SS260: Gender And Society

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Unit 2 Project Page 1 Unit 2 Project Kaplan University SS260: Gender and Society Professor Kelly Jones May 1, 2013 Unit 2 Project Page 2 The observation that was made about gender construction took place with my husbands grandparents. They are composed of a 82 year old women and a 79 year old man. Both are African American and had been together for the last 50 years. They have two older children both female. The relationship between the two is that of complication from the past. In the past the male often cheated on the women, even having outside children. I observed them for a day to see how their roles of husband and wife worked. The point of the observation was to see if they held the conventional role of a husband and wife…show more content…
I also watched the mood that the had when the other was not around. There was also the opportunity to view a couple that was younger. This was used in order to compare a young couple compared to a older couple. By doing that I used the same data collection method which is observation, taking notes and asking individual questions. This type of data collection gives others and myself the opportunity to see the comparisons and contrast of relationships from two different eras. When I approached the older couple I made sure I sat back and watched them from a far as if I wasn’t even there so I would disrupt them. When the older mad asked the older women to get him something such as water or a snack I would then assist her and asked her how him asking for things made her feel. By doing this I got a clear perspective of if doing things was because she wanted to or because she felt as if she had to. With the younger couple I should them how the older couple acted, after doing this I got their opinion of how they would act in the same situation. When asked that you could see the difference because the younger female said she would not get everything the male asked for. Showing the difference in the ways the two generations work. From the observation I found that the way a person was raised is a key into how they treat things. In a patriarchal system, we might well anticipate that women would be required…show more content…
The older couple that was observed showed the common construction of a relationship in which the women was the household caretaker and the men took care of the “manly” things. Although there is a division of labor in human affairs between the sexes, there are changing social expectations, which are reflected in somewhat different gender roles at different time (Neuman, M.D, 2013). Through the observation I realized that both men and women no longer have specific “roles” it is now a whoever can get it done should get it done type of attitude. With this new attitude women can now by financially responsible for the family such as the case with the younger couple I observed. Many of the things that the older couple exhibited was frowned upon by the younger couple. The younger women especially felt as if the older women was belittling herself by doing everything at the man’s beckoned call. This is an example of how generations can look down upon each other based upon the way they live. Many factors come into play in gender roles. The one thing that must be recognized is that the roles are not one that happen over night. They are passed down through the times and are formed as the world progresses. With each generation we learn a lesson and are taught how to adapt. There are many questions that can be asked of what the future holds. What impact will the current
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