Social Reproduction of Gender - Essay Example

? Reproduction of the Gender Gender is one of the issues that sociologists have been studying with deep interest. Understanding the basic construction of the construction of the gender system is crucial in understanding how its reproduction occurs each day. It is essential to analyze the theories that explain the emergence and sustenance of the gender system. Feminism advocates for a free system that does not adhere to the gender system in order to achieve equality in society. This paper will explore the ideas of varying sociologists and their views concerning the binary gender system. The paper will then present an overview from the analysis of the different readings (Jackson, 2002). Doing Gender and Norms From the book, there is an interesting introduction into the categorization of the gender system (44). According to these authors, there is a difference between sex, sex categorization, and gender. From the example of Agnes, a transgender individual born naturally as a boy, the authors explore the assumptions that the gender binary system makes. Agnes studied the cultural and societal expectations of a woman and managed to project feminine characteristics without suspicions that she was born male. However, she underwent a genital reassignment that qualified her to become a woman. The book has described the meaning of the term they coined ‘doing gender’. In their view, ‘doing gender’ prevails in everything that human beings partake. It is most evident in daily interactions, and behavior codes. According to the book, assessing of the behavior code to determine whether one projects masculinity and feminism occurs purely on the social norms for each gender (43-44). The author elaborated that sex category depends on choice of an individual. Therefore, one may choose to follow and fulfill the societal conceptions and expectations of a certain sex even when in real sense they do not belong to that sex. The author places emphasis that the aspect of gender applies to every interaction in life. In addition, how society makes assessments based on gender is well highlighted. A crucial issue rises in this context. When an individual does not conform to societal norms, the individual bears all the blame for lack of competence to project masculinity and femininity. One wonders why society never seeks to readjust the roles that define each gender in society (2). The fact that some individuals in society do not conform to the pre-existing gender roles and are able to take up roles associated with the other gender is an indication that the binary gender system is too rigid maybe society needs to readjust the norms. Other authors challenge the binary gender system (19). According to some feminists, the gender system is responsible for the inferiority among women today. Some argue that the gender system should not hold a place in society any more. Feminists accuse the gender system as a major setback in achieving equality. Although it is evident, that society will always have some form of classification they argue against the binary classification. These feminists realize that some form of classification is necessary. Most of the feminists argue against the hierarchy of gender roles. This hierarchy results to the inferiority in women hindering them from advancing to attain a similar status with men. Institutionalization An understanding of the hierarchy that exists in accordance to gender is essential. During the early times, all people in society performed similar roles. However, the emergence of capitalism brought about the institutionalization that resulted to hierarchical division of labor (98). Initially, men only assumed the roles of supervisors of work. With time, the ideology of free markets under capitalism emerged. This came along with the notion that equality was a possibility in the market while in the production means, a hierarchical division of labor would ensure that production was efficient. In the production sector, men assumed the leading role while women took the lower jobs in accordance with the hierarchical version of division of labor. This implied that women would receive lower wages compared to men because they performed the lower-level jobs. On the other hand, men received higher wages because they performed the leading roles. The author continues to analyze factors from capitalism that contributed to the inferiority in society today (98). She argues that the separation of production from the home to industries proved a disadvantage to women. The women remained at home doing household work while men received exposure and training in the industrial fields. With time, men held an upper hand in technology, and production. This limited what women could do. Since they were unprepared for the new responsibility contrary to the men, women settled for less on gaining entry to the industry. Institutionalization in the capitalist economies contributed to the gender hierarchy. Society redefined the hierarchy by according male and female’s different roles in society. The fact that the woman should perform all household and attend to her husband puts the man in a higher level in society (2). In addition, society motivates women to enter into marriages because they cannot sustain themselves with the little that they earn. Consequently, marriage promotes the gender hierarchy between men and women (216). Other emerging professions gave men a priority. Society often referred to some careers as masculine. Many other factors evident capitalism put men in the forefront according to the author. It becomes evident the reverse of the process cannot take place rapidly. Men will require time to accept the dawning that women can perform equal roles. However, one wonders whether men will ever let go of the power and masculine hegemony that exists in society. According to another reading in the book, the gender binary system consists of hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity (60). In his view, masculine hegemony refers to the dominance or ascendency that the ideal man has in society. This hegemony leads to the automatic subordination of women in society. However, he elaborates the situations that apply to masculine hegemony and those that do not. For example, he mentions that ascendency coming because of applying force is not hegemony. On the contrary, the hegemony painted by the media, religious practices, structures of wages, housing designs and welfare fits in the description of masculine hegemony. Connell highlights two issues that often result to misunderstanding of the description of hegemony. One of these is the use of force in the ascendency of the masculine gender. He argues that although hegemony through use of force is not real hegemony, it becomes difficult to separate the two aspects. In addition, he mentions that hegemony does not imply that the masculine gender exerts complete dominance over the feminine one. However, masculine hegemony leads to subordination of the other gender. Another argument is that masculine hegemony does not match the societal notion of the roles played by the males. Hegemony involves the creation of the ideal masculine figure in society. It becomes apparent that majority of men do not live up to the description of the ideal man according to the cultural beliefs. Many cultures paint the hegemony of men as an ideal attribute that men need to strive to achieve but do not necessarily manage to achieve. In the reading, hegemony comes out as a ‘publicity issue’ (61). Its portrayal in the media partly describes what hegemony means. According to this author, hegemony does not involve the real status of men who hold power in societal institutions. Rather, real hegemony is the strategies that these men use to sustain their statuses. The author mentions that an integration of strategies is necessary to sustain masculine hegemony. In addition, there is a description of hegemony in both heterosexual and homosexual relations. In a heterosexual marriage, masculine hegemony automates the role of the woman as subordinate. Women seem to find the arrangement bearable. In such relationships, women practice compliance. On the other hand, in homosexual relations, subordination results as well (62). However, in such relations, there exists a form of masculine subordination. This highlights an interesting factor that subordinated masculinity does exist. Smith explores a different point of view concerning sociology (64). She argues that each individual has a chance to perform the role of a sociologist by organizing his or her daily activities. According to this perspective, the assessment of the organization in society needs to start at the individual level. Her arguments support the theory of Marx in the reproduction of social structures. She asserts that the activities of each individual in society usually turn into potential profits. A repeat of the process leads to the production of the social structure as it is. Smith provides crucial ideas concerning the reproduction of the subordination of women in society. She highlights the practices of women. The activities and practices common to women usually undergo a cycle that reproduces the constant system that involves women subordination. Their activities and practices undergo a reconfiguration process in organizational level. These form a normative code of expressing feminism. Since it is a cycle, women usually indulge in the femininity code and reproduce the femininity ideology (64). Through the same procedure, all gender norms undergo reproduction. It becomes very challenging to eliminate any of these ideals attached to gender because they undergo reproduction each day of the human life. It is evident that the binary system has been undergoing a reproduction despite its rigidity and the criticisms that surround it. It is worth noting that each society holds different roles for both males and females despite the proximity of the two societies (34). The expression of masculinity and femininity appears in different forms in each society. Since the act of doing gender is evident in almost every activity undertaken in society, it has become part of humanity. Although many critics argue that the binary system is excessively rigid, it is still in use in judging the behavior of individuals in society. Arguments suggesting that the gender system does not stand a place of great value in society do not define the structure of society without the gender system. Emergence of transgender individuals in society presents an additional challenge to the binary system of gender and its categorization. As long as men have strategies that help them sustain masculine hegemony, women may have to bear with subordination of feminism for a longer time. As described above, sex categorization and gender roles continue to hold a central place in society. Different sociologists have written on the idea and how societal norms rise in society. Other sociologists emphasize on the fact that doing gender occurs in every instant making the aspect of gender have relevance in everyday life. The history of capitalism and institutionalization bring out the lengthy process that put men in dominance in society. Connell elaborates how masculine hegemony operates in society. In addition, he mentions how the subordination of feminism results. As long as men have the power and strategies that keep them in dominance, the gender system is likely to remain in society. Despite the criticisms of the gender system, judgment of an individual’s behavior still depends on the conformity to the societal norms. References Jackson, S. (2002). A Sociological Reader. New York: Routledge. Read More