Gender Equality within the Household

Gender role socialization often reinforces gender inequality because men and women are expected to fulfill their specific “gender roles”. We live in a society where there are only two perceived genders. Gender is implicated in homophobia more generally and in “fag discourse” specifically. In this paper I will talk about the connections between gender and sexuality. The article “What it Means to be Gendered Me” by Betsy Lucal examines how gender is structured and socialized in the US.

If you’re a female, you are expected to feel, act and present yourself in a feminine way and if you’re a male, you are expected to be masculine. This strongly influences behavior in relationships and sexuality. We perceive gender identities to be based on our sex, by the toys we play and what we wear, which we think is natural but they are in fact based on culture, which is not natural. Natural is the observation and intellect of what is seen through the human eye. Children don’t understand sexuality till puberty, but the interactions and feeling they discover beforehand, helps them figure out their gender

This doesn’t mean that the other boys aren’t Christians it just means boys were blatantly putting it out there and justifying why they wouldn’t participate in these acts. It seems that feminist argue that the biological difference might lead to some difference in women’s roles but should not become the leading factor in what men and women can and cannot do. All societies are structured around relatively stable patterns that establish how social interaction will be carried out. One of the most important social structures that organize social interaction is status, a category or position that each person occupies and it is a determinant of how he or she is going to be defined and treated. As long as the patriarchy stands as the only way, women will continue to be seen as objects for the boys of River High as well as in society.

(Gould, X: A Fabulous Child?s Story, Page 457) People must realize that they way gender is made is based upon the way they are treated are looked upon by other people and the way they show themselves to other people. People always try to determine a gender by a person?s sex but often find that they cannot, and can only classify a person by they way that they act. ? ?.gender cannot be equated with biological and physiological differences between human females and males. The building blocks of gender are socially constructed statuses.?

A non-sociologist might surmise the following, “men act masculine and women act feminine, therefore, it must follow that gender is inherent to sex,” however, this is not necessarily the case. Biological factors (sex) and gender are correlated, but gender may or may not be caused by biological factors. Cherlin proposes four models of how gender is created: the biosocial model, the socialization model, the interactionist model and the patriarchic model. Only the first model, the “biosocial” model, allows for heredity and biological factors to play a role in determining gender. This model is based on the idea that biologically, men and women are predisposed to act a certain way “on average,” but also, that social factors play a strong role in determining whether biological tendencies prevail.

The movement is not saying that women or other oppressed groups are better, just that they should be as good as men. Based off of women's economic standpoint, their higher risk of sexual abuse and domestic violence, and the denial of basic human rights in some places proves that women are not yet seen as equal to men. The newest feminist wave is actually promoting intersectional feminism, which is the theory that looks at all aspects of humanity impact discrimination. This term covers race, class, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation along with

Where you are in the world impacts what you and your society view as correct behavior for men and women. When we are born our sex determines how we will be treated and what we will achieve in our lifetime. Men and women in society are very different, women are seen as the minority and submissive to men in some cultures while men are viewed as the dominant force and the superior sex (Henslin, 2015, p.292). The way we view peoples sex can determine how they will be treated, how much they will prosper in life and even how society

Many people think that the way men and women communicate is determined by our sex, which is defined as the way we were created biologically. While others tends to think that communication differences between the men and women are because of our gender which is the way society has brought us up to think that men are to talk one way, an women another. West and Zimmerman explain it as” Gender is not something we are born with, and not something we have, but something we do” (qtd. Eckert and McConnell-Ginet 10). Men and women communicate differently not because it is a biologically encoded in our DNA but because society moles us to act upon our biological difference.

Social systems tend to reinforce oppression because they are usually static and do not change much over time. Social systems such as family and media are highly problematic for women because they contribute to the gender roles, expectations, and norms. Institutions further gender inequity as it subdues women and nurtures men. Feminism aims to improve the social situation for women, including abolishing institutionalized oppression and inequity and reforming institutions. A family is usually seen as a support system so one would assume that a family unit would encourage equality and fairness, as well as encourage both men and women to be high achievers with great aspirations.

In the article, "Becoming Member of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender" by Aaron H. Devor, Devor discusses how gender is formed in society. Normally, femaleness and maleness appear to be "natural," instead of something caused by socialization. Although, in this article, Devor finds that while there are obviously biological reason behind why one chooses the gender they choose, there are also social factors that play part in how maleness and femaleness are created. Throughout this article, Devor discusses what defines one as a male, and one as a female. Devor also touched briefly on how the two genders intertwine together to create a sort of communion.