preview

Gender Roles Sociology

Decent Essays

What is gender roles really about? What really makes it so important in our day to day lives? Well to first understand gender roles, you have to understand gender. The dictionary definition of gender is "either the male or female division of a species, especially as differentiated by social and cultural roles and behavior:" While Gender roles are more complex, they are something that society has shaped us to look at in a certain way. The sociological perspectives all help justify gender roles. They are seen as essential to society's makeup because the assigned roles work together. Men are, also, seen as dominant and women as submissive. These views are what make individuals in society act a certain way towards a gender because of the beliefs …show more content…

These three sociological perspectives make it easier to view and understand from different perspectives. There is first, symbolic interactionism. This perspective is how we interpret certain symbols to communicate with each other. (Example: Champagne can be attributed to one being wealthy.). Social Interactionists believe we as individuals within a society, act a certain way towards a specific gender because of how we were taught. For example, in western society, men are viewed as strong and natural born leaders. Even though for each individual male, this may not be …show more content…

If the baby is born as a male, he is dressed in blue. If it is a girl, she gets the pink blanket. This is a prime example of symbolic interactionism. Starting from the very beginning, we are given certain connotations towards words or other symbols. What do you think when you hear these words? "Blue" "Pink" "Masculine" and "Feminine. ". Most people would answer with blue for a boy, pink for a girl, masculine for a man, and feminine for a woman. These immediate thoughts that pop into our head are all effects that were given to us by society. Research done by doctor Marco del Guidance reads that pink has been associated with feminity and blue with masculinity since the early 19th century. It is believed that that relationship between pink and girls, and blue and boys, is believed to have derived from mass marketing which helped spread and normalize these

Get Access