Tahiti Gender Roles

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The social environment, in which individuals are born into, influences language, thinking, and behavior. Culture is an influential determinant that shapes individual’s emotional and behavioral reactions to the world around them. The culture that one develops into alters their perception of the world. The perception of roles based on gender is contingent on the environment. Helgeson defined gender roles as the “role or behavior learned by a person as appropriate to their gender, determined by the prevailing cultural norms”( Helgeson, V. S. 2012). This paper addresses the topic of multiple genders and the associated roles within various cultures.
In 1825, a lone white traveler stumbled upon a group of Cherokees. In the midst of the conversation, the …show more content…

Tahiti on the other hand is a prime example of an androgynous society. No outstanding differentiation between the male and female gender roles sets Tahiti apart from other cultures. In fact, Tahiti is unique in its ability to construct gender equality. The social roles of women and men are the same. “Women have the same status as men and have the same opportunities as men in domestics, occupational, and recreational spheres”(Helgeson, V. S. 2012). Men and women began to develop similar personalities. This may have resulted from a lack of competition between the sexes, and a revival of cooperation. With no pressure to behave according to “traditional” gender roles, the sex’s personalities began to develop synonymously. The lack of distinguishable gender associations altered their language. They do not use words to describe gender, and there are no female or male pronouns. Resources are readily available so the need there is no need for economic competition. This created a society filled lacking aggression, war, and hunting. There is no basis for masculinity ideology. This society truly seems to function without thinking of

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