Socially approved roles which society expects from all of us. (Sex&Gender)
Hey guys! I am BACK! Bam!
And this time I wanted to post a short post with a brief explanation on sex and gender. Below are two diagrams which show you traditional gender roles which are socially approved and are required of both sexes. Enjoy!
Let’s start by saying, stratification(which, by the way, means a system of layers, classes or categories)by sex is a feature that exists in most societies, with men generally being in a more dominant position than women in society. Our sex has huge influences on us in many ways, from how we think of ourselves and how others think of us to opportunities, work and life chances open to us.
It is important to note that the term ‘sex’ makes reference to the natural or biological differences between women and men like differences in genitals, internal reproductive organs and body hair to name some. On the other hand, gender refers to the socially constructed cultural, social and even psychological differences between the two sexes, in other words, it refers to the way a society encourages and teaches the two sexes to behave in different ways through socialization.
Additionally, our sexual orientation or biological differences do not determine nor decide gender roles and gender identities. We come to the realization of this because although the biological differences between men and women are the same everywhere, the behavioral patterns and adopted identities adopted by both sexes both differ within the same society and also between societies.
Research such as that of American cultural Anthropologist Margaret Mead (2001[1935]) on three distinctively different tribes from New Guinea serves as evidence that has led sociologists to conclude that masculine and feminine gender identities are primarily constructed through socialization, rather than simply a result of the biological different between men and women.
Gender is a significantly important source of identity and having feminine or masculine identities helps enable individuals to share things in common with one another and gives guidelines for identifying with and relating to other people for example, through the way we they dress and through their body language, through their use of language and the way they sit. While we may be able to some extent influence the exact same details of our own gender identities, the options that are available to us are limited.
The pictures below show some examples of socially approved ways both women and men are expected to behave in society. Take a look.
And finally, the quote of the day!
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