Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 5

Diep 1

Connie Diep
Professor Beadle
English 115
13 September 2015
Gender Identity and Expectations in Society
In western society we have two categories to identify male/female. This category is called
sex. Gender identity is an individuals behavior or the way he/she is described (masculine or
feminine). Sex (male/female) is genetic and biological. This gender identity is formed by
societys pre-conceived idea that parents are the first to teach their young about sex and whether
it makes them masculine or feminine. For example, a mother may know that if her child is a girl
she will want to dress her daughter in pink or pastel colors. Forcing people to identify to one
gender is a problem because they cannot freely express themselves without having to be put in a
male/female category. This has personally affect me because I have a single mother who has
taught me how to take on gender roles. The articles: Night to His Day: The Social Construction
of Gender by Judith Lorber, Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender
by Aaron Devor and Women, Men, and Society by Claire Renzetti & Daniel Curran, discuss
the struggles of identifying to only one sex category and its expectations from society. Although,
some people may disagree that parents do not assign gender roles it is important to realize that
different gender roles are negatively affected both men/women.
Men and women in society are judged based on their physical appearance, choice,
teachings and practices. People are not satisfied until they are able to properly identify other
individuals as male or female. Lorber said, As they started to leave the train. The father put a
Yankee baseball cap on the childs head. Ah, a boy, I thought. Then I noticed the gleam of tiny

Diep 2
earrings in the childs ears, and as they got off, I saw the little flowered sneakers and lacetrimmed socks. (Lorber, 20). This observation is an example of sex categorizing based on
physical appearance. The significance of the child being placed as a boy or girl sets the gender
identity standards for them. As these boys/girls develop into men/women they start to define
what they do to make his/her sex clear to society. In Aaron Devors article, Becoming Members
of Society, he explains that body postures, demeanors, speech and phrases communicate either
vulnerability (feminine) or dominance (masculinity) to others (Devor, 41). But in the article he
uses terms like they when describing feminine or masculine body languages. Devor is stating
the stereotypes of the typical weak woman versus the tough and dominant man.
Having gender expectations is the reason why gender discrimination still exists. The
result of discrimination is that society does not see the potential within an individual. They only
think of biased opinions. The first individuals to understand this first hand is children. At a very
young age children are taught to understand the differences between genders rather than sex.
Devors article, Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender says, In one
study, young school age children, who were given dolls and asked to identify their gender,
overwhelmingly identified the gender of the dolls on the basis of attributes such as hair length or
clothing style, in spite of the fact that the dolls were anatomically correct. (Devor, 37). Gender
used to be based off genitalia for social order but children are learning the exactly opposite. Kids
are not aware of the process for taking on gender. The ultimate result is that they are not able to
find themselves throughout the gendering cycle. Children learn who they are based off societys
expectation and how they are seen. In our society, we see men and women achieve the same
accomplishments but men are often applauded while women are expected to be stay-at-home-

Diep 3
mothers, to cook and clean the house while men were working to provide for the mother and
child.
Countries that do not value gender discrimination do not realize that certain tasks are still
gendered. Lorber says Women still do most of the domestic labor and child rearing , even
while doing fulltime paid work; women and men are segregated on the job and each does work
considered appropriate; womens work is usually paid less than mens work (Lorber, 30). It is
a problem having different gender roles because it limits women in the workforce. Gender roles
have personally affected me because my mom has always been the provider of our family. She
has raised my sister and me for almost our whole lives. My mother is strong and independent, so
in a way she has been my fatherly figure as well. She has taught me to take on the gender roles of
masculine traits. I have courage, toughness, and independence. These traits have shaped me
into the person I am today.
Society isnt the only factor that impacts childrens way of gender identity, it is also the
parents. Mothers and fathers purposely dress their child accordingly based on their sex so that
other individuals do not get it confused. Women, Men, and Society by Claire Renzetti &
Daniel Curran, give an example, Boys are typically dressed in primary colors and girls are
typically dressed in pastels colors. Sex labeling. (Renzetti and Curran, 77). It is significant
because children grow up and are expected to act the way he/she was identified. Finding his/her
gender identity growing up is even more difficult due to being raised under gender norms.
Children must learn from parents about gender identity so that they are able to understand
society. By learning what his/her identity is they are able to accept who they are. In Becoming
Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender, by Aaron Devor states, To be accepted

Diep 4
in society children must learn gender identities and gender roles. Being able to learn that they are
both as they see themselves and as others see them. (Devor, 37). Individuals trying to find their
belonging in male/female society may be hard because they have grown up only knowing one
gender role. They are then expected to carry out the duties of each. That is why different gender
roles have a negative effect on either side. For example, a boy can grow up with the skills and
mentality of a dominant male but later in life he may start to question why he doesnt enjoy it.
We are set up in society to conform to general norms by separating each sex and expecting
certain gender traits from each one.
Although, some people may disagree that our gender roles are not constructed by our
parents, it is believed that we are put under extreme pressure by expectations within our sex
category. Women struggle with job opportunities such as not getting as much equal pay as men
or simply because society believes that we are just meant to only bear children and care for them.
This gender role difference limits women from expanding their opportunities. And that there is
also a misconception between the words, sex and gender. These two words almost sound the
same but are not true. Sex is the biology and anatomy to what makes a person male/female.
Gender is the way we behave, think, or carry traits such as masculine/feminine. The word
masculine has a positive connotation versus feminine. People are starting to undermine the word
feminine, which refers to women. This changes the view of a womans role in society. She is
devalued and unappreciated. Gender roles have changed significantly in our society. Sometimes
a lot of families do not have a manly figure in their lives. Women are now able to play both
mother and father roles. The articles in these essays discuss the stereotyping and judgement
based on each sex and his/her roles he/she must perform in society. We can make society a better
place to live in if we can challenge and preserver through the expectancy of gender roles.

Works Cited
Devor, H Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender.
Composing Gender. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's,
1989. Print.
Lorber, Judith. Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. Yale University Press,
1994. Print.
Renzetti, M. Claire. Curran, J. Daniel. Women. Men, and Society. NJ, Upper Saddle River,
2011. Print.

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi