Free Essays on Gender

Gender An in Depth Analysis of Gender Relationships Throughout history and in all cultures the roles of males and females vary. Relating to the piece of literature "Girl" written by Jamaica Kincaid for the time, women's roles were to work in the home. At the time that this work was written, women mainly stayed at home and did housework while few of the very poorest households required the woman to work in an industrial job. Kincaid wrote of the specific roles and responsibilities that a mother would tell her daughter. By what she wrote, one can fully understand what was expected of a woman at that time and in that particular culture. By understanding the culture in which this piece of literature is written, the gender roles, the rules of behavior for a woman and the relationships between genders can be realized. The general myth about women and their gender role in the American society is that the mother works in the home and supports her man in every way. In the literary work "Girl", Kincaid shows clearly that the woman's role in this work was to serve the family and to work mainly in the house. The mother writing this story tells her daughter that "this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt so that it doesn't have a crease" (Kincaid 412). By her ironing his khaki shirt, he is better prepared for work to support his family. Today's society does not always provide these clear roles since many women work a full time job and the house chores are a responsibility for both to handle, though the woman is still mainly held responsible for the home. There should be a constant search for equality in gender roles. Kincaid explains how the man is working to bring home the money and the wife supports his work. Though men and women are supposedly equal, the roles they must play in a particular relationship may be unequal. The conflict that will be revealed in the future is the desire to have the status that ... Free Essays on Gender Free Essays on Gender It’s Up to Me I have always been friends with boys, so we always did what boys would do. We would play basketball or football, watch boys cartoons such as The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or anything else that boys were always doing at a young age. But that is where the difficult point is in trying to figure out how I was gendered. I never wanted to play with girls toys or do anything that the girls did when I was younger, I pretty much chose to do everything that boys do. From the earliest days that I can remember, my best friend Danny was always around. We were basically best friends since birth, well, maybe just my birth, he was two years older than me. We did everything and nothing together. We would play sports watch television and movies, and play video games together. Even when we were doing nothing, we were doing it together. Every night, we would walk down the block to Blockbuster. It didn’t matter what my sister or his sister wanted to watch, we had to rent some sort of action movie. After every movie, we had to go and â€Å"play fight,† which was always known in my head as â€Å"Danny’s time to kick my ass.† He was two years older than me, and twice my weight, so it was pretty much a given. Even though I would get beaten up all the time, I still had fun, it’s what I wanted to do. When I wasn’t getting beat up, I was getting beat at a game of basketball, but I loved the sport and always wanted to play anyway. It was the best thing for me, because Danny was way too good so every time I played against him I got better, so at school I beat everyone like nothing. Any time my parents came home with new toys for me to play with, they were always toys that were made for boys. It’s not that they tried to force them on me, because everything that they bought me was something that I wanted. The only times that anyone would see me playing with girls toys was taking my sister’s Barbie corvette and dri... Free Essays on Gender The Truth about Masculinity and Society’s Hindrance In this day and age one would think that the flaws of society 100 years ago wouldn’t be prevalent today. Unfortunately according to William Pollack this isn’t true, and actually he seems to be quite correct in his assumption. Boys are not shown the appropriate attention too the correct problems in society today. This failure is apparent in school, home, work and just about everyday in daily activities. Males are seldom advised to show their emotions and weakness in any way, or they are automatically seen as an outcast of some sort. Or even worse if they do show emotions they are labeled as gay, and this carries a type of negative connotation in society today that it shouldn’t. This problem is actually getting to the point that it is affecting the overall out come of academic performance in boys. Also there is a gender gap between the negative attentions that is displayed to boys as apposed to girls. When it may be something that isn’t right on the exterior of the situation and could easily be understood within a few questions. This makes the girls in class twice as likely to be more confident in what they want to do later in life, and as a future. Society has changed its view on the place of a woman, and has allowed woman to move up the corporate ladder so to speak. The problem here is that it hasn’t changed its view and place of the male. The male is still expected to keep in all of his emotions and this isn’t healthy. It isn’t healthy for the individual and also for the people that interact with him. This problem starts very early in the home and with the mother not dealing with the emotions of the boy, instead she is telling him not too cry and acting like a girl. This displays the female as a weak and vulnerable creature and the male is supposed to distinguish its difference by this. This mask of masculinity seems to be worn so well even ... Free Essays on Gender Children learn gender roles In reading Katha Pollitt’s â€Å"Why Boy’s Don’t Play with Dolls† it showed how she has seen gender roles in her life. Her essay brings up many good points that need to be addressed in the future, but I believe you can only take one step at a time. I think that there are still gender roles today, but that they are becoming more insignificant. I believe most gender roles are learned by children from their parents and in the school systems. Children learn at a very early age what it means to be a boy or girl in our society. With all the gender stereotypes and biases, it is no wonder that sex segregation exists. During childhood, children are exposed to many factors that influence their attitudes and behaviors regarding gender roles. These attitudes are learned in the home, in schools, and even at the playground where children play among their peers. From the time they are born, children have already been assigned a gender. Blue blankets are used for baby boys, and pink ones for girls. It is difficult for a child to grow up without experiencing some form of gender bias or stereotyping. When in school, many of their ideas and beliefs are reinforced by their friends, teachers, and other adults. For example, when teachers ask their students to form two lines, there is usually one line for boys and the other for girls. When children play, they avoid playing with the opposite sex because they prefer the company of "their own kind." The result is a self-imposed segregation between boys and girls. Research has been done on this phenomenon. Many sociologists have been trying to explain gender roles and differences. Some say sex differences are biologically determined and some believe they are socially constructed. Children behave according to their assigned gender roles as early as two or three years old. From preschool on up to middle school, children live in two separate worlds girls and boys. Inside the cl... Free Essays on Gender Gender An in Depth Analysis of Gender Relationships Throughout history and in all cultures the roles of males and females vary. Relating to the piece of literature "Girl" written by Jamaica Kincaid for the time, women's roles were to work in the home. At the time that this work was written, women mainly stayed at home and did housework while few of the very poorest households required the woman to work in an industrial job. Kincaid wrote of the specific roles and responsibilities that a mother would tell her daughter. By what she wrote, one can fully understand what was expected of a woman at that time and in that particular culture. By understanding the culture in which this piece of literature is written, the gender roles, the rules of behavior for a woman and the relationships between genders can be realized. The general myth about women and their gender role in the American society is that the mother works in the home and supports her man in every way. In the literary work "Girl", Kincaid shows clearly that the woman's role in this work was to serve the family and to work mainly in the house. The mother writing this story tells her daughter that "this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt so that it doesn't have a crease" (Kincaid 412). By her ironing his khaki shirt, he is better prepared for work to support his family. Today's society does not always provide these clear roles since many women work a full time job and the house chores are a responsibility for both to handle, though the woman is still mainly held responsible for the home. There should be a constant search for equality in gender roles. Kincaid explains how the man is working to bring home the money and the wife supports his work. Though men and women are supposedly equal, the roles they must play in a particular relationship may be unequal. The conflict that will be revealed in the future is the desire to have the status that ... Free Essays on Gender Gender and Informal Social Control Pt. I Starting at birth children are instantly assigned a gender. Childhood is the most influential time for children to learn the factors, which teach them attitudes and behaviors regarding gender roles. These ideas are reinforced through parents, teachers, peers, and even media. Sociologists have been trying to explain gender roles and differences only to find an argument of wether sex differences are biologically determined or a result of informal social construction. Traditionally, gender has been used primarily to refer to the categories of masculine, feminine, and neuter. This usage is supported by the practice of many who reserve sex for reference to biological categories, while using gender to refer to social or cultural categories. Gender is based upon the way one is treated, looked upon by others, and the way one presents themselves to others. People attempt to classify gender by observing an individual’s sex, however, usually end up classifying a person by the way the person presents themself. Gender can’t be equated with biological and physiological differences between males and females. The building blocks of gender are socially constructed statuses. Gender roles are taught to children at a very early age to unconsciously comply to their assigned roles. Activities, games, media, and feedback from adults expose children to the process of gender role socialization. A sense of â€Å"self† is a direct correlation to the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that the child is exposed to. Gender is developed through informal social controls. Sex is classified as either of two categories, male or female, based upon the reproductive organs and their functions. Sex is a biological and physiological classification of organisms. Society expects that a person’s sex should correspond with their gender. Sex is an ascribed status. The genitalia one is born with is a de...