influence of culture on gender roles

• Cross-cultural research


  Aims to help us understand the influence of culture on gender roles
• If gender behaviours are consistent across cultures

  It implies that nature is an important influence on gender role
• If gender behaviours vary significantly across cultures

  It suggests that gender is largely due to nurture
• Margaert Mead


  • An anthropologist who studied three cultural groups in New Guinea
• The Mundugumor


  • Both males and females were brought up to be aggressive and emotionally unresponsive (stereotypical western male role)
• The Arapesh


  • Both genders were caring, non-aggressive, and sensitive to the needs of others in a way that is associated with western stereotypical femininity
• The Tchambuli tribe


  • Showed stereotypical western gender role reversal - males were passive, emotionally dependent and socially sensitive whereas females were dominant, independent, and assertive
• Mead concluded that gender role is influenced by culture (nurture) rather than their chromosomes or hormones (nature) because, in each of these cultures, different male/female-typical behaviours were being demonstrated
• Theory


  Individuals acquire their gender role from the gender stereotypes that are prevalent in the culture they grow up in
• Research supporting the theory

  Can also be linked to the nature side of the nature-nurture debate
• Social role theory


  Cultural influences on gender are determined by the differing physiology of males and females (nature)
• Biological differences


  • Women carry the child and are able to breastfeed, so are more predisposed to child rearing than men
• Biological differences


  Can account for some cultural differences in gender role e.g. in some cultures it is common for one parent to go to work and one to stay at home with the child
• Cross-cultural differences in gender role that appear to be based on social norms (nurture) may actually stem from biology (nature)