Gender And Social Construction Of Gender - 1230 Words

‘Gender’ is a category used by all human beings to describe the state of being either male or female. Gender is often described as socially constructed which implies that it is something individuals may not be aware of. Through the social construction of a concept, meanings are created. These meanings and understandings are developed in coordination with other individuals rather than within individuals themselves. Because all societies are different, the social construction and therefore definitions of gender are not fixed and hence vary. Gender is very much a lived experience and relates to the ideas we develop to make sense of men and women in relation to each other, as they change and develop. It is also argued that gender is politically deployed. Gender as a term itself is bound up with power relations. It influences every aspect of personal lives and is also integrated within institutions, which themselves can be gendered. Gender as a concept was previously uncontes ted, seen as unproblematic and was self-evident. Second Wave Feminism was the impetus for the questioning of patriarchal assumptions of dominant social theory, bringing gender relationships to the fore. Biologists and social scientists have started to study the categories of ‘male’ and ‘female’ more closely because they have found that not everyone fits neatly into one or the other, as previously assumed (Fausto-Sterling 1985). Gender is now well established within universities and throughout disciplinaryShow MoreRelatedGender And Gender : The Social Construction Of Gender1962 Words   |  8 Pages1. The Social Construction of gender according to Women, Images and Realities textbook (pg.10) is the socially constructed behaviors and characteristics that are associated with each sex. W.I.R. also explains the significant difference between sex and gender as the distinction that enables us to see that the expectations for women and men in our culture are neith er immutable nor universal. Before you can begin to conceptualize that the dissimilarities between gender and sex you must comprehend theRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender1220 Words   |  5 PagesQuestion 3 In the reading â€Å"The social Construction of Gender† by Judith Lorber she describes how gender is socially constructed. Sex is the biological difference while gender is the social and cultural meanings attached to femininity and masculinity (lecture). From the time that a child is born the doctor assigns it a gender, girl or boy, depending on its genitalia. In the reading â€Å"Naming All the Parts† it focused on how when doctors view genitalia to decide the gender they say there is a penis orRead MoreSocial Construction of Gender1183 Words   |  5 Pagesexactly is â€Å"Gender† and what a â€Å"Social Construct† means. GENDER In a layman’s language, Gender is simply the distinction between male and female. However, if we look deeper in well, we will notice the gender construction starts with the association of sex category at the time of birth. Sex is the biological distinction between a man and a woman and gender is based on sex. A sex category becomes a gender status through naming, dress and the use of other gender marksRead MoreGender Is A Social Construction?849 Words   |  4 Pages First, what is gender? What does it mean to say that gender is a social construction? Gender refers to the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male. (Macionis 2015:308) The society in which we live produces our views of what women and men are and what they are supposed to be. However, many people say that gender is â€Å"socially constructed†. Basically meaning it is constructed by society. For many decades, it has been what gender should representRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender978 Words   |  4 PagesSociologist Peter Berger wrote in his â€Å"Invitation to Sociology† book that â€Å"social reality has layers of meaning, and the discovery of each new layer changes the perception of the whole.† (Berger 1963). Berger, as a sociologist responsible for helping create the social constructionism theory, is not just extending an inv itation to sociology. He is already explaining how the world can be viewed by people who already are actively participating in society. This consciousness allows the layer of how peopleRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender Essay1297 Words   |  6 Pagesownership of their bodies. The first article is â€Å"The Social Construction of Gender† by Judith Lorber. In this essay she states that sex and gender is constructed through the society in which we live and that, â€Å"Gender is so pervasive that in our society we assume it is bred into our genes† (Lorber, 64). Lorber’s article takes the standpoint that physical gender expression is such an important topic to individuals because when the conventions of gender are shifted, â€Å"we feel socially dislocated† (65). AnRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender832 Words   |  4 PagesSex, as we have learned, refers to the physical and anatomical differences between males and females. These differences are biological and unambiguous. Gender on the other hand, refers to the aspects that influence each sex and make them distinct from a social standpoint, and each of us does gender constantly. The social construction of gender has caused controversy throughout the years, and has ultimate ly conceived one of the most contended topics in our society of late: feminism. Feminism refersRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender1000 Words   |  4 Pagesas the definition of gender and gender norms. Judith Lorber wrote an essay called, The Social Construction of Gender. The essay was included in the textbook, Women s Lives. A textbook written by Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okinawa Rey. â€Å"Women’s Lives† is a Feminist focused compilation of essays. As well as, cultural analysis of women globally. Lorber is one of many authors who wrote essays regarding gender for â€Å"Women’s Lives. Lorber argues gender constantly changes due to social interaction. A societyRead MoreSocial Construction Of Gender And Gender Roles903 Words   |  4 Pages While observing interactions between people of both different and the same genders in the park at Orange Circle, it becomes evident how the social construction of gender and standard gender roles may or may not follow archetypal manner and can be applied differently depending on the individuals. Some of the observations recorded during this period have provided evidence that gender roles and gender stereotypes may be followed or applied in an archetypal way. However, what is most interesting isRead MoreGender Is A Social Construction1213 Words   |  5 PagesS One cannot talk about social interactions in society without talking about gender. Gender is part of According to Macionis (2015), gender is â€Å"the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male†. Most societies only view gender as being either male or female. An individual must portray their gender correctly in order to be normal in society. Meaning a woman must act feminine and a man must act masculine. However, what happens when an individual chooses