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BrianaRocha
ProfessorDitch
English113A3:30
30,September,2014
TheMisconceptionofGenderRoles
Inthearticles,FromWomen,Men,andSociety,byClairRenzettiandDanielCurran,and
BecomingMembersofSociety,byAaronnDevor,introducesanargumentonwhattheconceptof
genderisbysociety.Intodaysworld,Sociologistsareillustratingthemisconceptionofgenders
andhowitisbecominganissueinsociallife.Insocietybothmaleandfemalesareexpectedto
liveuptospecificexpectationsthatlabelthemasamanorwoman.Thesegenderqualitiesare
passeddownfromgenerationtogenerationduetotheseexpectations,myparentsraisedmeon
howtoactinafeminineway.Asachildmyparentsenrolledmeinfemininesportslikecheer
andballet.Ibelievethatsocietyandparentingrolesareaffectinggenderrolesinanegativeway
forchildrenbyconstructingtheirchildrensgenderrolesthroughwaytheydresstheirchildren,
behavior,communication,,andwhattheylettheirchildrenplaywithduringtheiryouthfulyears.
ClairRenzettiandDanielCurranmentionintheirarticlehowchildrenviewgender
stereotypesinthefirstfiveyearsoflife.Childrenarebeinginfluencedwithgenderstereotypes
byobservinghowsocietydepictsgender.Itisevidentthatmostpeoplearequicktojudgeon
appearance.Inthiscase,sociologistsdepictedthatclothinglabelsthedifferencebetweenmale
andfemaleanditultimatelyreflectsontheparents.Oneexampleofthisisthemisconception
peoplemakewhileobservingsomeoneelsebasedontheirclothing.Idressherinpinkandshe
alwayswearsearrings,butpeoplestilllookatherandsay,Hey,bigfella.WhatelsecanIdo?

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(77).Thewaykidsdressiswhatreflectsontheparentsandwhethertheyarebeingraised
adequatelyornot.Somepeoplearejustbornignorantandinthiscasesomeonemisjudgedthe
girl,whomwaswearingpinkandearrings,asaboybecauseshehasatomboyfigure.Boysare
expectedtobemoreactivethangirlsandthestylesbyinformingothersaboutthesexofthe
child...(77).Asreinstatedbeforeintheargument,peoplearequicktojudgeanditisuptothe
parentstograduallydressthechildaccordinglytotheirgender.Ifparentsfailtodothatsimple
tasksorparentschoosetodowhatthekidwants(heorshemaywanttodressasanopposite
gender)thenpeopleofsocietymaybequicktojudgeandcancreateagreatsenseofnegativity
andadversityonthechildslife.
AccordingtoAaronDevor,inBecomingMembersofSociety:TheSocialMeaningsof
Gender,hementionshowsocietydemandsdifferentgenderperformancesastimepasses.Weare
requiredtoexhibitspecificbehaviorsbasedonourssex.AaronDevorstates,Aswemove
throughourlives,societydemandsdifferentgenderperformancesfromusandrewards,tolerates,
orpunishesusdifferentlyforconformitytoordigressionfromsocialnorms(35).Thisquotation
expressesthatbackintheearly1900swomenwereencouragedtodomoredomesticworksuch
ascareprovidingandkitchenworkwhereasmenwereencouragedtodomoresocialwork.Now
ifwecomparethedifferencesbetweenbothsocieties,therehavebeenchangesthatare
noticeable.Womentoday,areencouragedtodomoresocialworkratherthanhavingtodealwith
domesticwork.Theyarealsoencouragedtobecomewelleducatedorevenjointhemilitary.
DevoralsotalksabouthowMasculinityisusuallycharacterizedbydominanceandaggression
whereasfemininitybypassivityandsubmission(39).Thisisalsoprovedbytodayssocietyas
insomecountriesmenarestilldominanttowardswomen.Thisdominancesubmissionofmen

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overwomenarealsoimpactingchildrensmindsbecauseoftheappearanceoftheirparents
followinggenderroles.
Itisconsiderablytruethatthewayonecommunicateswithoneanother,affectsGender
roles.WomenandMenaredifferentinsomesituationshowevertheydoshareacommontheme,
thewaywespeaktoeachother.Communicationisoneofmanyimportantcharacteristicsto
understandbecauseitshowshowwellbehavedorhowdeficientsomeonecanbecome.
Communicationnearlymeanshowinformationanddifferentideasgetspreadaroundtoone
another.Someexamplesofcommunicationhavinganeffectingenderrolesarewhenparentsdo
notteachtheirchildrenanypropermanners.Thisbecomesanissuewhenlaterinlifetheir
childrengrowuptoberudeandhappentogetintroublemostofthetimebecauseoftheir
misbehavior.Althoughtherearethosewhoteachtheirsonsordaughtersmannersandhowto
behaveinaproperwaytheyteachthemspecificreactionsandbehaviorsbasedoffoftheir
gender..Forexample,parentscommunicatewiththeirsonsabouttreatinggirlswithrespect
meaningtonothitgirlsandaswellasbeingpoliteandopeningdoorsforthem.Thisattitude
givestheassumptionthatmenaresupposedtotendtothefemaleneeds,thattheyaresupposedto
letamencareforthemalwaysevenwhenitcomestothesimplestoftasks.Therearealso
parentswhoeducatetheirdaughtersintobeingpoliteandhavingmanners,forexamplewhen
girlseatoutsomewheretheyareexpectedtochewtheirfoodwiththeirmouthclosed,notburpor
sitdownwiththeirlegsopenwhilewearingdressesorskirts.Itisntfairforwomentobesat
uponthishighpedestalofhighexpectationstatingonlymencanfeelcomfortablewith
themselvestothepointwheretheyreopeninpublicwithnoformofshame.Thesehighformsof
expectationsforceduponchildrenarewhatleadmanyofthemtotaketherebelliousroute.After

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puttingupwithyearsoftheirparents,teachers,andanyotherauthoritiescommandingthemthey
cantdothisoryoumustspeaklikethatjustbecauseyouwasbornwithtwoXsoranXandaY
leadachildastrayfrommostofsocietiesgoals.Manyyoungpeoplechoosenottoconformwith
societybecausesocietyhadtoomuchofaninfluenceontheirlivesrebellionisfreedom,
freedomtobeoneselfdifferentfromalltheothersandawayfromhighexpectationsthatcomes
withdisappointment.
Regardlessoftheexpectationthatboysshouldbemoreactivethangirls,itisntalways
true.EventhoughIamafemaleandwasraisedwiththebehaviorandtraitsofasculptedfemale,
Itoohaveexperienceinphysicalactivities.Mymotherlivinguptothenormssocietyhastaught
herenrolledmeintocheerandballetbecauseitwasafemininesportforwomentoparticipatein
becauseitwassoftlikewearesupposedtobeandtaughtyounggirlshowtocomplywithrules.
Howeverovertimethisformofcategorizedactivitieslostmyinterestandwasreplacedby
masculinesports.GrowingupIwasconsideredadeviantbecauseIdidntcomplywiththesocial
genderrulesandcriteriasetbesidemebysociety,Ijoinedthe:basketballteam,playedwater
polo,andrancrosscountry.Ieventookahugeinterestandpleasureinboxing.Afemalelearning
tofightisabignoinsocietybecauseweareexpectedtositbackandallowamantocometoour
rescueontheirwhitehorseandcarryusawayintothesunsetbutitdoesnthavetobethatway.
Menaresupposedtobetheonlyonesallowedtoplaythesesportsandfindtheseactivities
interesting.BeingafemalewasntgoingtodictatewhatIcouldandcouldntfindpassionatejust
becauseIwastaughtotherwisebymyfamilyandteachers.
FromWomen,Men,andSocietyandBecomingMembersofSociety,aretwoarticlesthat
arguethatsocietysetshighexpectationsandrolesforspecificgenderswhichcanleadtomany

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problems.Wearerequiredtoexhibitspecificbehaviorsbasedonourssex,dressaccordinglyto
ourgender,andcommunicateacertainway,.Womenaremeanttomodeltheperfectwomenwho
isfeminine,wholackworkingskillsthatgobeyondthehouseholdandmenareexpectedtobe
theheavylifterwhocantbefeminine.Theexpectationsareforceduponchildrenatbirthtelling
eachchildwhattheycantandcandowhichleadssomechildrentobecomedeviantandrebel
againstthenormsofinasociety.Parentsactingastheconduitofsocietygoalsteachingscan
havenegativereactions.

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Workcited
AaronH.Devor,BecomingMembersofSociety:LearningtheSocialMeaningsof
GenderfromGenderBlending:ConfrontingtheLimitsofDualitybyHollyDevor.Copyright
(co)1989byHollyDevor.ReproducedwithPermissionofthepublisher.
ClaireM.Renzetti,DanielJ.Curran,andShanaL.Maier,GrowingUpFeminineor
MasculinefromWomen,Men,andSociety,6thEdition.Copyright(c)2011byClairM,
Renzetti,DanielJ.Curran,andShanaL.Maier.ReproducedwithpermissionofPearson
Education,Inc.,UpperSaddleRiver,NJ.Allrightsreserved.

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Workcited
RuthHubbard,RethinkingWomensBiologyfromThePoliticsofWomens
Biology.Copyright1990byRuygersUniversityPress.Reproducedwithpermissionof
thepublisher.Allrightsreserved.
Alexander,Susan."TheGenderRoleParadoxinYouthCulture:AnAnalysisofWomenin
MusicVideos."Www.jstar.org.N.p.,n.d.Web.
Verma,Savita."WhyShouldWomensFreedomBeCompromised."ProQuest.N.p.,n.d.Web
.

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