The Importance Of Gender Roles In Gender

One popular theory comes from an American social psychologist, Leonard Berkowitz. He states that men and women are traditionally educated to carry out different social rules. Parents buy young boys toy guns, while they purchase dolls for young girls. In addition, the article states that males are more aggressive. In many species, males are more muscular, heavier, and capable of attacking and defending. The arms of a human male are on average 75 percent more muscular than those of women. Also, the top of a male body is 90 percent stronger than the top of a female body. The following quote from Berkowitz details what he sees as the difference between the sexes, “men are taller, they have denser and heavier bones, their jaw is more massive, their reaction time is shorter, their visual acuity is better, their muscle/fat ratio is greater, their heart is bulkier, their percentage of hemoglobin is higher, their skin is

Society today places many ideals when it comes to proper behaviours regarding gender roles. These are considered societal norms that are widely debated and controversial. Society has created a norm, which encompasses specific expectations and rules that change the daily lives of men and women, giving them specific tasks and behaviours to abide by. These standards are known as gender roles, which are defined as distinguishing actions, thoughts, and feelings of males and females. Gender roles are said to be a result of nature, which is a natural process, every male or female is to follow. On the other hand it can be a result of nurture, which changes ones way of thinking and adapting their lifestyle to fit their environment. Either way gender roles are a part of someone’s life from the moment of their birth, as they develop, and long after that, this proves that gender roles are influential to a person’s life and development. This essay examines how media such as music, family life, and different parenting styles encompass gender roles and teaches behaviours regarding them. Therefore, gender roles define males and females are a result of nurture and not nature.

According to Darwin's study, however, usually "the male is the more active member in the courtship of the sexes" (p. 229). The female is less eager, even "coy, and may often be seen endeavoring for a long time to escape from the male" (p. 230). This eagerness and passion in the male is natural and even necessary, since "the acquirement of such passions would naturally follow from the more eager leaving a larger number of offspring than the less eager." (p. 231). Sexual selection has a highly important part in differences between the sexes. Woman is more tender and unselfish, owing to her maternal instinct, and her mental powers are based on intuition, rapid perception and imitation. Man, on the other hand, is competitive and ambitious, which often leads to selfishness. He has attained greater eminence in deep though, reason, imagination and in using his senses and hands. "Thus man has become ultimately superior to woman" (Darwin, p. 585).

According to sociobiology our sex, or, our biological differences are what determines our gender. Sociobiologists suggest that biological elements such as our hormones, chromosomes and the size of our brain are what influence our behaviour and consequently what differentiates our gender. Because men produce more testosterone and androgens than women, which are linked to strength and aggression, sociobiologists argue that this explains men’s dominant and aggressive behaviour. (Haralambos & Holborn, 2000)

Some might argue that these factors, as well as other biological components, could very well explain, for instance, why women take more nurturing occupations and are generally more submissive, why men tend to be more aggressive and

Blum consulted University of California at Berkeley behavioral endocrinologist Marc Breedlove about how hormones contribute to gender differences. Breedlove’s studies support the idea that there are biological differences between males and females that distinguish each gender’s behavior. This suggests that it’s worthwhile to look at human evolution to understand why these biological differences exist – what is the purpose of masculinity and why do masculine traits such as aggression develop predominantly in males?

     Biology too plays a major role in the differences between male and female. Genetically, there are differing chromosomes. XY for male and XX for female. These chromosome differences account for the physical differences that men and women have. In dealing with body composition, males are more likely to be taller and more muscular. Males also have testosterone, the male sex hormone. It is said that males with high levels are more confrontational and smile less. Women that have low levels of estrogen, the female sex hormone, are said to be more disagreeable and confrontational. Maybe because men have such a huge advantage over women by being physically larger, they are supposed to be more aggressive and women having less physical strength are supposed to be the nurturers.

Gender roles govern the way that most of the world’s population interact with one another. Many African cultures uphold deeply patriarchal gender roles which dictate how women and men interact with one another. Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie, a staunch feminist, gives readers a look into Nigerian gender roles in her short story Birdsong. Her writing in Birdsong and her TEDtalks explore and expose how these gender roles are harmful and how important it is for many stories of young women of color to be heard.

So, men tend to be more logical and less emotional than women. The structure and function of the brain will vary due to experience. All the biological influences have an effect on the way men and women behave and interact around others, such as a friend or a crush. The way emotions and feelings are portrayed also depend on the societal norms that a woman or man undergo. Both biology and society do affect the way relationships and body language is formed among people (Grossman & Wood, 1993).

From the moment we are born we are put into one of two categories, boy or girl. We are never asked or considered to be anything but. No in between, no blurred lines. And because of the society we created, we attach extensive stereotypes to each of those genders. This is simply known as gender roles, or more specifically; “a set of societal norms dictating what types of behaviors are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on their actual or perceived sex”. This includes all kinds of stereotypes, like, that women should stay home, cook, and be “girly”, and that men need to be strong, the sole provider of the house, and “manly”. Not to say you can’t be those things, but those roles can be very constricting for most of the population. Gender roles can be so restricting that they affect our lifestyle, workplace, and mentality and self image.

However, overall these biological differences are small.. And they don't account for our stereotypical views of what is masculine and what is feminine. Some of the aggressive behavior of boys could still be contributed to individual

Baron and Cohen (2002) suggested, in their E-S theory, that male hunters gained an evolutionary advantage systematising over women who were much more empathetic. With their theory they suggested that during stress responses, men tend to be adapted for flight or fight, whereas females are not. Shields (1975) suggested that men and women evolved to have roles that complemented each other, in order for both genders to survive. This is supported by Ennis et al 2001) who found that men show a better ‘fight or flight’ response, as during exams men’s cortisol levels are higher than women’s during the same time period. However, evolutionary explanations may partially explain why gender roles have developed but the fact that gender roles can differ globally would imply social factors are also involved, so the evolutionary explanations cannot fully explain gender roles.

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.

On the other side of the spectrum, others may agree that gender roles and stereotypes are purely biological. One might say that a child grows up without a father or mother figure still ends up learning specific gender roles. It is nearly impossible to have a child unscathed

Enculturation of individuals naturally and instinctively molds peoples’ gender roles. Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time” (Samovar, Larry A., Porter, Richard E., McDaniel, Edwin R., and Carolyn Roy S., 1991, p.63). People engage in gender-oriented, accustomed practices as they go on with their lives, and have different, unconnected incentives that construct their personalities. Gender has influenced every part of our life, from how we feel about ourselves and set our objectives educationally, and even plan our work opportunities. Also, the nature of