The Social Construction of Gender Roles - Coursework Example

The Social Construction of Gender Roles Gender is an underlying characteristic of all societies and the social construction of gender roles, behaviors and expectations is an importance aspect of modern American society. Seeking to understand how gender is constructed and how gender expectations influence our lives, this essay will provide an in-depth analysis of how gender is constructed. Furthermore, we will discuss sex and gender and the role gender plays in modern American society with a focus on the social implications of sexism. An interview with police offer on the gendered aspects of the police force will be interwoven with this analysis. Finally, we will conclude with a conclusion of the research explored here and discuss the ramifications of gender role construction today (hooks 1981). Unlike sex, gender is artificially imposed and although based upon biological differences between men and women, gender is socially constructed. As a social construct, gender roles, behaviors, attitudes and expectations are created by society and enforced by social norms. The funny thing about gender is that we are led to believe that it is innate and something that we are born with. Accordingly, “children themselves become active participants in the gendering process by the time they are conscious of the social relevance of gender, typically before the age of two” (Kivel 2000). As Aaron Devor so eloquently points out in his ground-breaking and incredibly illuminating essay, “Gender Role, Behavior and Attitudes”, gender is created, acquired and constructed by the greater society at large. Sex has a biological basis and is predetermined at birth. Gender, on the other hand, is a social construction and gender roles and expectations are unique to each and every society. As social actors, individuals play an important role in the construction and creation of gender roles, attitudes and expectations and are not simply passive recipients of societal expectations about how men and women are to behave. While women are expected to be docile and caring, “men in our society are supposed to be powerful” (Munro 2000). These norms are embedded with our consciousness and taken for granted (Devor 1993). Seeking to dispel the myths surrounding sex and gender, Ore (2000) persuasively argues that a gender hierarchy exists within our society and unmasks the argument for the naturalness of gender roles, behaviors and expectations. Asserting that gender roles are created and not innate, Kivel argues that the naturalness argument for gender has no biological basis and is a social construction. Our society is organized under a patriarchal gender schema in which men and women, as dichotomous members of the gender hierarchy, are situated on opposite ends of the schema. While we are taught from a very young age to believe that gender differences are normal and natural, it is now commonly understood by scholars that a power imbalance underlies the gender hierarchy so prevalent in our society and informs our beliefs about gender. (Devor 1993; see Camparo 2005; see Kivel). Patriarchy is defined as a type of social structure in which men are perceived as being superior to women and it is impossible to understand the construction of gender roles and expectations in modern Western society without first understanding the omnipresent patriarchal nature of our society. My interview with a police officer provided a first-hand example of patriarchy at work. During this interview I learned that women are highly underrepresnted within the police services and that there is a gendered division of labor. This is reflective of our society where patriarchy is subconscious and but by no means universal. In fact a matriarchy, a society which is structured with women at the helm, has been found in places as diverse as Latin America, India and parts of Africa (Amadiume 1997). Despite the global diversity, modern Western culture is characterized by its patriarchal nature and this has important implications in a variety of social realms. Social stratification can be explained by the gender hierarchy. Female job ghettos including those of teacher, nurse and librarian tend to be overpopulated with women and characterized by low wages and low prestige. Interestingly, scholars points out that these jobs tend to be based upon the same characteristics which are viewed as innate to women. Feminine qualities like caring and nurturing are found in job descriptions for employment in the ‘pink collar ghetto’ of daycare workers, elementary school teachers and nurses. Gender role expectations are also explained through social cues such as body posture and demeanor, speech patterns, style of dress. The nature of these cues lends credence to the argument that gender is socially constructed and the way that we talk, they way we carry ourselves and the types of clothes that we wear are all determined by social forces. You would be hard pressed to find someone say today that women wear dresses because they have a biological need to do so; this would be an example of sex stereotypes and sexism (Devor 1993). Accordingly, sexism is a scourge in American society which affects the overall quality of life for women today. Sexism is the belief that one sex is superior to the other and generally implies ideas about superiority and inferiority between sex and gender. While some societies are characterized as being matriarchal, much of Western society is patriarchal and the United States in no exception. The patriarchal nature of American society is explained by a variety of social and historical factors which are beyond the scope of this assignment. Nonetheless, while women in American have made incredible gains in the social, economic, cultural and political spheres over the past century, sexism remains a prevalent aspect of our society. Sexism is the result of social construction of gender in society and the while it can be overt, latent or suppressed, it exists and has a variety of wide social repercussions. Accordingly, women in American earn less than their male counterparts and the employment mobility of women is often hindered by preconceived ideas about sexuality and the economic roles that women can play in the modern world. Anthropologists and cultural theorists have written for years about a “pink ghetto”, in which women are regulated to a sector of the labour market which is poorly remunerated and oftentimes unrewarding. Ideas about “women’s work” force women into so called female-ghettos in which women predominate and their upward social mobility is hindered by preconceived notions of what women can (and should) do. Accordingly, there is also an invisible “glass ceiling” which limits the future job prospects of women in American society and their future earning power. According to Devor, “If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job” (1997). Looking at the medical sector again, a profession formerly limited to men, the New England Journal of Medicine reports that as in “young male physicians earned 41% more per year than young female physicians” (Baker 1996). Is this the result sexism, either latent or overt? Although it is difficult to say, it is important to remember that these disparities do in fact exist and have real world implications. The following will explore sexual harassment as a form of discrimination and will look at the unintended effects of sexual harassment on the productivity of workers. Sexual harassment could be defined as unwanted sexual attention at the workplace and this can be given by both a fellow co-worker or by a superior. Sexual attention or advances which are unwanted are completely inappropriate in an office setting and represent a form of subtle discrimination. Although the discrimination may appear to be positive, in fact it’s not and it is illegal. The Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964 makes discrimination based on sex or sexual advances at work illegal and proscribes it from the office. Not only is sexual harassment wrong and illegal, it can also have ramifications on employee productivity and the company’s bottom line. Accordingly, an employee who has been subject to sexual harassment may have feelings of guilt, shame and fear and thus may avoid work, take additional time off as sick leave or simply be distracted while at the office. Although pervasive, sexual harassment is presently being combated though an intelligence and knowledgeable work force and legislation to prevent its occurrence and penalize offenders. . Although harassment in the workplace has been going on for years, unwanted sexual attention is now appropriately defined as harassment. Harassment is wrong and ethically immoral. Although women tend to be the victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, more and more men are coming forward with complaints of harassment at work. Concluding Remarks Many scholars now agree that gender is socially constructed and culturally specific. Accordingly, gender role expectations are largely a product of social forces and are the result of systemic power imbalances with our society. These expectations and attitudes serve to reinforces discrimination based upon gender and are socially constructed. The social construction of gender influences of behaviors, roles, attitudes and expectations and because of the hierarchical nature of gender in our society, masculinity becomes superior and femininity is deemed to be inferior. Because of a socially enforced gender code, our engrained ideas about gender are incredibly difficult to change. We are all products of our own individual societies and we subconsciously impart the ideas and beliefs which make up our cultures. Ideas about gender roles are subsequently often unquestioned since they are perceived to be so integral to our understanding of how the world works. Understanding that gender is a construction is perhaps the first step in breaking free from the bonds of gender (Amadiume 1997). BIBLIOGRAPHY Amadiume, I. (1997). Re-inventing Africa: Matriarchy, Religion, and Culture. London: Zed Books. Baker, L C. (1996). Differences in Earnings between Male and Female Physicians. New England Journal of Medicine. 334.15: 960-964. Devor, A. (1993). “Gender Role, Behavior and Attitudes”. Annual Review of Sex Research, 7, 44-89. Devor, A. (1997). "Toward a Taxonomy of Gendered Sexuality." Journal of \ Psychology and Human Sexuality, 6(1), 23-55. Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. New York: Basic Books. hooks, b. (1981). Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism. Boston: South End Press. Kivel, P. (1999). Boys will be Men. New York: New Society Publishers. MacKinnon, C.A. (1979). Sexual harassment of working women: A case of sex discrimination. New Haven: Yale University Press. Munro, A. (2002). Boys and Girls. Toronto: The Gale Group. Ore, T. (2008). The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality. London: McGraw-Hill. Read More