Social Construction of Gender

This weeks reading about the social construction of gender, was both enlightening and frustrating. The chapter begins with a sad story about Andrea Ellington, and her stressful life, raising 3 kids on $20,000 a year. I wondered how naive I am thinking that we are in American, and life should be better for people.

For the most part I agree with what the chapter says about the role biology plays in our gender roles. I think some of what a person does according to gender is due to sociological influence, but I also think biology plays a large role. I have known girls who are “girly girls”, and girls who are “tomboys”. The one’s I know who are girly, were mostly raised by their mom, and did all the beauty regiments, and shopping with their mom. The one’s that I know that are tomboys, either had a lot of brothers, which would probably be explained under gender socialization, or played sports with their Dad, who didn’t have any son’s, and so made his daughter the closest thing he could to a “son”. My Dad did this with one of my younger sisters, who is the only tomboy. The rest of us like girl things.

However, there are certain things she will not do, and I believe this is due to her being, genetically, a girl. She does not run around loud and rambunctious. She does not want to hunt and fish. Although, I know there are girls who do. I think there are just certain things that she doesn’t do because she is not a muscular. She does not want to be smelly, and get really dirty outside. While she dresses more like a tomboy, she still will maintain some sort of clean, girl, look.

One of the things that was hard to fully understand was the section where there are gender identity issues. When talking about George Jorgensen becoming Christine Jorgensen. I guess its hard to understand if someone if born a female or male, how they identify with the opposite sex, unless there is some sort of confusion in the brain, or in the hormone levels. I think its just one of those things that is hard to understand, unless you have been through it, or know someone who has. I wonder if something happen in their childhood that bring the confusion? It must be a hard life to have to go through something like that.

I really liked the section that talked about gender roles in advertisements. It’s funny how far we have come. Now we have women showing strong body poses, and being in the military. I think we still have advertisements that show women in weak roles, such as when they advertise a woman in provocative ways. I wish women would not do those sorts of ads. I think it brings women down, and continues to make people think we are just sex objects.

Overall, this chapter, and the assignment were very enlightening. I really learned a lot, and loved getting to know how women in other countries view their inequality. I think we have come a long way, but I think we still have a ways to go.