Critically evaluate the relationship between gender, body image and health. Gender, body image, and health are three concepts which affect each other. When it comes to an individuals health and body image, the gender which they are plays one of the largest factors. This is not only due to the fact that biologically men and women possess different characteristics, but also because of the different characteristics both men and women are socialised into having. In order to understand the relationship which exisits between gender body image and health, it is of great importance to have knowledge of what each concept actually means.
That is, gender is widely perceived as simply being a natural occurrence that happens at birth. Yet, studying gender as a social-economic driver rather than just a natural phenomenon, allows us to understand that there is more to gender than simply human nature. In reality gender is continually been re-created through” human interactions, and is the texture and order of social life”. In other words, we identify the differences between male and a female based on the behavior each one of these respective statuses constitutes in our social life. Personally, I define gender as a human production that depends on everyone constantly “doing” gender.
Gender Roles roots A gender role is a theoretical construct in the social sciences and humanities that refers to a set of social and behavioral norms that, within a specific culture, are widely considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific gender. They may reflect natural gender aspirations of the members of that gender identity, or they may be politicized and manipulated, which then result in the oppression of people. By this definition we can find clear boundaries for gender roles in each culture. In my native culture there are some clear gender roles, although some of them are changing. These gender roles can be categorized in different field.
Gender roles continue to change as this is how individuals develop over a given period of time. Due to the negative role developed because of the assumption that an individual’s gender dictates his or her dominance in society, change must take place. The role of the media in portraying the gender aspects is important since the media makes the distinction as to what is presented and believed within society. Furthermore, the role played by the humans in a gender-mode is type of taboo since tends to develop harsh judgments and bitter that eventually becomes public perceptions. In contrast, gender roles that are being exploited in a negative fashion by the
Just the Way We Are Everyone thought that there are similar differences between males and females. Both genders are different through their social, emotional and intellectual qualities. Gender roles influence women and men in virtually every area of life including family and occupation, but are women and men subject to different roles or behavior expectations? Gender role by definition is,” the public image of being male or female that a person presents to others.” (Dictionary.com). In early American culture it was common for a women’s job to be an obedient housewife in clear contrast to the male’s duty to be a job holder.
Are emotions universal, or are they socially constructed? Emotions are an experience of disgust, happiness, sadness, fear, anger and surprise that helps us form and engage our relationships (Dacher, Oatley, & Jenkins, 2013). These six basic emotions are universal because they are expressed in all cultures, but the reactions to these emotions are socially constructed. Boiger and Mesquita (2012) claimed that most of the emotions happen in the contexts of relationships and social interactions. When the emotions are socially constructed, we are stating that, due to different cultures the communications of emotions are different, because diverse cultures have different facial expressions, and different nonverbal behaviour for these emotions.
Brooke Simunjak Sociology Final Paper May 9 2013 Although gender is not as simple as may seem, Gender comes into play along with a number of different aspects such as sex, gender and gender roles. But what is social inequality? Social inequality is characterized by the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. It contains structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and punishments. Sexuality has been evoked in multiple ways in the study of gender inequality.
Specifically, it was brought about by the frequency of war. For most of history, the life span of a man was much shorter than that of a woman since only males fought in battles, and conducted the hunts. Polygamy was instituted by the spiritual elements within indigenous societies to ensure each woman would have access to a male mate, regardless of the imbalance in the population. One purpose is to ensure all children are brought up in households with a male and female present. It was also thought to be important for all women to have a sexual outlet.
GENDER AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT The term "gender" refers to the male and female roles shaped by a society, learned indi¬vidually and re-negotiated by each new gene¬ration. Male/female roles are determined pri¬marily by the social, cultural and economic organisation of a society, and by the prevailing religious, moral and legal perceptions. Female and male roles and scope for action are not static, but are subject to constant change. They can vary enormously from one society to another, and even within any one society there can be significant differences depending on social class, family status, and ethnic or reli¬gious background. These roles are not neutral but characterised by different possibilities for making choices, and different rights and deci¬sion-making powers; generally to the disad¬vantage of women.
In addition, she is mainly a linguist, and thus her works have a big relevance to the furthering of a theoretical understanding of talk and social interaction. However, for the communication world one of her most important contribution to this area has been her Theory of Genderlect Styles. This theory investigates the different communication styles of men and women and why they often talk past each other. Tannen also defines diverse communication techniques of men and women as cross-cultural. The most significant part of this theory reveals that men feel that it is crucial to be respected, and it is important to preserve their independence, while women feel that it is more important to be liked, and they are always seeking a human connection.