Gender Inequality Sociology

Some sociologists claim that gender is a product of social constructionism, which is a learned idea shaped and created by society. It is often confused with sex, and is defined as “a socially constructed system of classification that ascribes qualities of masculinity and femininity to people” (Sheppard & Mayo JR, 2009, p. 261). This means that there are specific traits and assets given to males and females. Gender characteristics alter over time and vary between different cultures. Sex, on the other hand is biological, and refers to your internal and external anatomy that you were born with, and is not something that can be socially constructed. I think gender is socially constructed because it is a manmade concept used to make sense of and distinguish the two sexes that is shaped by culture, social structure and the media. It assigns specific culture made attributes to men and women that can be positive or negative.

Sociology acknowledges the strong social and cultural guidance that create our gender identities and roles. The sociology viewpoint suggests that the various ways that

In the mid-19th century women did not play sport due to the idea that it was seen as too masculine and they needed to remain delicate and feminine, so it was exclusively for men (Else, 2012). However, in the late 19th and early 20th century, it became attractive for women to be out exercising and gaining a ‘healthy glow’, and many were gaining interest in the idea (Else, 2012). The majority of people did not approve of this though, and there was strong opposition when women tried sports such as rugby and cricket. Women engaging in sport such as these that were already strongly associated with men were seen as making themselves overly masculine and disrupting the stability between the male and female genders (Else,