How Do Gender Roles Differ within the Contemporary Australian Adolescent Group - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal: How do gender roles differ within the contemporary Australian adolescent group? By YOU Your Academic Organization Here AppropriateDate Here How do Gender Roles Differ within the Contemporary Australian adolescent group? Intro & Research Question Outside of the physiological differences which determine our individual gender are social expectations regarding what is considered appropriate behaviour for the typical male or female adolescent. More obvious terms such as femininity or masculinity tend to determine the magnitude of social beliefs in relation to what constitutes feminine or masculine behaviours. For instance, reverting to the more traditional social viewpoint of what constitutes appropriate behaviours, the general social belief has long been held that masculine behaviours consist of a dominating, strong and aggressive set of personality attributes. In contrast, the typical view of society on feminine behaviours holds emotion, affection, and submissive attitudes as the most noticeable set of attributes for the female. Despite this more traditional recognition of gender roles, with the advent of the modern society came very realistic needs for men and women alike to break free from this stereotypical viewpoint regarding what constitutes healthy masculine or feminine behaviours. In many instances, this blurring of the lines between acceptable, typical male and female behaviour was brought on by the necessity for both men and women to take active roles in developing career and family, influenced largely by financial needs in the household. As stereotypical beliefs regarding masculinity and femininity blur in the modern adult mindset, these rather contemporary beliefs regarding the appropriateness of the gender role in society might well be being passed along to their modern offspring, this being the adolescent. This proposed research study is intended to identify the primary beliefs and values regarding the social expectations of what constitutes the appropriate gender role within the modern Australian youth group. Do todays youths continue to hold fast to traditional beliefs regarding typical masculine and feminine behaviour, or has the line been blurred for this particular group within society regarding how a man or woman should typically behave? How does todays youth, aged 13-18, identify with the masculine and feminine persona and does this belief system directly impact the quality and substance of the modern adolescent friendship? This research project intends to identify these research questions. Conceptual Terminology Understanding the concept of the modern gender role is the primary element behind this proposed study, as oftentimes society maintains the more traditional stereotype in which femininity is most closely associated with complex emotional states, with masculinity characterized by strength and emotional reservation (Klein, 2003). In most Western civilizations, the general hierarchy of authority is typically patriarchical, with the masculine persona labelled as authoritarian. With this long-standing belief system, oftentimes women who rise to positions of authority (such as in the business or governmental world) are scrutinized or chastised when they exhibit authoritarian attributes, suggesting that there are many in society who still maintain the belief that women should not extend themselves beyond what is considered to be feminine behaviours, this being submissive or less-dominating than their male counterparts. It is highly important to identify the root of this traditional or stereotypical belief system, as it is a likely assumption that these beliefs are, in some fashion, being passed from generation to generation. From a psychological perspective, as a result of this stereotypical viewpoint on gender roles, much psychological damage can occur within the adolescent mindset. For instance, young men are often afraid to exhibit complex emotional awareness, denying themselves situations in which they are made vulnerable or where they might expose complicated feelings of love and personal need (Anwar, 2005). At the same time, due to the stereotype, young women hide their many talents and ambitions, for fear of being scrutinized as a woman who has stepped outside of the boundary of the submissive female. As a result, some members of society might argue that the traditional belief in gender role expectations still continues to exist even in the 21st Century, denying men and women opportunities to expand their creative and emotional talents to become something more than what society has long expected of them. Theoretical Framework According to Henslin (2003), there are many factors which must be considered in relation to the foundation of what drives adolescent behaviour based on gender. The author proposes that issues such as sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, and the basis of culture (in this case urban Australian) are significant influences in how adolescents behave in relation to gender. For instance, a homosexual male is likely to exhibit a series of typical feminine behaviours based merely on physiological composition, whereas the same is true for the lesbian female (Grossman, 2001). An individual adolescent stemming from a family structure in which, as one example, impoverished or struggling family members may strongly reinforce the need for dominant behaviours, causing the adolescent female to exhibit more masculine characteristics simply as a result of upbringing (Vlotsky, 2003). With this recognition in mind, it is important to assess and analyse the background of the modern adolescent in order to determine whether issues such as sexual orientation or ethnicity can be correlated as a driver for non-stereotypical gender-related behaviours. Despite the physiological differences constituting male- or female-like behaviours, Humphrey (2004) identifies the phenomenon of the modern clique, defined as a group of adolescent youths who gravitate toward one another based on similar interests and beliefs. Peer groups, such as the clique, often provide adolescents with social support and emotional support in order to allow the youth to make a positive transformation from dependence on others to finding their own identity (Henslin). It is often within these peer social networks where attitudes regarding appropriate gender-related behaviours are identified and either embraced or chastised. The outcome of either peer group acceptance or rejection can have considerable impact on how the youth continues to portray his or her emotions as they strive to find social acceptance (Dreikurs, 2005). Thus, it is highly important to assess the impact of the peer network which provides, in the mind of the typical adolescent, the appropriate support to determine whether men must act as men or whether they can expose their more tender, emotional characteristics. (As one relevant example). Prior to constructing an appropriate study template to assess the modern value system of young adults, in relation to gender role expectations, it is imperative to identify the very real factors which influence the production and exhibition of non-stereotypical gender-related behaviours, as these factors are often a product of the social or family support system and not inherent values. Pre-Existing Case Study Analyses Blacktree, Young & Martin (2003) identify a case study involving gender role expectations surrounding a relatively large sampling of twenty-somethings in the United Kingdom. Attempting to illustrate the differences between dominant and submissive roles in the male homosexual relationship, the authors combined the observational approach with correlational research to provide a qualitative research project to identify how and to what degree that each partner in a series of substantially different male/male relationships develops or embraces the acceptance of typical dominant or submissive roles. The study involved naturalistic observation, in which the researcher performs a systematic study in the natural environment, in this case the same-sex home environment. Over a period of three months, study participants involved in same-sex relationships were observed in relation to daily activities (including professional, social and personal dynamics) to observe whether one partner or another maintained non-stereotypical behaviours in relation to gender roles and to identify the causes or motivators of these behaviours. The sample group consisted of twelve male homosexual relationships, utilizing a series of questionnaires, surveys, and subjective, observational analyses to uncover whether a correlation existed between external influences (such as friends, family, or professional viewpoints) and the make-up of the role that each partner attended to, either masculine or feminine. The results uncovered a significant correlation between external influences and the willingness to tackle non-traditional roles routinely attributed to the female, such as willingness to provide emotional support to the relationship partner or frequency of exhibition of emotional awareness. An additional case study, conducted by Gilford & Black (1999), was designed to uncover whether Australian career women were satisfied with the level to which they were provided ample career opportunities based on perceptions of gender stereotypes. This study took a strictly qualitative approach to research, using a series of personal interviews to interpret and report on the perceptions of a diverse sample group consisting of 135 career women of different income levels and backgrounds. This particular qualitative project is a primary example of a case study, as the interviews were conducted over an elapsed period of time, this being six months, in order to determine whether personal and professional experiences dictated the level to which women perceived themselves to be considered less capable than their male counterparts. The initial interview consisted of questions focusing on career development and how others in their professional lives either positively or negatively influenced their career paths. The follow-up interviews, conducted after six months had elapsed, focused on personal perceptions on whether authoritarian (management) characteristics, in the female work role, were readily accepted by both female or male subordinates, and whether each participant in the study felt restricted by gender role expectations in the workplace. A third case study identified gender in the workplace, focusing specifically on the classroom environment. Using a series of qualitative research tools, including a rating scale to highlight desirable professor attributes, it was determined that masculine traits were labelled as the most highly admirable for university instructors, suggesting that sex bias is still considerably active in the modern university classroom. The sample in this group consisted of 85 students who ranked 52 specific attributes to what made a competent professor (Burns-Glover & Veith, 1995). All of these case studies were conducted to identify gender role expectations from a wide range of participants, identifying both the factors causing gender role confusion/evolution and the social beliefs surrounding feminine and masculine behaviours. Sample In order to gain a competent and reliable set of data results, it is important to recruit 75 adolescents, ranging from 13 to 18, in order to gain a widely diverse group of individuals hailing from different backgrounds, sexual orientations, and family structures. The unit of analysis will consist of individuals hailing from different socio-cultural backgrounds, including income levels and ethnicity to further add diversity to the mix of recruited participants. The participants will be recruited from the local university campus, as well as recruited from a random sample method in the busy commercial areas of Australia. In order to determine whether background is significantly attributed to gender role acceptance, this diverse sample group is necessary to locate potential correlations between gender role and personal background. Case Study & Data Collection Techniques Having identified several case studies involving gender, it is important to create an appropriate study template to fulfil the aforementioned proposed research objectives. Designed as a case study, in which intensive description and analyses of specific individuals (recruited sample) are assessed using interviews, questionnaires, and observational approaches, the general methodology is as follows: A series of interviews will be constructed highlighting specific elements such as discussing individual backgrounds, family structures, and socio-cultural belief systems. Followed up with the interview approach will be a series of surveys, targeting what would be considered traditional, stereotypical viewpoints regarding gender roles and ranking each trait as it is perceived by the adolescent sample groups to be related to femininity or masculinity. At the same time, during the interview process, the researcher will take an observational approach to the participant responses, measuring whether the respondents outwardly exhibited typical male or female behaviours, measured by subjective observational approaches. Upon receipt of the data, analysis of results will determine whether correlations exist between gender role identification and various external elements such as socio-cultural background will be identified. To accomplish this, all responses will be charted on a correlational diagram, in line graph form, with the X axis of the correlational template consisting of the background of the participant and the Y axis of the template consisting of individual responses to both the interview and survey. It will be the intention of the research project to identify whether todays adolescents still hold fast to traditional beliefs regarding gender role expectations or whether these todays youth beliefs continue to blur the line between feminine and masculine behaviours. Further, this case study approach to identifying gender-related beliefs within adolescent groups is designed to identify what specific influences, if any, exist which create the modern viewpoint on the role of male and female youth in todays Australian culture, potentially assisting todays educators and theorists to identify the mindset of the contemporary adolescent in relation to gender role expectations. The utilization of surveys, interviews and observation creates a more diverse set of questions which will theoretically provide a broader picture of todays youth view on gender roles, which is intended to fulfil this research studys objectives. The majority of recruited participants will consist of youths from the university campus, as one theorist identifies the complex relationships in schools as rich and emotional, in which hundreds of people with widely different backgrounds share similar likes and dislikes and are compelled to live together five days a week, 40 weeks of the year (Sociology Extra, 2006). As many youths of this age range (13-18) strive for peer acceptance in the pursuit of building a self-identify, targeting these campus students with interviews and surveys will build a more reliable set of data results based on peer influences toward gender-related decision-making. The most notable negative issue with this type of approach comes in the form of observer bias, in which specific expectations of the observer/interviewer can tend to distort the reality of what has been observed (Henslin). For instance, observer bias could occur based on the researchers own personal beliefs about gender roles, subsequently influencing the subjective analysis portion of the observational approach. To combat this issue, the researcher in this case study must abandon pre-conceived notions of gender role and gender identity in order to produce a competent and reliable set of results. Ethical Considerations Issues of ethics must be considered as part of this proposed case study, as many of the recruited participants will be minors, thus potentially requiring a parental/custodial consent form to participate in the interview process. Further, when dealing with minor-aged adolescents, issues touched on such as sexual orientation (or generic sexuality) should be labelled and addressed with minimal opportunity for unethical perceptions regarding human sexuality. Further, when utilizing subjective analysis as part of the observational approach, individuals are often reluctant to provide personal information for fear of exposure. As such, all participants will be notified that their participation in the research is strictly voluntary, offering no additional compensation for participation, and that their identities will be obscured from the reporting of results, thus guaranteeing anonymity for the recruited sample population. Additionally, research ethics require truth, honesty and open communication of study results, where no individual is harmed by the actual research gathering process. As such, it is the ultimate responsibility of the researcher to phrase all questions pertaining to the case study in a manner that is non-offensive and in no way misleading to the participants. A pre-interview and pre-survey consent form, identifying the nature of the research study, its proposed intentions, and its utilization as an academics-related project will be clearly identified so as to avoid any ethical ramifications of the research. Finally, protecting the interests of all recruited participants is the final ethical consideration in this proposed study, ensuring that no individual in the study will receive any unwarranted scrutiny for the method by which they choose to answer the questions in the interviews and surveys. Aside from ensuring anonymity, all of the interviews will be conducted in a solitary environment, consisting of only the researcher and the participant. This will be done to ensure a higher degree of willingness to participate in all elements of the study and to avoid corruption of the responses by external social influence. References Anwar, S. (2005). Vulnerability and the Modern Male. Sociology Review. 11(7), pp.107-122. Blacktree, D., Young, C. & Martin, V. (2003). Submissive vs. Dominant Roles In the Non-traditional Family Unit. Mens Health Journal. 24 (3), pp.11-14. Burns-Glover, A. & Veith, D. (1995). Revisiting gender and teacher evaluations: Sex still makes a difference. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality. 10 (6), pp.69-75. Dreikurs, A. (2005). Measuring the impact of social interventions: A Youth Oriented perspective. Academy of Management Journal. 15 (3), pp.173-184. Gilford, G. & Black, J. (1999). A Decade in Sociological Issues: Year End Review. Gilford & Associates. Reprint from New York Times, USA. Grossman, Paula M. (2001). A Meta-Analysis of Same Sex Partnered Relationships. Mens Health Journal. 22 (4), 175-188. Henslin, J. (2003). Sociology: A Down-To-Earth Approach. 6th ed. A & B Publishing, Australia: 148-149. Humphrey, William A. (2004). Taking Back our Children: A 21st Century Perspective. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Klein, Burton. (2003). Whos life is it anyway: The male role in society. Mens Health. 14(9), pp.22-24. Sociology Extra. (2006). Sociology Case Studies. Retrieved August 29, 2007 from http://www.allen-unwin.com.au/academic/case2.asp. Vlotsky, V. (2003). Issues in Sociology: On the Home Front. Qualitative Research Review. 5 (11), pp.107-119. Read More