Sociology
Scothechia Mighty
ID# 0338956
PSY-352-OL009
Module 2
Define the terms sex, gender, and gender socialization.
We can use the term sex and gender interchangeable. This idea has become so common, particularly in western societies where being liberal is common in society and it is rarely questioned. Even though physical speaking sex and gender are different; gender is no longer connected to one’s physical anatomy.
Sex is biological and includes physical attributes such as sex chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive structures, and outer genitalia. When babies are born it is used to identity male or female. Gender is a bit more technical because along with physical traits it the combination of the physical and the internal sense of self as either a male or female or neither as well as one’s outer appearance along with how we present ourselves and behaviours and how it is perceives internally. Gender socialization is the tendency for boys and girls to be socialized differently. Boys are raised to conform to the male gender role, and girls are raised to conform to the female gender or role.
In what ways do traditional gender expectations facilitate personal development, and in what ways do they inhibit personal development?
Traditionally, the female stereotypic role is to marry and have children. She is also to put her family 's welfare before her own; be loving, compassionate, caring, nurturing, and sympathetic; and find time to be sexy and feel beautiful. The male stereotypic role is to be the financial provider. He is also to be assertive, competitive, independent, courageous, and career-focused; hold his emotions in check; and always initiate sex. These sorts of stereotypes can prove harmful; they can stifle individual expression and creativity, as well as hinder personal and professional growth.
The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that children learn gender stereotypes from adults. As with gender roles, socializing agents—parents,
ID# 0338956
PSY-352-OL009
Module 2
Define the terms sex, gender, and gender socialization.
We can use the term sex and gender interchangeable. This idea has become so common, particularly in western societies where being liberal is common in society and it is rarely questioned. Even though physical speaking sex and gender are different; gender is no longer connected to one’s physical anatomy.
Sex is biological and includes physical attributes such as sex chromosomes, hormones, internal reproductive structures, and outer genitalia. When babies are born it is used to identity male or female. Gender is a bit more technical because along with physical traits it the combination of the physical and the internal sense of self as either a male or female or neither as well as one’s outer appearance along with how we present ourselves and behaviours and how it is perceives internally. Gender socialization is the tendency for boys and girls to be socialized differently. Boys are raised to conform to the male gender role, and girls are raised to conform to the female gender or role.
In what ways do traditional gender expectations facilitate personal development, and in what ways do they inhibit personal development?
Traditionally, the female stereotypic role is to marry and have children. She is also to put her family 's welfare before her own; be loving, compassionate, caring, nurturing, and sympathetic; and find time to be sexy and feel beautiful. The male stereotypic role is to be the financial provider. He is also to be assertive, competitive, independent, courageous, and career-focused; hold his emotions in check; and always initiate sex. These sorts of stereotypes can prove harmful; they can stifle individual expression and creativity, as well as hinder personal and professional growth.
The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that children learn gender stereotypes from adults. As with gender roles, socializing agents—parents,
References: Anderson, Elizabeth, 1990, “Is Women 's Labor a Commodity”, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 19(1): 71–92. –––, 1993, Value in Ethics and Economics, Cambridge, Harvard University Press Becker, Gary, 1981, A Treatise on the Family, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bergmann, Barbara, 1986, The Economic Emergence of Women, New York: Basic Books Chodorow, Nancy, 1978, The Reproduction of Mothering, Berkeley: University of California Press. Coontz, Stephanie, 1992, The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap, New York: Basic Books Dworkin, Ronald, 1993, Life 's Dominion, New York: Vintage. Elshtain, Jean, 1990, Power Trips and Other Journeys, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press Fineman, Martha. A., 1995, The Neutered Mother, the Sexual Family and Other Twentieth Century Tragedies, New York: Routledge. Firestone, Shulamith, 1970, The Dialectics of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution, New York: William Morrow Folbre, Nancy, 1994, Who Pays for the Kids? Gender and the Structures of Constraint, New York: Routledge. Gilligan, Carol, 1982, In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women 's Development, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.