According to McDowell (2018), gender can be described as the social roles played by both men and women, functions, the conception of tasks and the power relations between them. This usually has an intense effect on the management and utilization of natural resources. Gender cannot be described as sex or the biological dissimilarities between a man and a woman. Generally, it is shaped by social relations, culture, and natural surroundings. Consequently, relying on the norms societies, laws, and values, males, and females all over the various regions of the world have developed different gender roles. The essay will look into the gender definitions and its implications on social life and societal expectations.
What is Gender?
Gore (2017), argues that gender approach is a distinct aspect that emphasizes both women and men and not on women alone. The highlights of gender approach encompass the differences between the interest between men and women that are even within the same family and how the interests are articulated. Secondly, it highlights the differences among women and men on the basis of their ages, ethnic background, and wealth among other factors. Thirdly, it focuses on the resolutions and hierarchies which define the position of men and women in the households, community, and society as a whole, where women are controlled by men. Finally, the gender approach emphasizes the way the gender associations and roles change often quite promptly due to the economic, social technological tendencies.
Gender equity is another aspect under gender that entails equal satisfaction of chances, rewards, resources, and socially valued possessions by both men and women. Edwards (2017), claims that gender equity does not insist that men and women become equal but the offered chances and resources are equal to all. Gender analysis is a concept that takes into account the economic and social variations between men and women at each stage of progress. The purpose of the gender analysis is ensuring equal results for both girls and boys, women and men, to the extent of strategy in place and execution. In addition, it also reveals the perspective different influence of procedure, program, and law on both women and men.
Gender roles include processes involved in decision making, labor responsibilities, and understanding. Baez et al., (2017) discuss that gender-specific roles are often accustomed by the structure of the family, right to use the available resources, environmental conditions, the particular influence of the overall economy, and incidence of conflict or calamity. Similar to gender, gender roles can change over a period of time through women empowerment and revolution of manhood. Gender roles are usually reinforced throughout the lifespan where parents play a major role in applying the greatest impact on to their young ones. Fathers teach their sons on manly duties such as building and repairing things, while mothers teach the girls on household chores such as cleaning the house and cooking. As children grow up, they receive approval from their parent when they tend to imitate the gender expectations and end up adopting the socially acknowledged and conservative roles. Media also reinforces the gender roles to the upcoming generations (Baez et al., 2017). Gender roles adopted at a young age continue to develop even at an older age. At homes, families do have beliefs about financial duties, child nurturing activities, and even in making of decisions. At workplaces, society have assumptions about organizational structure, the division of labor and authority.
Impact of Gender on Social Life
A person’s gender reveals the male or female aspects of a person with reverence to the biology, psychology and the societal role. In a society, the traditional roles have been assumed by the people on the basis of their biological positioning. As time has passed by and the existence of substantial value system the gender differences that are there between men and women have changed to a remarkable extent, especially within the western nations. Gender role in society entails the role as portrayed by people with respect to the factors that are dependent on the living conditions (Hillard, 2018). The roles are influenced mainly by self-preferences or social bonding. For example, men are usually involved in tough physical activities such as defense services and working in heavy industries. On the other hand, women are involved in tasks such as cooking, keeping houses in order, and nurturing children. Whoever, these roles are becoming scarcer in the developed countries, for example in the United States.
In a normal social framework, the various responsibilities include child care, professional obligations, education, societal concepts, and household work. These roles have been for long set aside on basis of sex, but recently it has been more of choice depending on person’s interests. Conversely, there is a number of societies globally which have continued to support the traditional gender roles. The traditional roles define a female should be interested or obliged to do housework and raising of children, whereas men are left to be involved more in professional social roles.
Hillard (2018), discusses that the manner in which gender roles are educated and embraced by a group of individuals creates the socialization perception. While the concept in each society is exceptionally diverse, the roles do undergo required, agreeable or repulsive changes consequently. For instance, the roles in some areas of the world do not allow marriage outside a certain community. On the other hand, there are no objections in relation to the societal obligations and there is the flexibility of the gender roles. Therefore, the type of social structure established in a region expresses the gender roles in a society to a great extent.
At present, as the social form dictates the role of gender in a society many people have the incorporated freedom in choosing their interests. The role of intersex and transgender people have been equally considered. Liberation of women, while changing their roles and feminism are instances that result in the decreasing gap in gender roles (Hillard, 2018). Nevertheless, gender roles in society are no longer subjected as an obligation for any person therein. For a better life, each person is entitled to freedom in determining their role in society.
Gender and Societal Expectations
The society puts many expectations on the gender where it focuses on who can and who should carry out a certain task. Gender, as discussed, entails both women and men and the roles they provide to the society. According to Zuckerman and Diener (2017), these roles are shaped by the society itself describing what should be done by man or by a woman, and the personality each should portray to the society. A closer look into the society, it is agreeable there are simple things such as which toys belong to girls and which belong to boys. The children upbringing is accompanied by talks from parents on what they should be as shaped by the societal expectations.
For instance, girls are expected to be caring, sensitive, and exhibit excellence in managing household affairs. Consequently, boys are expected to be excellent in technical fields, have leadership skills, and be critical and logical in their thinking. The creation of the expectations of both boys and girls, which entails how they should act or describing what they should become, sets a course which the young boys and girls take into adulthood and the results are long-term. Media has also shaped the social expectations in the present world. Most advertising is done in an unfiltered way with sexualized images of women Modglin et al., (2017). On the hand images of power images of men are also broadcasted all over. These images jointly create a social construction of gender and gender stereotypes.
Over a given period of time, the gender allocated roles result into gender inequalities and disparities and at the end, they become part of the culture. There are differences that are created by these roles are mostly termed as natural, acknowledged and are passed to the new generations. Mechanical skills and area of proficiency are divided between genders, which forms maleness and femaleness where girls are expected to continue with simple tasks such as arts and housekeeping, whereas boys are expected to specialize in sports, and in science and technology (Ridgeway, 2017). As a result, the perception in the society that features males as more influential in technical areas is a plain socialization which lives and it gets passed on.
Conclusion
Conclusively, gender stereotyping is likely at the verge of making it impossible for males and females to achieve the present accomplishments in the society and also limiting the society as a whole in developing. There is a need to amend this and thus, development programs and gender awareness programmes should be put in place. This entails education and awareness that promote active incorporation of eradication of the gender stereotypes. Boys should be taught at an early age on the importance of becoming the change in society in the protection of human rights that covers the girls and women. Likewise, supporting the equal division of duties between men and women, both in the households and in the society at large. Awareness should help to reduce the women’s perspectives in domestic areas whereas putting men in technical domains so as to stop passing this to the new generations. Breaking stereotypes is important as positive changes are induced to the society.
References
Baez, S., Flichtentrei, D., Prats, M., Mastandueno, R., García, A.M., Cetkovich, M. and Ibáñez, A., 2017. Men, women… who cares? A population-based study on sex differences and gender roles in empathy and moral cognition. PloS one, 12(6), p.e0179336.
Edwards, A.F., 2017. Achieving Gender Equity for Women Leaders in Community Colleges Through Better Communication. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2017(179), pp.23-34.
Gore, J.E., 2017. Dominant Beliefs and Alternative Voices: Discourse, Belief, and Gender in American Study. Routledge.
Hillard, A.L., 2018. Modern Gender Roles and Stereotypes: The Cultural Funneling of Individuals toward Gendered Choices. The War on Women in the United States: Beliefs, Tactics, and the Best Defenses, p.36.
Modglin, M., Campbell, L., Brannon, L. and Green, R., 2017. Mass Media Effects on Gender Roles and Stereotypes.
McDowell, L., 2018. Gender, identity and place: Understanding feminist geographies. John Wiley " Sons.
Ridgeway, C.L., 2017, November. Understanding the Nature of Status Inequality: Why Is It Everywhere? Why Does It Matter?. In Culture and Inequality Workshop, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, November (Vol. 8).
Zuckerman, M., Li, C. and Diener, E.F., 2017. Societal conditions and the gender difference in well-being: Testing a three-stage model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(3), pp.329-336.
