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. (Howson, 2013, 51). To understand the differences between male and female, it is important to formulate a basic distinction between gender and sex. The key distinctions to note are based around biology and social arrangements. Oakley (1972, cited in Howson, 2013) refers to gender as the ‘psychological, social and representational differences between men and women, which are socially determined and culturally variable’.
Modern context in where social movement and increasing gender and equality threaten the traditional male dominance may be directed on those woman who challenge the power of a man and the status (e.g. career women), as well as towards women who are alleged as using their sexual appeal to gain power over men. However, sexual reproduction and the dependency and intimacy that man have on women and the domestic fulfillment of women. These roles create a dependency and intimacy between the two counterbalances the sexist hostility with a subjectively benevolent view of women. As per the 22-item ambivalent sexism Inventory (ASI; Glick & Fiske, 1996) initiated and validated in six
Men are more inclined to be goal -oriented using assertive strategies to establish power and status. On the other spectrum, females are thought of as more sensitive, in touch with their own and other’s feelings, supportive, inclusive, and inferior when interacting with males. In “Sex, Lies and Conversation,” Deborah Tannen breaks down why couples tend to have communication issues. A shared issue women commonly face is the feeling that,”…intimacy is the fabric of
Although sex can also be seen as a socially constructed set of ideas shaped by culture (Van Krieken, Habibis, Smith, Hutchins, Marton, and Maton, 2010). Biological determinism is the idea that biology and fate has shaped the way you are today. E.g. men are physically stronger, women are more emotional, men are single minded whereas women are flexible etc. Alternatively, gender is constructed on the personality traits and behavioural tendencies of males and females (The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology, 2000).
How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? Gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity in many ways. Gender and sex concepts and constructions of masculinity and feminity of being able to tell the difference between the two. They show them as being completely different like males being the protector and the ladies as being caring and emotional Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? I feel that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity.
Sex refers to the physical characteristics, as I mentioned, the biological, that characteristic that make us male or female, this could be the genitals and body shape. This could help us to have the first understanding of the masculinity and femininity, in our first years of life. The gender could help us to have the recognizable trait of the sex, and the sense of being a female or male. Helps to define the masculinity and femininity in our interior, Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? Yes, I think that our concept of sex and gender can contribute to the way we embrace sex and
Firstly, we must understand the term socially constructed, and how it relates to gender. Gender deals with masculinity and femininity. In sociological terms, it is the hierarchical division between men and women which is embedded in social institutions and social practices. Sex, on the other hand, is assigned at birth; based on external genitalia. “Gender is usually described as socially constructed, and sex as biological.
By the time we reached late childhood and adolescence our concept of gender identity and sexual orientation is firmly entrenched (Wood, 2010). Our behavior, aspirations and attitudes is also strongly influenced by the gender role expectations in particular cultures. This essay will relate, contrast sex and gender in society and how important it is for sociologists to distinguish them both. The term “sex” is the natural biological genetic makeup that distinguishes males from females and in particular the sexual organs and their characteristics. Bodies are, so we think, natural, God- given, sacred, hardwired.
In the essay Tannen discusses how men and women communicate very differently and how it affects our everyday lives. She gives real world examples, provides evidence for her claims, and genuinely makes a compelling argument on the vastly different ways men and women go about socializing. She discusses how when men are alone with women they tend to not talk as much, body language men and women use, and how women fear being pushed away while men aren’t in touch with their feelings at all. It’s clear through the essay, as I said before, that Tannen has done her homework on the subject and that it would be difficult to make a case against any of her points. This is why I found it interesting that in the academy award winning film From Here to Eternity, the males and females exhibited behavior that was completely contrary to Tannen’s findings.
The overall arching idea that arises from Civilization and its Discontents is how the human species, plagued with its instinctual demands for sex and destruction, are put into check and balanced out with the rules and laws of society for the purpose of keeping such instincts into safe moderation. This societal super-ego is the main topic of discussion that I will attempt to embark on in describing Freud’s most widely read book. The super-ego is essentially the conscience that keeps the ego in check. It keeps the ego in check by monitoring what the ego does and what actions it takes. In Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud relates the super-ego to the primal father that is killed by his two sons.