Gender as a Socially Constructed Entity - Essay Example

? Race, Ethni and Gender affiliated Race, ethni and gender Gender is a socially constructed entity. This usually varies from one place to another, from culture to culture depending on the attitudes, beliefs and practices of a particular group of people. Gender is therefore a dynamic entity as compared to sex which is a fixed entity. Mostly the identification of gender is based on the biological characteristics. Among the people, the definition of who is a man or a woman is attributed to the roles that they play. The society prescribes the roles meant to be played by both the men and women. We have both the masculine and the feminine roles. Male and females are born while men and women are created by the nature. The roles that each play in a specific context is what contribute to their definition of who a male or a female is. Every individual is affected by social construction of any given society. In the formative years for example, men were perceived to be competent in highly prestigious roles in the society such as engineering, lawyers, doctors, manager, priests and others. Women on the other side were perceived to be competent in roles such as nurses, teachers and housewives. Behavior associated with gender is learnt and not inborn. People in the modern period spend a lot of time interacting with media more than they do to the fellow human beings. Mass media therefore has been seen as an excellent medium through which social changes are propagated. It has also played a critical role in perpetuating gender- based disparities in the modern society. The media affects social problems positively and has also been recognized in its role of combating social ills. However, there are certain impressions that it creates that arouse the spirit of division among the people. This happens when more emphasis are placed on the differences between a man and a woman. The presentation of the three key social societal variables; gender, race and class in the media brings about their differences. The continuous portrayal of these differences creates a cycle that ultimately makes the differences to be accepted in the society. Media plays a pivotal role in identifying gender through its programs. The traditional conceptualization of gender has significantly changed due to the dynamism in the society. There are a lot of changes happening in the society which account for the social changes experienced by individuals. The ideas about individuals have also changed substantially such that the modern gender identity is seen as more fluid and transformable as compared to the formative periods. The media has taken a lead in criticizing the mainstream culture which they perceive as backward and conservative in the way it perceives gender. Without doubt, today the media can be taken as the main engine and tool of social change in the society today. This has been evident in many ways. For example, the championing of gender equality. Slogans such as, “what a man can do, a woman can also do” are popularized by media and disseminated to the masses. As a result of media inhibition, the people accept all the information aired by the media as correct. Other ways in which the media contributes to the dynamism in social changes; especially in the aspect of gender is on the area of the position of women in society. The traditional conception of women as being limited to the art of homemaking has been erased paving way for new social roles. Men on the other hand, have also experienced changes which deny them most of the privileges bestowed to them by nature. Gender categorization has not been fully abandoned but alternative ideas and perceptions about it have created more room for diversity in the modern society. This ultimately gives new dimensions of thinking and perceiving gender and thus the contribution of construction of gender. The modern media has not only criticized the traditional ideas pertaining gender but has also championed modern conception. It has little or no respect to the traditions. To them, the whole idea of tradition is strange. The world is highly dynamic, meaning that the society has also to respond to the changing nature of the environment. With the coming up of capitalism, the media has found a ground that they use to perpetuate new modes of life, one that will favor the modern trends. It is therefore apparent that the role of media is very significant in gender identity. Magazines that individuals buy create a lot of impression in certain issues such as promoting self-confidence. They also provide entertainment, relationship and lifestyles which serve different purposes (Zoonen, 1994). Television programs, songs, internet, movies and advertisements provide guidance to the people. Some of the material provided is meant to give advice to the people while some of it serves the purpose of suggesting numerous ways of living. The media in a nutshell is an industry that provides myriads of tools of living. Just like the typical industries provide both useful and non useful tools, the media provides both useful and non useful materials to the individual. Every individual’s lifestyle is his/ her own project. The modern society gives a chance to every person to choose tools appropriate to make their own lifestyles. The way in which media portrays men and women continues to emphasize on the differences between them. The media portrays men and women in a stereotypical manner. The impact of social constructionist can be seen in the media. The only difference that arises is the impact that the media applies to different societies. This is because different societies uphold differing social constructions. For instance, in most Asian and African setting, nudity is not acceptable while it is acceptable in European countries and can be shown on television. Sexually explicit materials and advertisements arouse minimal concerns if any. The media often distorts the ideas on women. Instead of portraying a good model of the emancipated feminine, they still view them as lowly placed group in the society. This usually happens when they are portrayed while playing roles such as those found in the home. When presenting the women, their images are emphasized much (Price, 1999). The beauty of the women is highly appreciated. This has a direct relation with romance. In addition, the women’s images are shown while they are naked. This lowly places the women as the perception created is that they are available to men. The private lives of the women are also emphasized. Their private life, whether they have children or whether they have partners. Normally women without partners are highly stereotyped while their counterparts under the same conditions are ignored. This tends to demean women. (Damean, 2001 p.91). Men on the other end in television programs are shown to be highly masculine. They have power over women. They are also shown more of leaders as compared to their counterparts, the women who are portrayed to be followers of mens rules and regulations. In addition, most of the sports activities emphasize competition among the men. They are portrayed to be highly competitive while the women are shown to involve in only those games that have low competition. Men in addition are the ones to impose rules of the game that they play together with the females. This creates a false illusion because the females are viewed as followers of rules which are imposed by men. On another hand, the toys that the boys and girls are given at a young age normally contribute greatly to the construction of gender differences. The girls are normally given the dolls. They are supposed to play with them. They also take care of them. This shows them as child caretakers. They cannot play any other work apart from those that are outside their home. The toys given to the boys normally emphasize a lot of aggressiveness. They also emphasize a lot of masculinity. According to Ann Oakley, children’s gender is overemphasized in a process that she calls cannibalization. In this process, the children are socialized to be either boys or girls through two main processes. One of the processes is by giving them objects that the society has devised for them. The other way that the gender can be emphasized is by verbal appellations. In verbal appellations, the terms that the people use to refer to characteristics stereotyped for boys or girls are often the basis for gender differentiation. For example, the boys are normally said to be generally naughty. The girls are known to be good naturally. When these differences are overemphasized, gender disparities continue to widen. The wire is an American television series that was first aired in June, 2002. It contained thirteen episodes. The series explains a drug dealing case of an organization that was investigated by some policemen. The first season of the episode has two groups of characters: Baltimore police department and a drug dealing firm operated by Barksdale family. The investigation of the Baltimore on issues of drugs starts when Jimmy McNulty meets with the judge Daniel Phelan privately. D’ Angelo Barksdale had been released after being accused of murder. A key witness however rescued her by changing her story. Jimmy tells the judge that the witness had been intimidated by the members of a trafficking empire run by D’ Angelo’s uncle, Avon. He tells Philan that nobody is investigating Barksdale’s criminal activity, which includes a significant portion of the drug trade and unsolved homicides. Phelan discusses the issue with senior police department personnel. He embarrassed them into creating a detail dedicated to investigate the drug menace. The department however seems to malfunction. The investigation is only meant to appease the judge. It is not objectively done. The struggle between the juniors and the seniors in the justice system makes the whole season. The higher authority threatens to ruin the investigation. The details commander, Cendric, acts as a mediator between the two opposing groups of the police. D’Angelo struggles with his conscience over his life of crime and does not really care about the welfare of the people. The policemen have little success with only superficial evidence being provided. Wallace is a low level drug dealer and a close friend of D’Angelo. The investigation finally takes the direction of electronic surveillance. An associate of Avon is arrested by the state policemen. He offers to cooperate. From this story, there are different characters which represent different genders. The men in this television season are portrayed as having the capability to avoid the detectives and even continue with their crude business of selling drugs. The picture of the males as brought out in this episode shows that the men are drug dealers. There is also the portrayal of men as murderers. The main conclusion that can be made from this case is that gender construction is highly emphasized in this case and is skewed positively towards men. There are stereotypes that have been applied in this series. For example, the stereotypes that the men are always drug abusers. The women who are not brought out while selling drugs in this case means that the men are bad while the women are good. References Price .J. (1999). Feminist theory and the body: a reader, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. Wolf .N. (1992) .The Beauty Myth. Anchor Books, New York. Zoonen. L, V. (1994). Feminist media studies. Sage Publications, London. Diana .D. (2001). Media and Gender. Constructing Feminine Identities in A Postmodern Culture. Babes bolyai university.romania. Anderson, Margaret L. and Patricia Hill Collins. (2010). Race, Class, & Gender: An Anthology. 7th Edition. Wadsworth/Cengage The Wire: The Complete First Season. 2002. HBO Read More