Social Construction Of Gender Roles
The textbook Gender Ideas, Interactions, Institutions defines gender as the symbolism of masculinity and femininity that we connect to being male-bodied or female-bodied (Wade, Ferree, 2015). Society today tends to define gender as simply being male or female. Social construction is defined as a process by which we make reality meaningful through share interpretation (Wade, Ferree, 2015). Has society constructed the idea of gender by creating a world where we believe that there are only two types of people, male-bodied people who are masculine, and female-bodied people who are feminine? Cultural and historical evidence shows that we have indeed socially constructed the idea of gender by creating this gender binary and accepting our gender
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The text explains how over 100 American Indian tribes recognize or recognized people who are simultaneously masculine and feminine. They are not considered male or female and act dress and talk and do work of the other sex. The text states, “ Male bodies two spirits and female bodies two-spirits are considered a third and fourth gender. They live with and raise families with member of the same sex but are still considered a different gender than their partner” (Wade, Ferree, 2015). The authors also speak of a 5th gender that Navajo have. It is a category for a person whose gender is unstable and constantly changing (Wade, Ferree, …show more content…
My father was in the military and my mother was a stay at home mom. My father exhibited what our society would perceive as “manly” activities. He played football, wore his hair high and tight, did not clean, did not cook, and managed all of our household income. My mother was very feminine, cleaned, cooked, took care of my brother and myself, sewed, and did what my father said. I whole-heartedly believed these gender roles and did not challenge these ideas my parents taught me from birth. I believed when I grew up I would be a wife and a mother and do as my mother did. Today I do still abide by some of these ideologies, I cook, clean, and manage my children, but so does my husband. I have learned to disregard most of these gender stereotypes that were taught to me as a child and hopefully instill a broader understanding of gender to my own
The text explains how over 100 American Indian tribes recognize or recognized people who are simultaneously masculine and feminine. They are not considered male or female and act dress and talk and do work of the other sex. The text states, “ Male bodies two spirits and female bodies two-spirits are considered a third and fourth gender. They live with and raise families with member of the same sex but are still considered a different gender than their partner” (Wade, Ferree, 2015). The authors also speak of a 5th gender that Navajo have. It is a category for a person whose gender is unstable and constantly changing (Wade, Ferree, …show more content…
My father was in the military and my mother was a stay at home mom. My father exhibited what our society would perceive as “manly” activities. He played football, wore his hair high and tight, did not clean, did not cook, and managed all of our household income. My mother was very feminine, cleaned, cooked, took care of my brother and myself, sewed, and did what my father said. I whole-heartedly believed these gender roles and did not challenge these ideas my parents taught me from birth. I believed when I grew up I would be a wife and a mother and do as my mother did. Today I do still abide by some of these ideologies, I cook, clean, and manage my children, but so does my husband. I have learned to disregard most of these gender stereotypes that were taught to me as a child and hopefully instill a broader understanding of gender to my own