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.
3.2 explain the reason why children and young people development may not follow the expected pattern ? There are many reasons why development may not follow the normal pattern.it is important to know the pattern of the order the child is meant to develop in so you can support the child and the family. Development can be Influenced by many different factors ,including health, disability environment and family background. Some of the few things that can have a a influence on the development of children and young people. Health Chronic conditions such as asthma can cause children to have time off school, infections like meningitis causes development delay.
I feel that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity. I feel that we look at males in one light and females in another, we all at some point expect men to be the ones that are tough, and brave and look at women as being emotional. When it could be the other way around. There are still those who feel that women should be home makers and not working to where men should be out bringing home the bacon. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation?
Maslow felt that for individuals to be able to become “self-actualising” (Walmsley, J. K101 Bock 1, Unit 3, pg 131) they needed to have their basic needs met first before they can look at social inclusion. Through this essay I will be looking at how advocacy and support can support individuals to have their basic needs met and hopefully progress to leading more fulfilling lives. I have used case studies from the Sussex Travellers Women’s Health Project, The Thornhill Project and Simon to look at meanings of social exclusion and how care work that offers advocacy and outreach services can have positives and negatives and how they may not always succeed. (155) There are 3 main circumstances that can cause people to be socially excluded; finance social and unemployment. Lack of finance can cause families to live in poverty, which can then have adverse effects on health, life opportunities, employment, diet and wellbeing, which in turn can lead to more isolation.
While sex differences are fixed, gender differences vary between cultures and over time. Sexist attitudes are stereotypical beliefs about gender and culturally constructed and transmitted through socialization. Gender equality will happen with change of society’s socialisation patterns, they seek to promote appropriate role models in education and the family. Over time they believe such actions will produce cultural change and gender equality will become the norm. They can be seen as a critique of the functionalist view of the gender role.
In this essay I will examine the different functions performed by the family for individuals and society by exploring ideas expressed by the different sociologist groups including functionalism and Marxism. Functionalists had a strong belief that the family is a positive foundation. There view on the family is one that works well with the needs of an industrial society for a workforce that is not just geographically mobile but also socially mobile. This idea they believe benefits all aspects of society is that all families should be a nuclear family and by this they mean the husband is the bread winner this is a role to support the family his wife and children, functionalists call this the instrumental role. The expectation in a nuclear family is that the wife stays at home and looks after the children, she would clean and cook and provide the emotion in the family and they call this the expressive role.
In Becoming members of society, Aaron Devor points out that the way we act or present ourselves in society had a great deal to do with our sense of a gendered self. He points out that our conception of what it means to be female or male are socially constructed. Furthermore, gender is “defined” differently in different cultures. He says that we start to acquire gender roles so early that we do not realize the difference in genders. In Two ways a Woman Can Get Hurt, Jean Kilbourne points out that ads affects us in potentially damaging ways than helping us informing us about the product.
Explain how development of children and young people is influenced by a range of personal factors. Write your answer here. Family is an external development and can have an impact on development as far as social development is concerned, if you are perhaps a single parent this can cause a negative impact with your development as perhaps without both parents a child may miss either a male/female role model, a positive point for a one parent family is that a child may be more mature as more one to one adult company is available and this can assist confidence. Family can effect intellectual and communication development in a positive light as interaction with others can increase vocabulary and understanding but may also impact if there are negatives in the family, i.e. : family break-up, new partner, this can effect a Childs ability to concentrate and leaning and education are effected.
Avoidant children often have rejecting parents, which leads to them developing an internal model which makes them think they are unacceptable and unworthy. The continuity hypothesis provides an explanation for why these early experience which lead to certain attachment types go on to affect relationships in adult life, as attachment type remains fairly stable over a lifetime. The internal working model developed in childhood influences a person’s expectations and attitudes towards relationships. The theory predicts that securely attached people are more likely to have stable relationships, compared to resistant types who are likely to be clingy and avoidant types who aren’t comfortable in relationships. Hazan & Shaver conducted an experiment which lends support to Bowlby’s concept of the IWM.
Epic of Gilgamesh: Gender and Sexuality The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian artifact, is full of wonderful dialect and themes that give us a window into the times ancient Mesopotamians were living in. This epic, through what seems like careful word choice and depiction of characters provided invaluable insight to gender and culture. Before the topic of the Epic of Gilgamesh can be examined it is imperative that a fundamental foundation of Mesopotamian culture be examined. In general, it would seem the culture of Mesopotamia was patriarchal in nature. “The cultures of the Ancient Mesopotamian societies of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria regularized the subordination of women in the ancient world.” The religions and laws developed