Gender Roles And Social Norms

The progress in the education of gender norms has significantly advanced in recent years. The labels people used to use to identify someone’s gender has changed as more and more people start to identify outside of the original male/female genders. Sara Leifeste mentions in her article that kids are “still being socialized into their designated gender” meaning that after kids have somewhat developed, they are still being put into predesigned gender roles and are not given a choice (1). I agree that gender and sex are not the same, and that education on what the gender norms are starts with identifying the difference between gender and sex and evaluating the gender binary and going to a deeper understanding the people who live in and outside

Something that struck me reading this article was the claim that gender is determined by societal norms. What gives society the right to deem the color pink a girly color and black a boy color. What gives society the right to determine playing with dolls is for girls and playing with cars is for guys? Why do we have to put labels on things? This is part of the reason there are so many people who are confused with their identity in the world. A guy may have some habits that are considered “girly”. All of a sudden he thinks he needs a sex change because society is telling him he acts like a girl. While we cannot allow ourselves to be defined by society any longer, we cannot allow ourselves to define other people. The only way to stop the stereotypes

I trudged into this class the first day unaware that I was going to be hit in the face with the reality of social gender norms and how awful they are. It’s as if we’re put in a trance growing up that puts us in specific lanes that we need to stay in called gender norms one lane is titled “female” and the other is “male.” I was asked “What is a woman?” and the first few things that popped into my head were well long hair, breasts, makeup, and a vagina. None of these things are what should define a woman although a vagina is something a female is born with at birth. What I’ve learned so far has made me look at things differently or more like the right way. We fall into these roles that society developed throughout the years and we’re expected

What would you expect if there were no social norms dictating the roles that are ideal for people based on their gender? In the current world, social norms are so entrenched in our society that we cannot ignore them. The society has differentiated individual roles to either male or female roles, an indication that though an individual has a unique body and personality, one can never be fully autonomous but will be trapped in the role assigned to him or her by the society. Since I feel comfortable about my life, there is nothing in her arguments implied on my personal life. However, it implies that this is the case for the society around me. Judith Butler states in her essay “Beside Oneself; On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy” that “...when we speak about my sexuality or my gender, as we do (and as we must) we mean something complicated by it. Neither of these is precisely a possession, but both are to be understood as modes of being dispossessed...” (Butler 115), showing that my social location is mainly constructed along gender performance and physical vulnerability by the media, family and the community.

Like you, my soul is also exhausted seeing how our society is treating women and men as two different species. I am disliking the norm about how men is viewed as someone who can change the world and women as some kind of machine who can only bear children. I do not want to elaborate more on something you already sufficiently acquainted, that it is with some difficulty I adhere to my determination of giving you my appreciation for your self-esteem. The impression you made is huge and I like how despite of many hardships you faced in your journey you did not give up instead you challenged the social norms with more intensity.

Gender roles in any society dictates specific standards by which each individual (based on gender) is expected to act. Proper decorum based on sex, is manifested in the way men and women verbally express themselves, reason, act, and participate with each other. These differences in social expectations have impacted the way in which humanity perceives family responsibilities, job allocation, entertainment and even tangible products based on masculinity or femininity. Yet, based on the scientific principals set by Charles Darwin, evolution is inevitable. Gender roles in today’s culture seem to be obsolete. Socioeconomic factors have forced the hand of evolution, tarnishing the guiding lines of gender roles and responsibility. Society should evolve and stop trying to push the so-called typical gender roles because it can hinder the growth and development of today’s and the future’s society.

Education and employment go hand in hand now a day in order to become financially successful in life. These are two unmistakably major parts of society today. In order to become successful a good job is needed, and in order to get the job a good education is needed as well. But women especially need to emphasize more in these two subjects than men; due to past gender discrimination which brought on Equal Employment Opportunity Laws and challenges dissimilar from men’s: such as physical problems which effect their earnings, and that change their education habits.

Despite the popular belief that gender norms and inequalities are no longer an issue in today’s times, these outdated perceptions are still evident and hinder growth in societies. Many Americans are familiar with the phrase, “All men are created equal,” a phrase that may augment one’s patriotism because it can be located in The Constitution. However, this phrase unintentionally sets men higher than women in social status and should be rewritten to “All men AND women are created equal” which erases the barrier in gender inequality once created by our Founding Fathers. Gender norms are also still apparent. When one thinks of a sport such as wrestling, the thought of a female participant may cause one to question why the female in wonder

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.

Throughout history, many professions have been categorized as either masculine or feminine. For example, whenever people hear the words teacher, nurse, flight attendant, and prostitute, they usually automatically think of these “service” professions as feminine. There are many masculine professions which produce similar effects. Interestingly, while there is no linguistic symbolism in most feminine careers, many masculine professions end in the word “man.” Out of the many professions that end in “man,” the words “policeman,” “fireman,” “chairman,” “businessman,” and “weatherman” seem to be five of the most commonly used ones. The meanings of these words, and especially the qualities they imply, not only describe gender roles and norms in today’s society, but also describe gender roles from previous societies.

Every culture looks at gender socialization differently. Everyone has their own set of norms, and according to that culture, it is up to them how to respond to certain situations. Therefore, there are no universal implications of gender socialization. Different countries have different ways of going about gender norms and differences. An example includes how in Scotland, it is normal for a man to wear a skirt (kilt). In America, it would be frowned upon for a man to wear a skirt, which is considered feminine in the US. In the United Kingdom, woman are slowly getting more involved in politics. One become elected as prime minister just recently. In the United States, the men are the ones who are more involved in the political work forces. The

Formally began by André Breton and influenced by Freud’s vision of repressed, sexual desire, and hallucinating conscious, gender and sexuality served as a basis of analysis and questioning for the Surrealist artists. They believed that the women were the way to reach into subconscious of the male mind and so femininity became the central focus of Surrealism. With the focus on femininity, the sexuality and gender roles were explored and challenged by several female Surrealist artists such as Claude Cahun in a way that they rejected some of the conventional perception of femininity. At the same time, some other Surrealist artists such as Man Ray and Hans Bellmer reaffirmed the normative gender roles by reinforcing dominant gender norms through

Distinction is a concept that is learned at a very young age. It is used as a tool to distinguish between race, religion, language, age and especially gender. Where certain topics regarding race and religion may be considered more taboo, the definition of gender is always open for discussion but it is not always depicted in all forms of the word. Children can feel isolated if they cannot relate to individuals they look up to whether they are shown in the media or in real life. “…literature is a home for gender stereotypes. These narratives have been instrumental in promoting and spreading a gender bias ideology” (Ruterana 86). Specific gender roles can make children feel confused or unwelcomed if they do not identify with their predesignated roles. Using Matilda by Roald Dahl as an example of the separation of genders into limited categories, shows how a child’s perception can be altered by stories at such a young age. The stereotypical gender distinctions used traditionally in stories allows for understanding, however a lack of reality can alter the view one has on the ever changing relationship that distinguishes genders in real world society.

As a child, many of us enjoyed watching Disney movies to the point that we basically lived off of those movies. In many Disney movies there were hidden aspects children mainly did not notice like gender roles and social expectations. Even though children may not realize the social expectations aspect incorporated into movies they still absorb those lessons like a sponge. They learn these aspects by seeing them as role models, they have the desire to become that person. For an example, during Halloween we see hundreds of little girls dressing up like their favorite princess. They see these princesses as role models since little girls can relate them to by gender. Depending on what the princess portrays in the movie determines the outcome if it is beneficial or flawed characteristics that the child may take up. Like in early Disney movies the princesses were the damsel that were saved by the prince but a different scenario is produced in Mulan. Mulan is a heroine and loved by all of China but it didn’t start out like that, the expectations developed. In the movie, the characters and songs illustrated the expectations of a women and men that those expectations still exists in our own society today.

Children learn as early as age two what it means to be a “boy” or a “girl” (Aina & Cameron). This is described as gender identity, a person’s sense of self as male or female. Gender stereotyping emerges hand in hand with the development of gender identity in Early Childhood (Halim). Gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes and activities of males and females. When babies are born they are either put in pink or blue, as they grow up they still maintain the same “gender” colors. As young children start to socialize, they are playing with either “girl” toys or “boy” toys. When they get older they