The Social Construction of Gender

1508 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender as a social construct of society and culture

Gender is a very strange topic in today's society. Many people don't know what to do with people who are transvestites or transsexuals and they often times hate them because they are different. People always think that there can only be two types of gender: masculine and feminine. People also feel that these genders most always correspond to a person's sex. So if the person is a male, then most people wouldn't accept that person into society if they acted feminine. 'For human beings there is no essential femaleness and maleness, femininity or masculinity, womanhood, or manhood, but once gender is ascribed, the social order constructs and holds individuals to strongly gendered norms and expectations. Individuals may vary on many of the components of gender any may shift genders temporarily or permanently, but they must fit into the limited number of gender statuses their society recognizes.? (Lorber, Night To His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, For Individuals, Gender Means Sameness, Page 463) ??a defining feature of reality construction is to see our world as being the only possible one.? (Kessler & McKenna, Gender: An Ethnomethodological Approach, The Primacy of Gender Attribution, Page 475) Many people don?t realize that gender is a socially constructed accomplishment. People make up methods in their heads about ways that people should be and if one doesn?t act they way the other person deems that one should, then they do not fit into that person?s reality. ?Every society classifies people as ?girl and boy children??? (Lorber, Night To His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, Page 460) People always try to guess what gender a person is. If one doesn?t know and is unsure of another?s gender than they keep on looking at them trying to find clues on about that person?s gender. I often times see people, usually children, and I can?t decide whether they or male or female, or should I say masculine or feminine. ?Then we are uncomfortable until we have successfully placed the other person in a gender status; otherwise, we feel socially dislocated.? (Lorber, Night To His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, Page 460) In other countries this might not even be the case, some countries have more than two genders. These other genders are often called berdaches, hijras, or xaniths. ?Some societies have three genders-men, women, and berdaches, or hijras, a...

... middle of paper ...

...he opposite sex. ?He means that by the time X?s sex matters, it won?t be a secret any more!? (Gould, X: A Fabulous Child?s Story, Page 457) People must realize that they way gender is made is based upon the way they are treated are looked upon by other people and the way they show themselves to other people. People always try to determine a gender by a person?s sex but often find that they cannot, and can only classify a person by they way that they act. ??.gender cannot be equated with biological and physiological differences between human females and males. The building blocks of gender are socially constructed statuses.? (Lorber, Night To His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, Page 461) People in the United States often show much hatred towards transsexuals and transvestites because they are NOT socially accepted. ?Modern Western societies? transsexuals and transvestites are the nearest equivalent of these crossover genders, but they are not institutionalized as third genders (Bolin 1987).? (Lorber, Night To His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, Page 461) In conclusion, we must always try to understand a person?s feelings about how they wish to be a different gender

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Electronic Cigarettes

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    E-cigs are less harmful than regular cigarettes. They mimic the sensations of traditional cigarettes but do not burn or create tobacco smoke or ashes. Nor do they contain tar, the main cause of cancer in smokers”. e cigs bring lots of health advantages to smokers they are less harmful for smokers. For example, E-cigs can help regular smokers cut down on smoking cigarettes. Regular smokers can smoke spend less on cigarettes and incest in having an E-cig. Some might say they are cheaper than spending more than 20 dollars or more on three boxes of cigarettes. They think that is is beneficial for smoker who are having hard time trying to quit smoking and this could be an alternative for them instead having to quit. E-cigs have a tremendous untapped potential to positively change the lives of adult smokers of traditional cigarettes. They are more accessible to kids under 18 and they can be very dangerous if you don’t know how

    Read More

  • Summary Of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    Billy was not dressed as a soldier should be, lacking a helmet, an overcoat, a weapon, and boots. In fact, “He didn’t look like a soldier at all. He looked like a filthy flamingo” (33). Much like other children sent into the war, Billy was not prepared for what he would face. To other soldiers he seems laughable, a joke on the face of the entire army, but all other soldiers are as unprepared as Billy. Billy’s comical appearance acts as a symbol of his placement in the war; in other words, a scrawny, unprepared soldier is absurd during wartime.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Vonnegut's Slaughter House Five

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    By looking at Billy’s condition during the war, we can see that the war was not as glorious as the countries wanted you to think which at the time was not obvious. This adds a critical and significant point of view on the war to Vonnegut’s anti-war book. During WWII, the fighting countries didn’t want to show how terrible war really was, instead they showed images of patriotic men fighting in the war. In reality, these “men” were just kids out of high school and some from college, not ready to fight battles in a war. Vonnegut tries to show this in his book by inserting passages throughout Slaughter House Five, to help explain this to his readers. By describing Billy’s poor body structure and inadequate clothing and tools, one can clearly see

    Read More

  • E Cigarettes Essay

    1607 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...an be seen that they are a useful cessation technique- as stated previously 55% of people use e-cigarettes to quit. More research is needed into e-cigarettes to see if they are viable way to effectively stop smoking. There is a gap in research of long term effects of e-cigarettes due to e-cigarettes only being developed in 2004 4. Due to e-cigarettes only gaining popularity recently, few reliable studies with enough participants were able to be meta-analysed. It is also hard to give a reliable conclusion for this topic as there are different brands of e-cigarettes each containing varying concentrations of nicotine which wont change until they are regulated as medicinal products. At the moment the studies suggest that e-cigarettes are no better than other NRT’s. E-cigarettes could be a viable, useful and cost effective way to help reduce smoking- if they are regulated

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Society

    2016 Words  | 5 Pages

    The clusters of social definitions used to identify persons by gender are collectively known as “femininity” and “masculinity.” Masculine characteristics are used to identify persons as males, while feminine ones are used as signifiers for femaleness. People use femininity or masculinity to claim and communicate their membership in their assigned, or chosen, sex or gender. Others recognize our sex or gender more on the basis of these characteristics than on the basis of sex characteristics, which are usually largely covered by clothing in daily life.

    Read More

  • E-Cigarettes: Targeting & Addicting Children

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is quite a bit of controversy regarding the use of E-cigarettes. A known fact according to the CDC and data from the 2011 and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) is that, “the percentage of U.S. middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes more than doubled from 2011 to 2012” (Bayless, 2014; Corey et al., 2013). The advertising and targeting of children by e-cigarette companies is evidenced by the large amount of advertising featuring celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, attractive packaging including devices that look like flash drives, and candy flavorings that appeal to children such as chocolate, mint, bubble gum, cherry, and watermelon, to name just a few (Bayless, 2014; Dotinga, 2014; Madigan, 2013; Hahn, Riker, & Brown, 2014; Johnson, 2014; Weskerna, 2010). Another concern is the rise in calls to Poison Centers for nicotine poisoning. In a study by Chatham-Stephens, Law, Taylor, Melstrom, Bunnell, Wang, Apelberg, & Shier (2014) between September 2010 and February 2014, e-cigarette exposure calls increased from one in September 2010 to 215 in February of 2014. Exposure were by inhalation, eyes, and skin with adverse effects that included vomiting, nausea, eye irritation, and a suicidal death caused by intravenous injection of the nicotine liquid used to refill e-cigarettes (Chatham-Stephens et al., 2014). E-cigarettes are not regulated or approved by the FDA, so there is no control over ingriedients or their concentration. The concern as stated by Fielding, a member of the American Public Health Association, “I’m particularly concerned that this could be a gateway drug” (Big US cities, 2014). E-cigarettes are sold in numerous businesses right here...

    Read More

  • Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation are Determined Genetically

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kate Bornstein the author of Gender Outlaw, states that sex, gender and sexual orientation are all interchangeable like the shuffle of cards. As in her case, she was a transsexual man, but still desired 'only' women. As a transsexual lesbian she contends that though you may be born a certain sex (the physical genitalia), your gender identity can be the complete opposite. When Bornstein was still a physical man she stated: "I felt I was a woman, and more importantly I felt I belonged with other women." (Bornstein, 24) The problem, in her eyes, is how people treat one another differently because of gender. Throughout her book, she states that society is the cause of the problem. She condemns the social structure that is based around a bipolar gender system. What is a 'man' and what is a 'woman', in her mind, makes no difference. Her goal is to, "...dismantle the (two-gender) system..." and do away with any bias people have toward those who do not fit into the gender system that...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Electronic Cigarettes

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the introduction of electronic cigarettes to the U.S. market in 2007, the use and the regulations governing the product has been a topic of debate. Because the electronic cigarette does not contain tobacco, it is currently not regulated by the FDA. The device essentially allows the consumers to inhale nicotine, in the form of vapor, and satisfy the sensations associated with the habit of smoking without taking in tobacco. Although the market for electronic cigarettes is steadily growing, much opposition still exists against the product because the possible side effects and adverse symptoms are not completely known. Also, because of increasing media portrayal of electronic cigarettes as trendy and because of the lack of regulation governing these devices, many people are concerned that electronic cigarettes will have a greater appeal towards young children, leading to nicotine addiction. In addition, although it was suggested that electronic cigarettes could be used as a treatment method for smoking cessation, the devices were initially thought to merely switch the addiction from cigarettes to the electronic versions – whose potential dangers have not yet been dismissed. However, recent studies that have been done on electronic cigarettes have suggested that the devices have a promising capability capacity to be used as a treatment method for smoking cessation. Randomized controlled experiments have been conducted to show that use of electronic cigarettes does, in fact, increase smoking reduction and abstinence. Comparing the effects of this device with those of other products already in use in nicotine replacement therapy has further supported the electronic cigarettes’ potential successfulness in treatment for smoking cessa...

    Read More

  • The Use of Electronic Cigarettes

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cigarettes in the United States are known as the leading cause of preventable death. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2014) states, “Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States.” Electronic cigarettes and other alternatives, should be promoted more aggressively to alleviate the bizarre amount of deaths.

    Read More

  • Electronic Cigarettes: A Healthier Alternative

    2416 Words  | 5 Pages

    From my late teens, into my mid-twenties, I was a smoker. At first, it was just recreational; however that changed fairly quickly. I began buying them and smoking regularly throughout the day. It then progressed to smoking a pack per day until it was too late. I was officially addicted. I knew it was a terrible habit and I was shamed of it and would hide it from friends and family hoping they wouldn’t find out. Finally, after coughing hacking, and repeatedly getting sick several times a year, I came to the realization that I had to quit. However, it wasn’t as easy as I had anticipated. After relapsing several times before I was finally able to quit, I broke this terrible habit successfully. It was an extremely difficult habit to break and I’ll never go back. I was a lucky individual who had the mental toughness and willpower to overcome this strong addiction, but Americans struggle to quit each year, and many never do. However, there’s a new product on the market today called electronic cigarettes that are believed to aid individuals in the fight against addiction. It’s a battery powered device that heats a nicotine diluted solution into a vapor that is then inhaled. It’s believed to be a healthier, more affordable alternative to tobacco cigarettes. It is much safer because it doesn’t have nearly as many harmful chemicals as tobacco cigarettes and it’s believed to be much more affordable for consumers. However, many critics believe that electronic cigarettes are extremely addictive and just as harmful. Although electronic cigarettes are believed to be detrimental to people’s heath due to low quality product standards, harmful components in filling solution, and reports suggesting they’re addictive and just as harmful as toba...

    Read More

  • The Social Construction Of Gender

    1833 Words  | 4 Pages

    The terms sex, gender and sexuality relate with one another, however, sociologists had to distinguish these terms because it has it’s own individual meaning. Sex is the biological identity of a person when they are first born, like being a male or female. Gender is the socially learned behaviors and expectations associated with men and women like being masculine or feminine. Gender can differentiate like being a man, woman, transgender, intersex, etcetera. Sexuality refers to desire, sexual preference, and sexual identity and behavior (1). Sexuality can differentiate as well like being homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, etcetera. Like all social identities, gender is socially constructed. In the Social Construction of Gender, this theory shows

    Read More

  • Commentary on Lorber´s Night to His Day”: The Social Construction of Gender

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lorber uses a very effective example of “doing gender” of a man who carried a female child in a stroller dressing the child in boyish clothes. The man was stared at and people around him found it really shocking that he was performing the role of a woman (because g...

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Electronic Cigarettes

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    Almost everyone knows the health risks involved with smoking tobacco. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) give habitual smokers the most promising results of tobacco reduction or cessation. There are some that disagree with the use of e-cigarettes however; the benefits are exceptional for those looking to quit this habit. It significantly lowers their health risks related with smoking tobacco and, unlike cigarettes, it does not release any harmful toxic chemical substances. E-cigarettes are also more cost efficient than buying a pack of cigarettes. Although there are some that oppose the use of the economical e-cigarettes, the advantages are greater because

    Read More

  • The Social Construction Of Gender

    3360 Words  | 7 Pages

    In order to grasp the concept of social construction of gender, it is essential to understand the difference between sex and gender. Biologically, there are only two reproductive genital organs that are determinants of sex: the vagina and the penis. Sex is established solely through biological structures; in other words, genitalia are the basis of sex. Once a sex category is determined, gender, a human categorization socially attached to sex, is assigned based on anatomy. Gender typically references social or cultural differen...

    Read More

  • Social Construction of Gender

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    is a type of issue that has raised many questions over the years in defining and debating if both male and female are equal. Today gender is constructed in four different ways. The

    Read More

More about The Social Construction of Gender

Open Document