Gender and Identity

• Gender


  One of the most significant aspects of an individual's identity
• Gender identity is something that's fluid and always changing
• The way women are seen in the media and expectations around their appearance, roles have changes around the last recent years
• Male identities are also changing in society, with expectations of masculinity
• Gender as a social construct

  Relates to the nature/nurture debate
• Views on gender


  • Biological view (Wilson)
  • Sociological view
• Biological view (Wilson)


  The need to reproduce requires men to be more promiscuous and spread the seed, but women on the other hand have to nurture one child and stay faithful to the father of their child to ensure its help in upbringing
• Parsons' view


  • Females have an expressive role in the family, which is reinforced by socialization
  • Males have an instrumental role in the family, the breadwinner and protector, which is also natural, based on their physical strength, but reinforced through socialization
  • These roles are functional for family and also society
• Most sociologists argue that gender identities are socially constructed, and learned through socialization
• Feminists' view


  Gender identity is socially constructed by the patriarchy, the male dominated society creates and reinforces stereotypes of how males and females should be
• It's not only the family that contributes to social construction of gender
• Peer groups


  Regulate acceptable behaviour for girls and boys at a young age, and the norms of the female peer group are rooted in patriarchy and expectations of how girls should be
• Mac an Ghail's findings


  • Boys learn to be men in their peer groups at school, policing their own sexuality
  • Gender power, based on hyper-masculinity was the main source of identity for the 'macho-lads'
• Ann Oakley's view


  Gender roles are socially constructed through socialization, by manipulation (encouraging/discouraging certain behaviours) and canalization (forcing interests into gender-specific toys and games)
• 'Laddishness'


  A form of masculine behaviour which revolves around sportiness, or not wanting to make an effort at school
• Some girls or ladettes also spent time drinking, smoking and swearing
• Denscombe's view


  There is an increase in female risk-taking behaviour, which is seen as ladette culture, where young women want to be seen as anything but the stereotype of a woman
• Connell's view


  • There are a range of masculine identities available today, but hegemonic masculinity is the most common identity that's strongly reinforced
  • Other forms of masculinity include subordinate masculinity (homosexual males) and marginalized masculinity (unemployed men not accepting 'real' masculinity)
• 'Crisis of masculinity'


  The term used by Mac an Ghail to explain how working class feel insecure in society, due to the decline of traditional male occupations like manufacturing and mining, leading to a loss of the 'bread-winner' identity
• Employed men gave predictable responses relating to hyper-masculine behaviour, whereas unemployed men said that having a job was the most important thing, and they felt emasculated due to their unemployment