Woman and Social Action
According to WHO “Sex is a term used to describe the biological and physiological attributes which distinguish men from women .While gender refers to the socially constructed roles, characteristic, activities that the community considers suitable and socially accepted for men and women”. Gender socialization is the process by which people of a certain society learn to behave in a certain way as indicated by the societies’ beliefs, values, attributes and set examples. It begins as early as when the child is conceived. Sex, gender and gender socialization are inter-related. People of a certain gender behave in a way which is different from how people of the opposite sex behave, hence defining their gender. From an early age people start to act differently according to how the society has taught and shown them to behave. Thus they all contribute to a person’s identity.
Based on one’s gender there are societal expectations required from them. The men are expected to be independent and aggressive while the women are supposed to be submissive and dependent on the men (Baur & Crooks 66).Women are normally emotional, warm and nurturing while the men are athletic, competitive, and non emotional. For instance a woman is expected to welcome visitors and make them comfortable. A man is expected to feed and provide for his family.
Traditional gender expectations have both positive and negative effects to personal development. One main way in which they inhibit personal development is that, they limit people’s alternatives (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman 376). For instance, women are not expected to be doing certain jobs, as they are said to be ‘men’s jobs’, like engineering. Secondly, since women are supposed to take care of their families some have ended up sacrificing their careers thus inhibiting their personal development (Worell 52). It has also led to some of the girls in remote areas to be deprived of education for example in Africa. Traditional gender roles, in many cases have been seen to oppress the women and have led to stressing out the women since of their roles. This has sometimes led to many suicide attempts. Statistics show that suicide cases are more prominent among women than men (Lamanna, Riedmann & Riedmann 100). These traditional gender expectations also inhibit personal development in men’s lives. Men are expected to be aggressive and this has led to early deaths shortening their life expectancy. They are also the expected lot that smokes, uses drugs and violent which has led to their multiple deaths.
However, traditional gender expectations have also assisted in personal development. When women stay at home with their children, they grow up having experienced motherly love and in good discipline unlike in cases where mothers work and barely have time for the kids. Secondly, it makes men to be more responsible since they are supposed to be providing for the family. Thirdly, after giving birth a woman is supposed to stay at home for quite some time to heal. However mothers who work take very little time to heal and at times this may lead to complications.
Traditional gender expectations are being replaced by modern roles. Women have started working and are quickly taking jobs that were originally thought to be men jobs. Women have started being independent. Men too have taken lady jobs such as baby sitting.
The first picture shows a woman who is cooking which is an activity which was a traditional gender expectation activity that was to be done by women. The second picture shows a modern woman who is working to make a living in an office, a job that was traditionally thought to be done by men.
The third picture shows a man who has overworked to make a living and to provide for his family which is a traditional gender expectation for men. The fourth picture on the other hand shows a man cooking for his family which was a traditional gender expectation for women and not men.
Work cited.
Baur, Karla & Crooks, Roberts .Our sexuality, Belmont CA: Thomson Higher Education, 2008.
Kirst-Ashman, Karen. & Zastrow ,Charles. Understanding the Human Behavior Belmont CA: Cengage learning 2009.
Lamanna, Ann Mary, Reidmann, Agnes. &, Reidmann, Agnes Czerwinski Marriages And Families, Belmont CA: Thomson Higher Education, 2006
Worell, Judith. Encyclopedia of women and gender San Diego California: Academic Press 2002.
WHO . Gender, women and health. 2010 retrieved 9th October 2010 from
http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/
