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Gender influences on society
Gender influences on society
Gender socialization and gender norms imposed by society
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There are many different cultures and groups of people that we don’t know anything about. There are a lot of people in the world trying to close that gap. People like Catherine J. Allen, author of The Hold Life Has and Napoleon A. Chagnon, author of Yanomamo. In each of their respective books, they brought us closer to societies I had never heard of until now. We learned about the different aspects of the lives of the Sonqo (Allen) and the Yanomamo (Chagnon). They brought us insight on certain things like gender differences, family relationships and how where they live affects their lives. In this following essay, I’ll be discussing gender differences in both the Sonqo and Yanomamo societies as well as how each tribe uses kinship, reciprocity …show more content…
Gender differences go as far back into history as old as history is itself. That is clear from the first two human beings. Adam came first and Eve was made out of one of his body parts. In medieval times, there were plenty of kings who ruled, but only a handful of women in charge. That’s always the case. Men are allowed all the freedom and power in the world while women always come second to them. Tribes like the Sonqo and Yanomamo are no different. Sonqo tribes like many other civilizations in the world, have typical gender roles and differences between the men and women. One of the most logical and obvious differences between the males and females of the Sonqo tribe (along with all the other male and females of the world) is that women carry and rear the children. Of course, a lot of that has to do with biology since men aren’t capable of having children but it’s more than just biological. One example that really jumped out at me, was from Allen’s textbook. Early on in her book, she tells a story about how one of the tribe’s members, Luis, wife had recently passed away. She had died shortly after giving childbirth. It had been the thirteenth time she was pregnant and had given birth to her seventh child. As a mature …show more content…
What influenced it? Were there certain stipulations, could people move up and down the social ladder or were they stuck in a single spot? To be honest, before I had read these books, I hadn’t even heard of the word “reciprocity”. It sounded like reciprocate and that means to respond or to retaliate so I assumed it had a similar meaning. I couldn’t figure out what it had to do with the social order of the Sonqo or the Yanomamo people, however. It wasn’t until I had begun to read the beginning of Chapter Two (Allen) that I realized what reciprocity meant to the social order of the Sonqo. What I learned is that, unless they have a reason to like you, like for example, you’re family (by either blood or marriage), they won’t want anything to do with you. It’s a lot of give and take. Unless you have something to offer them, they don’t have a use for you. That is how their social order works. If you’re further down the line of poverty and have nothing to offer others, how are you expected to move up your social ranking. In actuality, it really all makes sense and works similarly to our own social caste system in the United States. The richer people are liked more by others because they have more to offer. Whether that be lavish gifts, better meals or if merely being seen with them makes you look better, people are attracted to that. Allen
The Yanomamo people of Central Brazil are one of the oldest examples of the classic pre-Columbian forest footmen. The Yanomamo live in almost complete seclusion in the Amazon rain forests of South America. The Yanomamo live in small bands or tribes and live in round communal huts called shabonos, which are actually made up of individual living quarters. The Yanomamo language consists of a variety of dialect, but no real written language. Clothes are minimal, and much of their daily life revolves around gardening, hunting, gathering, making crafts and visiting with one another. These small tribes hold their men in high ranks. Chiefs are always men who are held responsible for the general knowledge and safety of the group's women. The men are able to beat their wives if they feel the need to and are able to marry more than one woman at a time. This loose form of polygamy is a way of increasing the population of the tribe. Yanomamo people rely heavily on a system of political alliances based upon relationship. As part of that system, they have incorporated a complex feasting and trading system into their culture. One of these methods of forming political alliances is feasting. Feasting is when one village invites another village for a feast or dinner. During the feast there is a lot of social activity. The Yanomamo dance and mingle with each other along with eating a different variety of foods. The only catch is the other village must reciprocate a feast by one village. This feast is more like an American dinner party in which members of family or social group invite others to attend. A feast however can be dangerous and or fatal for those who attend. The Yanomamo can be very conniving and deceiving. They pretend to be loyal friends and invite the other village for a feast. The other very village very trustfully attends the feast not knowing that this might be their last meal.
The roles of the men and woman in this culture are very little but both take an important part in how this band survives. As a foraging society, the division of labor distinct between the men and woman of Mbuti in regards to who does the hunting and who does gathering among them. The Mbuti use their spirituality to bless the land that they live on as it will continue providing for them. The Mbuti are influenced by their horticultural substance in different aspects of their lives from their relationships with each other to their political organization and to how their economy is influenced by their ability to hunt and gather their own resources.
In Patrick Tierney’s article “The Fierce Anthropologist,” he discussed the faults that are, or may be, present in Napoleon Chagnon’s anthropological research of the Yanamamo, or “The Fierce People,” as Chagnon has referred to them in his best-selling book on the people.
Boys in the Native American culture are pushed to be good runners, skilled hunters, and good warriors. When they achieve this they are considered men in their society. When they become too old to do all of this they become counselors of the village. Women are expected to raise children, make food, and take care of the children for a lifetime. There is no police force, government, or punishment in their culture. They do not need it. These r...
The way of the Ju/‘hoansi life has changed dramatically in many ways throughout the years. However, it is still possible to reflect upon their original way of life and compare it with their present state of living. Most of the changes occurred due to environmental, economical, developmental, social and cultural changes. All of which play a vital role in determining a Ju’s way of life. Although the land of the Dobe and !Kangwa have developed and changed in recent years, there are still some remnants of how the environment used to be. A significant shift in social and cultural aspects of the Ju/‘hoansi life can be observed in the new environment. However, some important aspects of their culture and belief system are still reflected in their everyday lives.
Nanda, S and Warms, R.L. (2011). Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. ISBN – 13:978-0-495-81083-4.
Gender roles, are viewed as masculine and feminine in civilized societies, it is socialist created through behavior, bodily functions, and qualities that govern human beings. However, societal norms are essential for survival in any culture around the world. As a result, gender roles in a primitive society are inherent in the necessity of the existence of one culture. In addition, the dynamic of gender roles creates the illusion of the men being in charge of the society, and responsible to propagate their value.
In Ashanti tribe, family and the mother’s side are most important to this particular group. This tribe believe that child often inherit their father’s soul while flesh and blood is received from the mother. “Instrument such as talking drums are used for learning the Ashanti language and spreading news and used in ceremonies. This instrument is very important to the Ashanti and there are very important rituals involved in them”. (Vollbrecht, Judith A., 1979).
Since the beginning of time, mankind began to expand on traditions of life out of which family and societal life surfaced. These traditions of life have been passed down over generations and centuries. Some of these kin and their interdependent ways of life have been upheld among particular people, and are known to contain key pieces of some civilizations.
Matrilineal descent can greatly impact gender roles and norms. In the Trobriand Islands, the biological father of the child doesn’t play a significant role in the child’s life instead the mother’s brother (or uncle) is the primary male decision maker. With the child being apart of it’s matrilineal descent, the mother has the power over the child vs the biological father. Thus compared to patrilineal societies, women have greater power over the children.
Gender roles are evident within any society. Not all roles follow these traditional roles of male dominance and submissive women. Such societies take on roles, which are the betterment of the community. An example would be the study performed by Margaret Mead (1969), of three primitive New Guinea tribes. Mead states that the meaning of being male and female is determined not only biologically but also...
Typically, throughout history men have been the breadwinners in a family unit. Women in the past typically did more of the upkeep of the home and did not bring in an additional income. When they did bring an income, it was usually in some lesser complimentary role to the male. This situation holds true for married couples or single people. Different people throughout the world have many different histories. An example from Chinua Achebe’s novel that takes place within a tribe in Africa during the 1920s stating that a strong man will have many wives (Achebe 20). Ironically in this same novel, it is shown that women could hold a priestess position. Similarly on the other side of the globe in South Korea, the view of giving birth to a girl is somewhat less elation than that of having a boy. In the Korean culture, when a couple has a girl, it is looked upon as if the parents are raising the child for someone else; the baby girl’s future husband (Ahn par.4) .So how can so many people that populate the earth all have similar histories that guided men towards certain roles and professions while guiding women towards others? To analyze the many histories of people, a person must look t...
The Minangkabau culture is very distinct, in that they are commonly known for having the “largest and most stable matrilineal society in the world”. (Golden, 151). The Minangkabau have more than four million people who reside in West Sumatra (Stark, 1) area and have a well-established trading system with other parts of Indonesia. They are a great contributor to the trading system and have been able to influence others with their culture. Even with having a matrilineal system, it is the males who take the chief role in the society. The male’s role is another reason why the commercial industry is so successful. In the end it is adat that governs the Minangkabau culture.
There are several ways one can look at the status of women in any society. During the last decade at least three approaches, not necessarily mutually exclusive, were discernible. One was to examine the common demographic indicators that give an overall picture of women's relative standing vis-à-vis men. According to the 1981 census, the se ratio stood at 933 females per 1000 males. The literacy rate was 46.89 per cent for males and 24.82 per cent for females. The life expectancy at birth for females was 50 years and for males it was 50.9 years. The average age at marriage for females was 18.32 years and for males it was 23.27 years. The female work participation rate was 13.99 percent and the male work participation rate was 51.62 percent. Figures regarding economic participation rate for women have very little meaning as the definition of a worker has changed from one census to other. (Rehana Ghadially 1988 p.5) As a study by Australian demographer John C. Caldwell powerfully demonstrates, for both men and women in Ibo traditional society many children have been the surest and stronger source of prestige. In the Ibo society, remaining unmarried is an extreme social divergence. It was considered central to man's nature to beget, and women's to conceive and bear, children. For women, marriage traditionally brought a variety of economic responsibilities and often only one source of both honor and security: their children. According to the Ibo tradition the man had to pay the family of the bride a bride price to secure her marriage.
Judith lorber describes how the roles of male and female differ and how societies hold each