Gender Roles

From: Kollie

Gender: the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones).

Gender role is what we as society, individual, group expect males and females to do. For example, at a young age boy are expected to be leaders, powerful, strong/tough and unemotional and girls are expected to be caring, speak politely etc. Gender roles is what every boys/girls have to learn/follow in society. Baby start to learn/practice Gender role when they are still an infant, from the media, parents, peers, commercials, even the on the clothes they wear.

From birth children are assigned a gender and are thought to conform to certain gender roles based on their sex. Gender role leads people into a false sense that acting naturally is what society expects from them. The expectations surrounding gender role are based not on any natural gender differences, but on attitudes, traits, and the behavior patterns of men and women. As kids grow up they learn how to behave from those around them. Children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. In American culture masculine roles have traditionally been associated with strength, aggression, and authority. Males are often given tracks, toy gun, etc. active toys that promote motor skills, aggression, and solitary play. While female are given dolls and cooking play set/tools that promote nurturing. So all the expectation for male and female, the masculine and the feminine can lead to men outnumbering women in so many professions such as politics, military, and law enforcement, but can also create this behavior for man to look at women as weak, someone who need to be protected, women need to stay at home and take care of the kids, while men tend to be the provider for the family.