Fulcher & Scott (2011) believe gender to examine the differences between men and women in relation to feeling, thinking and behaving. When focusing on gender and how it is socially constructed, this essay will first determine the distinction between gender and sex, the inequalities between genders in relation to health and employment, and finally, will consider the extent to which gender is socially or biologically constructed. Sociological thinking of gender is relatively new in the sociological realm. It was only from the 1970s that sociologists began to make a distinction between gender and sex. The women’s movement and the consequent development of feminist ideas in the 1960s and 1970s influenced the question of gender and began emphasise the importance of gender as a concept of its own.
I strongly do not agree with this quote though. I believe that each person has the ability to speak up for themselves, the ability to choose what they want to do, and the ability to most importantly pick their own future. The main reason to why I do not agree with this quote is because of my three sisters. I have seen each and every one of them, not continue school for different reasons. My oldest sister is now 24 years old, married, and a mother of a 1-year-old boy.
In the film Real Women Have Curves Latina teenager Ana Garcia struggles on trying to balance her family’s culture and her own beliefs that seem to differ very much from her family’s. This becomes a problem throughout the movie. Her family wants her to be doing something that she is not nearly interested in. The problems mainly break through with Ana’s mother whose name is Carmen. Throughout the whole film you are able to see how the culture differences between Ana and her mother Carmen affect their mother and daughter relationship even till the last moments of the film.
Rochelle continuously denies her heritage and desires to be the ideal “American Bride.” Throughout the story Lily tries to get Rochelle to acknowledge her Hispanic heritage but Rochelle doesn’t accept it. “You’re carrying your gringa kick too far.” This shows how Lily feels towards her sister’s attitude. In the end Rochelle’s denial of reality reaches it’s peak when she’s finds herself pregnant, married, and in high school. “He was beautiful too- the Mexican version of the blond grooms.” Rochelle finally realized what her sister was trying to tell her all her life; you can’t escape your
June is another victim of patriarchal oppression just like Connie’s mother, a typical “house wife”. Both the mother’s and sister’s roles fully reflect how women were treated at that time. They were controlled by males, displayed a lack of confidence and did not have their own independent self-consciousness. Oates used Connie’s independent identity and rebellious behaviors to represent women’s dissatisfaction with patriarchy, but had no courage to make a change. When Oates starts the story by introducing Connie without a last name, Oates created a character with a clear independent identity, while at the same time rebelling against the patriarchy.
While in her mother’s eyes, she only supported her daughter and craved the absolute best for her child. Schwind-Pawlak presents this argument poorly due to her change of heart towards the end of the essay. She does not stick to her beginning argument which causes the opposition to lack stability. The two authors support their arguments by providing evidence. The supporting evidence of the two essay’s help reveal the hardships teenagers face while dealing with their parents.
“Given Circumstances” By: Shawna Betancourt Most parents at some point wish that they could have done some things differently and wonder what would have happened if they did. A single parent, bearing the burden of trying to raise their children, and maintain their household, face this to a greater degree. In the story “I Stand Here Ironing” written by Tillie Olsen, one mother’s struggle to raise her daughter the best she can is brought to life. She fought to stay afloat financially while trying to maintain raising her daughter to the best of her abilities. During this process her daughter’s destiny goes astray from what she had envisioned for her and blamed herself for the outcome.
Now that’s growing up without a childhood. Jane Smiley seems like a great parent who cares about her children but to allow her daughters to put on makeup even entering their teenage years just isn’t right. Her girls where prematurely growing up, where behaving beyond their age, and with their only priority being beautiful at all times it seem to help them in the long run. As they burned off the “Barbie stage” and grew into more important things down their lives. Like for example Smiley talks about her older daughter, “Now she is planning to graduate school and law school and become an expert on woman’s health issues, perhaps adolescent health issues like anorexia and bulimia” (377).
Knowledge is not always power because the more you know does not necessarily mean you understand what you have learned. In the short story “Everyday Use”, education seemed to make a rift in the relationship not only between the mother and the daughter, but also between the sisters. Dee was one to always try and outsmart her family members always seeking answers knowing no one knew. It was mama who eventually got the community together to help send Dee to school so her daughter would be happy and satisfied. The values of heritage seem to have been lost with the gain of knowledge when Dee has gone to college.
When most women relied on male relatives or husbands to survive, her earlier experiences in life led her to a different outlook on how she wanted to live her life (Allen par 1). She supported herself by developing her intellect and living by her beliefs. By a young age, she was determined to change the views of marriage for women (Frazer par 2). As a child, her views of marriage were shaped by her own unhappy family life. Her unsuccessful and violent father moved the family many times, and her older brother was favored by her grandfathers’ will.