Gender Symmetry

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Recommended: how gender is socially constructed

Gender Asymmetry is a term that says that masculine qualities tend to be more valued in our society than feminine qualities. This is a term that is made up by our society. We are taught how to behave as a male or a female in our society. This theory allows the concept of male privileged to rule. Hegemonic masculinity, the gender wage gap, marital power and meritocracy all show evidence of gender asymmetry.

“The concept of hegemonic masculinity implies that there is a predominant way of doing gender relations that enforces and elevates the social status of masculine over feminine qualities and privileges some masculine qualities over others”.(McGuffey and Rich, p. 166). Hegemonic masculinity is a form of social power that men hold over women. Young boys support hegemonic masculinity because it not only gives them power over women but it also gives them power over members of their own gender. If any girl tried to get into the boys hegemonic group they would either be rejected or accepted, but only in their terms: either being marginalized where a girl meets some of the requirements of hegemonic masculinity, or masculinized where boys totally dissociate a girl from being female, both of which depend on how athletic a girl is and how unemotional she is (McGuffey and Rich, p. 172). Though it seems like girls are making some type of progress is still doesn’t change or challenge the stereotypical gender norms. “Hegemonic masculinity is not only maintaining and defining itself, but it is also defining femininity” (McGuffey and Rich, p. 173). In Kane’s chapter femininity was more often suppressed and perceived as a bad thing. To be emotional and cry for heterosexual fathers was unacceptable along with not playing with certain toys that w...

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...inst societies norms. Since the beginning of time and even now, men are more valued than women and people especially men are resistant to change that. I think it is a problem because it doesn’t allow women the same opportunities to be able to excel in this world. I think everyone in this world should be treated equally and allowed the same opportunities no matter if they are male or female.

There is a serious problem in our society where masculine qualities are valued more than feminine qualities. Hegemonic masculinity shows that from a young age boys are taught that doing anything feminine is wrong which sets them up to be a man who disvalues femininity. The wage gap shows that women have a severe disadvantage in the job market. Marital power shows that just because a woman makes more than a man it really doesn’t matter because the man still controls everything.

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