What are gender stereotypes and how are they conveyed in our society? According to Mior and Jessel (1989), gender refers to the socially constructed roles of, and relations between, men and women, while 'Sex' refers to biological characteristics which define humans as female or male. These biological characteristics are not mutually exclusive however, as there are individuals who possess both. This definition is also shared by the website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender. A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals.
Women, were so unhappy without having rights and it made them feel less loved and wanted. With this theory being applied to this issue of Women’s Rights, they come out on top of the situation. It took 130 years or so for women to evolve in society. “Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that places the locus of right and wrong solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choosing one action/policy over other actions/policies. As such, it moves beyond the scope of one's own interests and takes into account the interests of others.” (Cavalier, 2002) With the Women’s Rights Movement, there were a lot of pros and cons that can about, mostly positives.
Socio- biologists argue that biology, meaning our genetic make up; shapes the behavior of the individual and in turn also determines social in-equalities such as gender inequalities present in society. Socio- biologists believe that the sex a person is born, categorizes them into the way society will perceive and treat them, this theory is known as biological determinism(O’ Shaughnessy and Stadler, 2006). Socio- constructionists believe however that ‘gender is a social distinction between men and women (Germov & Poole, 2007) and you are not born a woman or a man but rather female or male and develop into either a woman or a man due to society and its structures .Social ideologies such as gender hierarchy, culture, order and institutions are said to contribute to gender inequality, not the sex of the person as thought by socio-biologists. Prior to the feminist movement in Australia in the 1970’s, the word ‘gender’ did not exist; there was very much a socio-biologists view present in society at this time. This meant there was great masses of gender inequality present in Australia, males and females role’s in society were given to them based on a whole range of other differences: ‘bodily strength and speed, physical skills (men have mechanical skills and women are good at homemaking work i.e.
Diversity Worksheet Jorge A. Hernandez ETH/125 December 6, 2013 Jennifer Carroll Diversity Worksheet 1. What is diversity? Why is diversity valued? The term "diversity" is used when we refer to human qualities (visible or invisible) that are different from our own and those groups that that we belong to. Those dimensions or demographic variables may include and may not be limited to race, religion, color, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age, education, geographic origin, and skill characteristics.
“THE GENDERED NOTIONS OF EMOTION” To begin with , it is neccessary to differ the term gender from sex. Sex refers to our anatomical and genetical identity as being a female or male that is inscribed in our genes, whereas gender is an outcome of process of socialization combined with the effect of the genes. Our gender becomes evident in the way we dress, we make our hair,we walk and speak. The ways we express and experience emotions also seems to be dependent on our gender. As the way of walking or speaking diverges in male and female, the expression and experience of emotions in different genders also diverges.
Women in most societies have been on the receiving end of norms, values and practices that promote gender inequality. For instance, in traditional societies the role of women was defined by the men in the society such as giving birth, staying in the kitchen and not participating in any decision making process in the society. As a result of significant growth in the world over the years, gender inequality has been identified as a major vice that affects development of both individuals and societies. Therefore, governments have put in place measures to address any cases of gender inequality. Nonetheless, gender inequality has evolved with the emergence of modernity in the society.
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.
Gender Constraints: Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls” “Boys and Girls” written by Alice Munro uses several literary strategies to engage in the problems of oppression within a patriarchal society. In this story, a young girl is searching for her identity but realizes the restrictions that are going to be set on her because she is female. Munro’s text reveals the specific gender roles, which cause problems of oppression within a patriarchal society. Society sets certain standards and roles that are apparent for men and women to specifically follow; most members of society fall into these just by blindly doing what is expected of them, but like the main character who is a binary of what is expected of women in society, not all think they fit these standards. From the vivid descriptions, it is known that the girl is physically strong, adventurous and enjoys working outside, as the text states: “Besides carrying water I helped my father when he cut the long grass, and the lamb’s quarter and flowering money-musk, that grew between the pens”(572), typical characteristics used to describe male characters.
Sex, Gender and Gender roles redefined In her book The Second Sex, Simone De Beauvoir states, “One is not born, but, rather becomes a woman”. This statement highlights the difference between sex and gender. While sex is a biological term, gender is a social and cultural construct. An individual is born into the categories of male or female but it is the very task of ‘accomplishing gender’ that determines the social identity of the person. Women are under a constant pressure to adhere to roles that are specific to their gender and so are men.
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 contrast to the societal-ly-shaped role, or gender, the biological sex is determined at birth and is unalterable. Gender is an issue for every sector and every level of intervention. It is clear that in the context of our work gender should be seen as a cross-sectoral theme which is relevant at various levels of intervention and across all sectors, including those often termed "technical sectors", such as transport and construction. In very few instances, say projects covering solely the supply of materials and equip¬ment, can projects adopt a non-gender-differen¬tiated procedure.