Essay about Roles of Men and Women

Shamia Thomas Dec 9, 2010 Human Sexuality Rebecca Temple Gender Roles and Stereotypes In all societies the obvious biological difference between men and women is used as a justification for forcing them into different social roles which limit and shape their attitudes and behavior. That is to say, no society is content with the natural difference of sex, but each insists on adding to it a cultural difference of gender. The simple physical facts therefore always become associated with complex psychological qualities.It is not enough for a man to be male; he also has to appear masculine. A woman, in addition to being female, must also be feminine.
For instance, men and women who feel that they do not fit the masculine and feminine stereotypes, or who resent them as too restrictive, may also develop ambiguous feelings about their biological sex. A person’s gender role is composed of several elements and can be expressed through clothing, behavior, choice of work, personal relationships and other factors.These elements are not concrete and have evolved through time. In my life, I always grew up respecting others regardless of their tradition, religion, relationship status or gender. Strange as it may seem, the family roles have not changed much in today’s society. Growing up,I never knew the gender roles of men and women as much. Many topics such as sexuality,martial status of gender roles and stereotypes were always a major issue in highschool.
Now in this time, homeosexuality is a major issue among our young generation and older peers.Homeosexuality is is defined by the term or lebsian because sex is specific. The terms heterosexual and homosexual are rarely used in everyday speech. Many often use slang words such as gay, lebsian or straight. Generally, the terms ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ are seen as being less laden with negative implications than ‘homosexual’. The term ‘gay’ is used to describe both homosexual men and lesbian women but has become particularly associated with homosexual men. gression – MEN more physically aggressive, WOMEN show more guilt, empathize with victim, women can be as aggressive if feel justified or victim is anonymous, also use indirect aggression•      Talking – WOMEN use tags more often, discuss personal feelings•      Nonverbal -WOMEN look more at partner when listening than talking, MEN about equal, MEN more likely to touch, WOMEN be touched, WOMEN more attune to verbal and nonverbal expressions & feelings•      MEN – casual sex (availability), WOMEN – sex with romantic relationship (long term)•      Jealousy – MEN sexual, WOMEN emotional infidelity•      Self-esteem – MEN value more unique characteristics and abilities, prefer competitive sit, WOMEN interdependence and connections with others (cooperation)•      Viewing Abilities – WOMEN evaluate self more harshly, also less likely to judge self above average than others as compared to MENGender Differences – Cognition•      WOMEN excel in language, MEN in math, science, spatial•      IQ tests show both MEN and WOMEN about equal in overall learning ability•      Gender differences  – many of differences are small and declining•      May reflect sociocultural influences (environment) – math and spatial stereotypically masculine – see no difference with math in elementary school, but do at high school level, also give WOMEN practice can get as good.

Often WOMEN academically successful labeled as “hard workers”, MEN as “talented” This does not mean that, in an ideal future, all human differences will disappear.Indeed, once the old stereotypes have been discarded, the differences between individuals within each sex are likely to increase. Furthermore, under conditions of social equality, these individuals may also happily continue to play different gender roles. There should be no need to point out that there is nothing wrong with gender differences as such. They can greatly enrich our lives, as long as we understand that, in human beings, “different” does not have to mean superior or inferior. In other words, those who demand equal rights for men and women are not asking for drab uniformity, but for a social climate in which variety can flourish without being exploited. | |