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What Is The Connection Between West And Zimmerman's Theory Of Gender

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What Is The Connection Between West And Zimmerman's Theory Of Gender
West and Zimmerman (1987, p. 125) believed gender was constructed through “psychological, cultural and social means”. Gender appeared less of an ‘accomplishment’ as a result of anthropological, psychological, and social essentials researched, for example the division of labour, the development of gender identities, and the social inferiority of females in contrast to males. The belief of gender socialisation theories made known the powerful information that while gender may be ‘accomplished’ until the age of five, after that it’s definitely fixed and unchanging, just like sex (West and Zimmerman, 1987, p. 126). 1975 and onwards, the uncertainty about gender escalated, because people came to the realisation that the connection between genetic …show more content…
When interacting people organise their activities to convey gender, and they’re inclined to become aware of the behaviour of others in a similar light. West and Zimmerman (1987, p. 127) suggested that significant differences are perceived among sex, sex category and gender. Sex is a resolution made from biological basis that was socially approved for categorising humans as male or female. Gender is managing behaviour in light of normative conceptions of points of views and activities suitable for one’s sex class. Gender activities appear from belonging in a sex category (West and Zimmerman, 1987, p.127). Sex category is an assumption of people’s sexes and stands as a representative for it. It’s feasible to belong in a sex category even if the sex measures are absent (Kessler and McKenna, 1978). These three features are significant to help understand the connections among them and the interactional labour associated with being a gendered …show more content…
116-18). The distinctions are seen to be reinforced by the division of labour into females’ and males’ work. They view things as being the way they are due to males being males and females being females, they see it as natural and a result of biology. However, the social science angle on this debate doesn’t accept the biological determinism view. Although, this angle does keep a conception of sex-linked characteristics as compulsory of people (West and Zimmerman, 1987, p.128). In the sex differences approach, (Thorne 1980, cited in West and Zimmerman 1987 p.127) the psychologist who is conducting the survey decides the ‘gender’ of participants basing it on the way they sound. This is also making presumptions based on one’s characteristics. This approach has been criticised for breaking gender down into a fixed set of characteristics, which prevents taking into account of the ways it’s used to structure separate domains of social experience (Stacey and Thorne 1985, cited in West and Zimmerman, 1987,

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