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Gender And The Role We Play

            Gender role reversal through out the years has changed, but have we changed with it? Since the dawn of time man was taught to be and act like a man and women were taught to be and act lady like. Each of the sexes had expected roles to play out. Cave men drug their women by their hair to get them to where they were supposed to be. The cave man was seen as masculine. Masculinity may be defined as how men are taught from birth, that if they act a certain way or do certain things, this will define their masculinity. These "certain things" range from not crying when they get hurt to acting and playing violently. This is what is expected from a "man." Women were still women and expected to act feminine. Femininity is defined as "1. The quality or state of being feminine. 2. A female trait or characteristic. 3. Women as a group. 4. Womanishness: effeminacy." (Webster's II 471). That's the way things were for a long time and then things began to change.
             The expectations of a woman's role in society in the 1800's started to change. Some played the role of ladies and others, like Martha Jane Burke also known as Calamity Jane (1852? -1903), had their own ideas of what they wanted out of life. Calamity Jane was an American frontierswoman. "She grew up riding horses and became quite the marksman. Moreover, she acquired a reputation for contempt of convention; she claimed she was the equal of any man and dressed in male attire." (Funk & Wagnall's Vol. 4 373). Women like her were of a different caliber, and were few and far between. Most women of the time likened them selves to Mae West. Here was a ladies lady, but yet she could still hold her own in a disagreement with a man. Men were still the fighters and the protectors. Men like William Frederick Cody, known as Buffalo Bill (1846-1917); he was thought of as a "mans man." These men took care of the women, because women were delicate and soft things to be admired and sought after.


Essays Related to Gender And The Role We Play

1. Characteristics of Gender Socialization

... we live in plays an enormous role in shaping the different attitudes and behavior of all those who are a part of it. These differences are reflected most strongly perhaps in the development of certain gender-related social roles and behavior traits. Within every society, gender is a socially constructed term, and the development of gender roles often begins as early as infancy.  Gender is socially constructed to make clear distinctions between the two sexes, and ... they seek out same-sex playmates in spite of adult encouragement for group play. Because of gender-role socialization in ...

  • Word Count: 818
  • Approx Pages: 3
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2. The Development Of Gender Roles In Children

... toys. Parents encourage participation in sex-typed activities, including doll playing and housekeeping for girls, and playing with action figures and taking part in sports activities for boys. Parents reward play that is gender stereotyped and encourage these behaviors and attitudes. While both mothers and fathers contribute to the gender stereotyping of their children, fathers have been found to reinforce gender stereotypes more often than do mothers (Fagot 225-230). For ... strong that those parents who want to be gender fair would do well to adopt an androgynous gender role orientati...

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3. Gender Roles and Stereotyping

... , Men are suppose to be the "bread makers" of the household. Women, on the other hand, are suppose to stay home take of the children and clean the house. Throughout this essay we will explore youth and gender stereotyping, the negative effect of gender stereotyping, and, gender stereotyping and the media. Gender stereotyping starts at a young age. Parents of many children start establishing gender roles when children are first born. Parents establish gender roles by use of decorations ... be more knowledgeable about occupations that are not gender specific and believe their work habits a...

  • Word Count: 657
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4. Gender Identity

... topics we have learned about in Gender roles are a collection of attitudes and behaviors that are considered normal and appropriate in a specific culture for people of a particular sex. Many things affect the gender roles men and women take on. I feel a person acquires a certain gender role by both the way they are raised and society. I think a person starts taking on their gender role from the time they are born. In a typical household the boys shadow the father and the ... girls shadow the mother. This is how why boys and girls take on certain roles in Society. For example little girl...

  • Word Count: 338
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5. Gender Roles and Expectations

... we enter into adulthood. The term gender roles refers to the set of social behavioral norms that are considered appropriate for individuals of a certain gender. These roles vary between cultures. Gender roles, unlike gender itself, are socially constructed. They may reflect the natural aspirations of the gender, or they may be manipulated, resulting in the oppression of a gender. The affects of gender roles on people greatly change the way the society runs. According to the Webster's dictionary the ... definition of gender are the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically ...

  • Word Count: 1109
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6. Gender Roles In Macbeth

... those of a good leader? In Macbeth, Shakespeare explores and challenges our ideas of traditional gender roles regarding leadership, power, and masculinity. Shakespeare readily identifies some of the stereotypical values that he finds represent masculinity. I think he leaves the question of what masculinity truly is open for the audience to decide. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is shown to be brave, courageous, honorable, ... in power. The bottom line in this play is that the witches and Lady Macbeth, all women, are responsible for the provocation of all the events in this play....

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7. Gender role sociolisation

... I could see which toys the children played with and also how they reacted when playing with the particular toy. It is through Piaget's observations of his own children that we can see the developmental stages in children and we can realise just how crucial and how much we learn about the subject studied during observations. Watching these children communicate their feelings through play will help to confirm gender role socialisation. According to Taylor ... (1993) "Gender refers to the cultural classification of people as masculine or feminine people are encouraged to ... ...

  • Word Count: 2133
  • Approx Pages: 9
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8. Society and Gender Roles

... ." I come from a Hispanic background, where culture and religion play a major role in gender. I was just a young woman out of high school when I decided to join the U.S. military, and to my family this was taboo. Our Hispanic traditions for the female gender are very conservative, where the role of a woman is to get married, have children and raise them while maintaining the chores of the home. In her essay, Sandra wrote about how ... way of thinking of how society functions starts to mold in their minds. Parents, being the most influential and looked upon role models, should teach their...

  • Word Count: 907
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9. Gender Identity in Adolescence

... ;Parents respond positively when their children choose gender 'appropriate' toys and when children play with those toys, they develop different skills. Parents play differently with boys and girls, with boys experiencing more physical and rough-and-tumble play, and girls experience more pretend play involving language and social roles." The rough and tumble play suggested by Blakemore in the book is attributed to Chodorow's theory of the dissociation from feminine attributes which in turn ... We Learn Gender, pp. 137-132). Although the schools moral code plays a major role in the co...

  • Word Count: 2543
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10. Gender and Affect on Criminal Sentencing

... the seriousness of the offense, and mainly, the strength of the case itself. These factors ensure uniformity and control in sentencing. Sometimes, guidelines are not followed, but nonetheless, when they are, the Criminal Justice System can work efficiently and fairly. As stated prior, one of the Criminal Justice Systems main goals is to remain fair and equal; however, there are many misconceptions that gender does play a huge role ... role in the type of crime committed. This study looked at drug, property, and violent crimes. Based on the findings, when dealing with drug related crimes, ...

  • Word Count: 1112
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