Preview

Men vs. Women: an Analysis of Gender Roles in Society

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
566 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Men vs. Women: an Analysis of Gender Roles in Society
Men vs. Women: An Analysis of Gender Roles in Society In the article entitled, “Men Are From Earth, and So Are Women. It’s faulty”, by Rosalind C. Barnett and Caryl Rivers, the differences between men and women are reexamined as well as challenged. According to Rivers and Barnett, there is really no innate difference between the sexes; there are only varying behaviors that are determined by the degree of power males and females hold in a given situation. Contrasting this with a completely different piece, Anne Fausto-Sterling’s “The Five Sexes: Why Men and Female are Not Enough”, is an erudite work which suggests that people come in bewildering sexual varieties. Testing medical values and social norms, this article delves into some of the biological and cultural issues regarding gender identity as Fausto-Sterling proposes that there are not two, but instead, five human genders. Throughout these readings, considering their differences, one thing has remained—gender is not always as it portrayed in society and the media. Despite this, an important question is raised. Exactly how different are men and women? Or are they? When reading both articles, the parallel between these two different topics is that they have lacked in research, which gives a misinterpretation to the average person. In the article, “The Five Sexes,” hermaphrodites (herms) struggle to “fit” into society; the general public refuses to accept herms because of having inadequate information about them. People are oblivious to the situation of herms that even the government has stepped in to take an action against them. The government requires every hermaphrodite to decide whether they are male/female (Fausto, 1993); once they decide if they are a male or a female, they must live with that gender role for the rest of their life. Just like how people are misinformed about hermaphrodites, the same goes with opposite sexes. It is customary that men and women are “specialized” in specific


Cited: Barnett, Rosalind C., and Caryl Rivers. "Men are From Earth, and So are Women. It 's Faulty Research That Sets Them Apart." The Chronicle Review 3 Sept. 2004. . Fausto-Sterling, Anne. "The five sexes: why male and female are not enough. " The Sciences.  33.n2 (March-April 1993): 20(6). Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. UC Irvine. 27 Aug. 2007  .
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Guys vs. Men and Cross Talk
    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Guys vs. Men and Cross Talk

    On a more serious note, Deborah Tanner’s Cross Talk is more informational than comical. In her essay, Tanner talks about the source of gender differences, cross-gender…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Girl By Aaron Devoor
    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page

    Girl By Aaron Devoor

    In today’s society, people tend to group one and an another into different categories according to their own social identity. An individual’s gender identity refers to which group where one belongs to. The attributes assigned to both males and females are different because of gender differences. In “Becoming members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender” by Aaron Devor, the author argues that factors such as beliefs and behaviors help differentiate the sexual identity of a person. In addition, Devor views sex as an instrument of determining gender. It is believed that there are only two types of sexes that exist. Which are male and female. On the other hand, “Girl”, by Jamaica Kincaid, the mother tries to forces prescribe behavior,…

    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Masculinity In Frankenstein
    • 208 Words
    • 1 Page

    Masculinity In Frankenstein

    Throughout the progress of understanding human development, the notion of gender has commonly been the topic of discussion and debate when attempting to understand its foundation. While it is argued to be a societal and cultural manifestation, others suggest it is a biological…

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Apa Style Analysis
    • 2499 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Apa Style Analysis

    Line Spacing: Double-space throughout the paper, including the title page, abstract, body of the document,…

    • 2499 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Condry and Condry Article Response
    • 971 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Condry and Condry Article Response

    experiments and observations, the researchers knew the sex of the child. In order to see if these…

    • 971 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Biological Genitals vs. Cultural Genitals
    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Biological Genitals vs. Cultural Genitals

    When considering the ideas of both sex and gender, it is universally understood, by most, that they are both intertwined; that is to say that gender cannot be discussed without bringing sex into the conversation, and vice versa. Here it is understood that the term “sex” is being used to signify the existing genitalia on an individual’s material body, and that the term “gender” is relating to markers of social difference between men and women (Halberstam 118). However, many scholars have attempted to create a distinction between sex and gender, which now many socialization scholars speak of as a body/consciousness distinction (Gatens 144). Both sex and gender, in theory, can be thought of as two separate entities, but it is important to keep in mind that an individual’s genitalia and material body are instant sources of proof when questioning one’s biological sex for gender to fall back on, when needed. The declaration of an individual’s biological sex (i.e. It’s a boy/It’s a girl) must first take place, and, once it does, their gender begins to slowly map itself out on the body, and essentially helps the individual create their own set of ‘cultural genitals’ that will be used to express their gender within society.…

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analizing Gender Roles
    • 790 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Analizing Gender Roles

    “ Gender is society's idea of what it means to be male or female, of the appropriate roles for each sex to play. Society transforms biological sexuality, when a person is genetically declared as a male or a female, into beings of human activity.”…

    • 790 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Primate Gender Analysis
    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Primate Gender Analysis

    In society, gender is a structure that divides work in the home and economic production which then creates those in authority and organizes sexuality (Lorber 1994). Even in societies where there are less defined gender boundaries there is still separation between genders. This spatial separation of men and women does reinforce the gendered difference, identity, and behavior (Lorber 1994). This spatial separation seems to have progressed throughout human evolution from chimpanzees to modern day humans where gender roles were clearly defined. This paper is to analyze the difference between men and women in terms of social behavior as not the result of biological variation but of cultural and environmental development from our ancestors.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Outline Gender Roles In Society
    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Outline Gender Roles In Society

    Biology alone determines whether a person is female or male, not culture, but cultural myths outline the roles women and men play in society. These cultural myths constitute to the lack of differentiation between sex and gender, imposing the idea of nature versus nurture. While one is born either female or male due to biology, one’s culture ultimately makes one into a woman or a man. Society has predisposed images of what it means to be feminine or masculine. These gender roles limit the individual’s potential, making humans into performers that must conform to their “appropriate” roles. Being a man should not rely on appearing dominant, aggressive, or never admitting to weaknesses, nor should a woman’s life depend on her reproductiveness…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Five Sexes, Revisited
    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Five Sexes, Revisited

    The reading The Five Sexes, Revisited was about the misrepresentation of today’s two-sex system in society. The central issue Anne Fausto-Sterling addresses is that there are people born outside of dimorphism and most people do not understand this (pg. 122). The most important point or central argument is that the two-sexes, male and female should no longer be accepted. Instead, five-sexes should be accepted: male, female, “herms”, “merms”, and ferms” (pg. 121). An important fact the author makes is, “…we calculated that for every 1,000 children born, seventeen are intersexual in some form” (pg. 122). This bit of information proves that there are infants born between the sexes male and female. It is important for people to realize that mixed babies are in existence. Anne Fausto-Sterling also shares a story of a born intersexual. “Consider for instance, the life of Max Beck: Born intersexual, Max was surgically assigned as a female and consistently raised as such. Had her medical team followed her into her early twenties, they would have deemed her assignment a success because she was married to a man. Within a few years, however, Beck had come out as a butch lesbian” (pg. 124). It all comes down to society and this story proves it. If the world were more open to these sex issues, then we would not have these issues in the first place. In Max’s case, being born intersexual would not have been an issue in Max’s life. Instead, the doctors chose Max’s sexuality without any consent from Max. Another interesting fact that Anne Fausto-Sterling uses to back up her argument is “The logical structure of the commonly used terms “true hermaphrodite,” “male pseudohermaphrodite” and “female pseudohermaphrodite” indicates that only the so-called true hermaphrodite is a genuine mix of male and female…Because true hermaphrodites are rare – possibly only one in 100,000 – such…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Psychology Exam 4th Yr
    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Psychology Exam 4th Yr

    ‘Thus, popular neuroscience is well placed to entice people to overlook psychological and sociological data showing that gender difference is contingent on historical period, ethnicity, socio-economic group and social context, and instead, to conclude that gender differences are immutable and inevitable and the product of fixed differences between the ‘male brain’ and the ‘female brain’ (Fine, 2010, p. 282).…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gender Roles In Military Culture
    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Gender Roles In Military Culture

    The World Health Organization states, "sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women and gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women" (Mills, 2011).…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Gender Role
    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Gender Role

    “Human beings are either male or female, and children learn at an early age to identify themselves as one or the other. At the same time, they also learn to behave in a way that is considered typical of males or females. In short, they learn to adopt a masculine or feminine gender role. When a child is born, the parents, relatives, friends and neighbours first try to find out whether it is a boy or a girl. One look at the baby’s external sex organs normally supplies the answer, and this answer has immediate social consequences” (Haeberle, Erwin J. 1983).…

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gender Schema Theory In The 1980s
    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Gender Schema Theory In The 1980s

    Gayle Rubin created the sex/gender system concept in the year 1975. She created this term to offer a new way of thinking about the difference between sex and gender. She defined the sex/gender system as “the set of arrangements by which a society transforms biological sexuality into products of human activity, and which these transformed sexual needs are satisfied” (WRWC, 2015). The sex/gender system has many explanations that attempt to address how our sex plays a role in how we learn gender. A few of these theories include: cognitive-developmental theory, social learning theory, gender schema theory, social interactions and gender roles, and lastly, performativity theory. In this essay I will explain how the sex/gender system is created and reinforced from the perspectives of feminist theorists.…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Simone De Beauvoir: The Second Sex
    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Simone De Beauvoir: The Second Sex

    In actuality the relation of the two sexes is not quite like that of two electrical poles, for man represents both the positive and the neutral, as indicated by the common use of man to designate human beings in general, whereas woman represents only the negative, defined by limiting criteria, without reciprocity.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics