Question

Explain the concept of social construction and discuss the processes of socialization through which individuals “learn gender.”

Discuss the ways in which dominant notions of masculinity and femininity are reinforced through social interactions.

Explain how traditional gender roles limit both men and women.

Answer 1

• Social construction means,when a society assigns some meaning to a concept and construct an understanding around it.For example,gender is a social construct.Gender is not something we are born with,gender has been constructed by attaching meaning to it.Sex is something we are born with,which indicates the difference between male and female anatomically.
• Gender is something we learn through socialization process.Our society since ages,has placed men and women in categories,having specific roles and behaviours attached to them,that define them.Men are considered to play the patriarchal role of the family and women are considered to play the nurturer role for the family.
• These roles are learned through our family,school,peers,media etc.Families especially are the first ones to make us learn gender even before we are born.In some cultures,where sex determination is legal,and parents know about the sex of their child,the process begins with selecting gender specific names and also by decorating the room with gender specific colours,i,e pink for girls and blue for boys.This indicates cultural expectations and gender stereotypes that the society has constructed,which we all follow blindly and those who challenge it are discriminated against.
• As we grow older,we are expected to behave in a certain way,taught to us by our parents,teachers,society,defining our existence based on gender.Girls are expected to behave more sensitively and boys more strongly.Media and popular culture play important roles in teaching us specific gender roles too.
• Parents buy dolls for their girls and bikes or cars for their boys.Girls are taught household chores,whereas boys are taught to repair cars,paint the house,play sports etc.
• Gender identities are created through the process of socialization,which defines a man and a woman.Gender identity shapes how we tend to think about others and ourselves and also influences our behaviors.And its not necessary thats one's biological sex and gender have to be complementary to each other.
• A man by sex,can have feminine gender identity,similarly a woman by sex can have masculine gender identity.But since our society is trapped by stereotypical gender roles,such people are discriminated against and not given equal status and in some cultures considered suffering from an illness.
• Due to time limit,remaining questions can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation