ipl-logo

Doing Gender By Candace West And Don H. Zimmerman

409 Words2 Pages

In the article “Doing Gender,” Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman are trying to explain how gender is socially constructed (through believes and practices) embedded by everyday interaction or social interaction. In other words, by “doing gender.” They claim gender as an accomplishment that can’t be avoided and it’s constantly watched and judged by others. Also, West and Zimmerman introduced the concept of gender and the implication of it in our society, as well, by introducing the distinction between sex, sex category, and gender. In the article “Femininity and Masculinity,” Raewyn Connell introduced the term of hegemonic masculinity, which refers to the domination of men over women through practices, ideologies, and social interactions. Over the article, Connell focused on how society through social institutions encourages femininity and masculinity. Social institutions like the education (e.g. schools encourage men to be competitive, aggressive, physically dominant and leaders), workplaces (e.g. the power hierarchy among men like executive while women get lower ranks like “secretary,” nurse, etc.) and bureaucracies (e.g. factory/industry encourage women to focus on their physical appearance like clothes/“fashions,” and cosmetics/make up). …show more content…

Both articles relate to this concept in explaining how society and culture have created a patriarchic society in which the dominant gender is male. Gender affects how we think of ourselves due to the social expectations associated with being masculine or feminine, male or female. Society teaches us how to behave by having an establishing certain guidelines through gender roles. In other words, we are expected to follow a certain behavior due to our sex or gender. Males are expected to be leaders, tough, ambitious and proud while females are expected to be emotional, sensitive and affectionate patient, and

Show More
Related

  • Norms Of Society Exposed In Ishmael By Daniel Quinn

    1423 Words  | 6 Pages

    Overtime, these roles lead to the development of patriarchal society. According to Allan G. Johnson’s article on Patriarchy, “a society is patriarchal to the degree that is male-dominated, male-identified, and male-centered ” meaning that it was a system where men were in authority over women which could be considered as a variation within The Takers philosophical supremacy (153). The practice of patriarchy or male dominance benefitted men of all races and class, but in turn, placed women at a disadvantage. With patriarchy, the society became centered on men, which overshadowed women.

    Read More

  • Critical Lens Essay

    692 Words  | 3 Pages

    Asks readers to consider male dominant societal structure when interpreting a text. The following assignment is an abbreviated version of a much larger project. Please respond to the questions in the form of a response paper. Please divide your paper into three sections, and answer all parts.

    Read More

  • Gender Themes By Nella Larsen

    295 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nella Larsen creates a fascinating look at the life of women who subjected themselves to passing in 1920’s Harlem. As a true page-turner, I was not sure if I should focus on the racial passing theme or the understated theme of sexuality. Larsen develops two characters who not only conceal their racial identities but also use their race as a benefit in specific situations. Not only are Clare and Irene’s racial identity concealed, Larsen also conceals their emotional connections. The concealment of emotions leads to a fateful climax that provides the reader with insight into the terrible power and uncertainty social conflicts can impose upon a race of people.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Guys Suffer From Oppressive Gender Roles Too

    890 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “Guys Suffer from Oppressive Gender Roles Too,” author Julie Zeilinger makes it clear that men’s actions, personalities, and identities are contrived based on society’s expectations. These expectations shove boys and men into a character-like attitude, preventing them from truly discovering themselves. With a society that decides to adhere to these gender roles, any sign of being different from the rest of the world tends to generate a negative reaction. Accepting and learning about gender roles is established at a young age, for anyone of that matter. Whether it be during school, through any form of media, or even from our own friends and family, gender roles are expectations that many boys and men tend to feel threatened by.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In African American Culture

    1870 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable

    Read More

  • Aaron Devor Gender

    774 Words  | 4 Pages

    Brief Summary Aaron Devor discusses the patriarchally-expected gender roles of today’s society. He delves into the discussion of femininity versus masculinity. Society associates femininity with weakness, whilst associating masculinity with greatness. Furthermore, Aaron sheds light on today’s societal gender norms.

    Read More

  • West And Zimmerman Analysis

    495 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Doing Gender” by West and Zimmerman is similar to Butler’s “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution.” However, West and Zimmerman build upon the ideas that Butler puts forth. Butler focuses on gender as performance and how gender is made up by specific actions. While West and Zimmerman take the concept of performance and constitution and applies it to a new concept, the sex category and how sex categories and gender are intertwined in society. Sex categories and gender, according to West and Zimmerman, are different and interconnected.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In A Midsummer Night's Dream Persuasive Essay

    1460 Words  | 6 Pages

    Lucas Kelbe Ms. Morgan Honors English II 16 February 2023 Narrative/Persuasive Essay Throughout society today, males are looked at through common male stereotypes. Young-age boys are taught to embody certain traits and behaviors that are associated with masculinity such as strength, dominance, and emotional stoicism, and if we lack these traits it can be considered out of relation to the preferred male identity. This process of becoming the perfect male involves learning the norms, values, and behaviors that are expected of men in their culture. I am often faced with situations like this where I am expected to perform better and show minimal emotion compared to a female because of my gender.

    Read More

  • Social Work Reflective Essay

    786 Words  | 4 Pages

    Male social power creates a social structure that leads to female subordination (Connell 1987) and conceptions of masculinity and femininity lead to continued male dominance reproduced through socialisation of both men and

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes In A Rose For Emily And Hills Like White

    1219 Words  | 5 Pages

    From the beginning of time, there have always been roles that people have thought that the different genders were supposed to follow. Gender stereotypes have been enforced by literature and how different characters are portrayed in stories. The stereotypes seen in almost all cultures, unfortunately, help maintain and sometimes even strengthen the patriarchal society. Oftentimes, women’s opinions on certain topics do not hold as much weight as men’s opinions on the same topics. Even the way men and women speak and the different types of languages the genders use have stereotypical roots.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In The 1950's

    1123 Words  | 5 Pages

    From what we have learned in class about the 1950’s, it is clear to say that this period stands out for being the dawning of a greater desire for masculinity for men as the war time had produced a change in gender dynamics due to the unavailability of men to do jobs that were then given to women. Hence, upon their return, men, began to produce these feelings of masculinity because of the changes that had been put in place along with the hardship of returning to regular life during the postwar time. This also made them develop a desire to define their role in the modern family, which lead them to begin marrying women. These ideas lead into the gender roles set up by society and its citizens during this time. Moreover, from these ideas we obtained

    Read More

  • Feminist Theology Summary

    748 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the introduction and the first chapter of Introducing Feminist Theology, Anne Clifford explains multiple concepts regarding feminism, society and Christian theology. Throughout the chapter, Clifford discusses the coming about of feminism and how feminism lead to feminist liberation theology. Firstly, Clifford asserts that a patriarchal world is a white man’s world, oppressing women and people of color. Therefore, feminism came (in three waves) to liberate women from sexism and oppression. According to the author, patriarchy, with its dominance, creates a barrier between interdependence and equality.

    Read More

  • The Little Mermaid Gender Stereotypes

    1690 Words  | 7 Pages

    Gender is something that is brought to the attention of people well before people are even brought into the world. Take for instance, when a woman finds out that she is pregnant and is about to have a child. The first question that that women is asked is “What are you having?” In doing this we are automatically emphasizing the importance of being able to identify whether or not to buy “boy” things or “girl” things. As a society we deem it important for each sex to practice a set of “norms” of how to behave via that sex.

    Read More

  • Feminism Vs Masculinity

    988 Words  | 4 Pages

    Masculinity refers to the qualities, personality traits and roles that are associated with the male gender. In the 21st century, there has been a movement, a drive in the more socially aware sections of the world to equalize or balance out masculinity and femininity. Feminism or, at least the main stream feminism aims to find equality for the females in social, political and economical fields. Even today, as we work forward to find a middle ground for the two genders, masculinity is seen as the superior quality that only men are privileged to have. Hence, main stream feminism is so focused on emancipating women by encouraging them to let go of the ‘weaker’ feminine qualities and roles and fit themselves in a Man’s world by embracing masculinity

    Read More

  • Hegemonic Masculinity Study

    1126 Words  | 5 Pages

    A. Hegemonic Masculinity Hegemony is an umbrella concept regarding domination

    Read More

More about Doing Gender By Candace West And Don H. Zimmerman

Open Document