Relationship Between Gender Roles - Case Study Example

Discuss the Relationship Between Given Gender Roles‚ and Atypical Gender Roles and Section # of INTRODUCTION Gender roles are terms which have been introduced in the subject of social sciences to refer to the set of behaviours or thinking patterns or observable physical characteristics that an individual should possess depending on what their gender is and to what society they belong. Gender roles which are given have now become stereotypes in the minds of the people. People now have set perceptions in their minds as to how a man should behave and how a woman should behave. 1 Firstly, we need to clear out the difference between sex and gender. The two words are often used interchangeably with convenience and people hardly know the right context in which they must be used. They are often thought to be similar concepts. The word "sex" can be used when a person wants to refer to only the biological differences that exist between man and woman. Sexual differences between males and females are universal. On the other hand, the word "gender" is used when a person wants to express the social differences between man and woman. 2In our essay, we are focusing on the social differences between man and woman and how they are expected to behave, look, and feel like their own gender rather perform atypical gender roles. Gender is a much more complicated thing to understand and it is a behaviour which is learned and changed with time. It changes from culture to culture. Gender roles is composed of several elements, be it be ones dressing, his behaviour pattern, their choice of career or work life how they go about when it comes to personal relationships, and many other factors. Gender roles can be exhibited by as small a thing as the way a message is composed in an SMS (short message service). In the old ages, gender roles were very specific and there was a sharp line between what men will do, think and feel like and how women are supposed to do these things. But since then and now, a vast difference has come because times are changing and the mind set of the people is expanding to allow acceptance for flexibility of gender roles. Nowadays, the strictly defined gender roles of the past have been re defined to reflect some wider acceptable gender roles of males and females. 3 People have unique ways of expressing their gender roles. Moreover, the gender role terminology is highly dependent on what culture, country, society and era it belongs to. Gender roles might be given or typical depending on the context in which they are being studied.4 COMPARISON OF THE TWO GENDER ROLES Given gender roles are ones which are expected out of men and women to exhibit and on which no eye brows will be raised, no controversy will start, no criticisms will be thrown and people will find it normal and natural. On the other hand, atypical gender roles are simply those gender roles which are not typical. They ignite criticisms from others and people will not take it normally. They are always the basis of a series of thinking that starts within people and they are then discussed amongst people. 5 Let us compare the two gender roles. For example, a given gender role has become since time immemorial that only women can be nurses, but nowadays the trend is changing and the number of male nurses in the field has increased. A male coming into the nursing career is an atypical gender role. Moreover, another given gender role when it comes to relationships and a typical behaviour in society is, when it is expected that the man pays for ‘date’ only. The woman is never expected to pay because it shows gentleman like nature and courtesy of the man if he pays. But atypical gender role is when a woman pays for the date or dinner that has happened. Another comparison of a given and atypical gender role is when women are expected to take care of the children while men are expected to go out of the house, do a job and take care of the finances of the house. This is the biggest given gender role which is changing rapidly because the number of women who have come out to the workplace to work is increasing. Moreover, the number of househusbands is also increasing. They are men, who stay at home and take care of children while their wives go out and work. The existence of a man and a woman in society starts with the concept of a family, which can only be made after a marriage and therefore, the most important comparison can be conducted in this area where men and women are expected to perform certain roles but with changing times, things and mind sets are thinking, with each sex taking on the opposite role or even performing their own gender role plus the atypical gender role. 6 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO GENDER ROLES The relationship between the two gender roles is getting more and more complex with the changing times. This is because, with the advancements being made and the more modern a society becomes, men and women are exchanging roles frequently. The confusion is rising to an extreme. Women are dressing more like men and looking more like their opposite sex whereas men are keeping long hair and looking more like women.7 Moreover, there is also a term Androgyny which is used to express a person who is denoting both male and female behaviour. This person has variations in the type of behaviour he might exhibit. The person might be very feminine in terms of how he socializes with people for example, kissing on the cheek of both men and women when greeting them but the career he chooses for himself is very masculine, for example a pilot. If the male gender role is discussed specifically, it can be said that it has gone through major changes and is very malleable. The times of today is seeing the new man, the man who is sensitive, the man who belongs to this new age where he performs all his traditional gender roles that are expected out of him, yet he has this feminine touch about him, through which he can empathize and emotionally respond to people. Still discussing the male gender role, a term known as metro sexual is one who usually adopts the grooming habits that are normally seen in a female, for example, when a man takes extra ordinary care of his looks, hands, feet, then this can be called metro sexual behaviour. If the female given and atypical gender role is discussed, it can be said that a high amount of sociological research has been done on the subject which throws light on the fact that the given gender roles are becoming less relevant and important in the Western world especially, after the phase of Industrialization has taken place. For example, one of the most given gender roles that have been attached to the female is that she cannot have a career. But this typical gender role has now been thoroughly accepted in the western world and is an obsolete concept whereby women that do not have a career are thought to be different. This is a case in point where the atypical gender role slowly transitioned towards being accepted as a given gender role. 8 Moreover, the whole debate begins again when it comes to the hair length that is typical to men and women. There was a high amount of social unrest after the Vietnam War and as a consequence it was seen that men started to grow their hair to a length which was usually considered to be a female act. Their hair length came to shoulders. On the other hand, it was also seen that women had their hair cut short to a length which usually depicted the physical aspects of a man. Their hair was shortened to the most minimal length, destroying the beauty that usually a woman possesses due to her hair. ANALYSIS The relationship between given and atypical gender roles has changed over time. Nowadays, there is more acceptance of what a woman and man are expected to do and how they can usually adopt behaviours not considered their own and function in ways which are usually common to the opposite sex. The mind set and thinking horizons of the masses has expanded so much that nowadays, people do not even raise eyebrows when a person adopts a atypical gender role. 9 The media has played a very wide role in expanding the scope of thinking that people have. The media has portrayed all sorts of men and women, adopting all hairstyles, choosing various careers, men staying at home, women pursuing a career etc that people now consider it normal. The exposure that has been provided to this subject is immense and people, due to this constant exposure, now see the atypical gender roles as normal. The gap between the given and the atypical gender roles is decreasing and people now hardly discuss what is normal and what is not when it comes to gender roles. As far as the thinking horizons are concerned, they sure have expanded but then again women and men are usually differentiated on the basis of the given roles that they are expected to exhibit. These roles can come under any criteria, whether it is aggression, talking, nonverbal cues, jealousy, self-esteem, viewing abilities, language learning, and many other. Other factors which are considered important in understanding the gender identity that an individual has accepted for himself is the socio cultural influences over him or her. these influences can typically be called the environment under which he or she has been brought up. The environment also helps in defining what is given and what is atypical for a given individual. For example, if a certain family structure has 5 sisters and a single brother, it is highly likely that the brother will inhibit many female characteristics as all his life he has been surrounded with sex females – five being his sisters and one being his mother. This will start from his childhood where he will be more interested in games that females play and his roots will be made in this early stage of development. From here onwards, every step that he takes into adolescence, youth, adulthood and old age, his roots will be present to trigger any emotional or social response that might be expected out of him. This point about setting the basis for thinking of atypical gender roles as given in the early phases of childhood is very essential. This is because, as mentioned earlier, gender roles is a learned behaviour – it is a behaviour about which a person forms a specific schema – a schema about how one is expected to react to circumstances or behave in situations. These schemas are difficult to alter and change and hence, if the relationship between given and atypical gender roles need to be thoroughly defined with an individual, he or she needs to have a clear understanding of their gap and their difference in his childhood phase only. Then he will able to build upon it as he or she grows.10 CONCLUSION In conclusion, it can be said that the gap between given and atypical gender roles is decreasing because the people are now ready to accept men who behave like women and vice versa. Trends are changing, whereby it is fashionable for a man to keep long hair or to wear pink. It is all a result of mixed factors, where every component of society is responsible for this change. Other forces like the media and the fashion industry give impetus to this change and reversal of given gender roles and adoption of atypical gender roles. 11 Having and adopting atypical gender roles can also be the result of atypical gender identity, whereby the individual perceives himself or herself in the sense of being a male or female. This gender identity can only be counterattacked and improved upon in the early phases of childhood. Moreover, it can also be said that the adoption of atypical gender roles is not that big of a problem for the society as it does not harm any one. It only is the source of discussion among the masses of today. Works Cited 1. Lindsey, Linda (2004) Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective 2. Lee, Janice (2005) Gender Roles 3. Salamon, Edna (1987) Gender Roles; Doing What Comes Naturally? 4. Beere, Carole (1990) Gender Roles: A Handbook of Tests and Measures 5. Donnellan, Craig (2001) Gender Roles 6. Walker, Nancy (1998) Womens Magazines, 1940-60, Gender Roles and the Popular Press 7. Hart, John (1981) The Theory and Practice of Homosexuality 8. Freedman, David (1998) A Stranger in My Own Body: Atypical Gender Identity Development and Mental 9. Biagi, Eileen (1991) How Typical and Atypical Gender Roles are Valued 10. Warner, M. (1993) Fear of a Queer Planet. 11. Taylor et al (1995) Sociology in Focus. 12. Giddens, Anthony (1997), Sociology Read More