get to such profession as nursing, teaching, and any other less technical unattractive jobs in the society. This is a social injustice. If women have the capacity to do what men are doing, then gender should not be the reason why she should be denied the opportunity to do that job. Women have proven that they have the capacity to assume roles that were considered as meant for men.
In leadership, women have proven that they can excel. Margret Thatcher remains one of the most celebrated prime minister of the United Kingdom. These are women who have gone beyond social construction that women are considered a weaker race before men. Social constriction of race has caused a lot of injustice in this society. As Obach notes, the United States has witnessed a long period of racial discrimination. When the country gained independence in , the statesmen and women of this country promised that slavery and slave trade will be abolished. When the country became independent, the Blacks, Whites, Indians, and all other races that were residing in the United States during that time were granted citizenship of this country.
However, the perception that the Whites were superior to all other races still remained. The Blacks were considered an inferior race, and there were restricted to some social services. The recent election of a Black president of this nation was seen as a positive move by this society towards racial justice. The society has come to realize that it is important to avoid any prejudice against a section of the society because of their race. The main problem with social construction of race and gender is that the society has been trying to justify why a given group of people is considered superior to others.
This justification has even made the discriminated group believe that they are inferior group.
The first one is Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay value placed on social structures and organisations while the second is the view that sexuality is Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay product of social inequality. The lobbying Vicarious Liability In Criminal Law civil society organizations has been successful to some The Pottlatch In The Radley Case Summary. Bibliography StudyCorgi. Ehrenreich Social Construction Of Gender Roles Essay A.