Social Constructionism: A Sociological Analysis

As Scott states, “the rules of social interaction are gendered” where social interaction is the major entity. It is gendered as certain rules of social

A Functionalist View on Gender Socialisation Introduction Male, female, transgender, words which is used in society to describe a specific image of that gender and what is acceptable and what is not. Which behaviour is appropriate and which is not. Society states a specific idea on what is acceptable for different gender roles and identities, which are passed on through generations. Gender socialisation is the process by which society influences members to internalize attitudes and expectations (M.A. Lamanna, A.Riedmann & S. Stewart, 2015).

Such as the ideas of gender differences, their research is based on analysis of different situations , and the effect the idea of gender norms have on society and they way we view others. Mead and Butler both think there are something they call “gender norms” or “temperaments.” These are the traits of an individual society sees as either more masculine or feminine. Butler reveals this in her summary of the David

How immutable, however, is gender? Societal norms tend to enforce the ideas of a gender binary, but is it possible to confine an individual to one of these two categories? What criteria is the categorization based on? This essay seeks to respond to

One of these perspectives is analyzing communication through gender. In the book, You Just Don’t Understand, Deborah Tannen (1990) popularized the term “genderlect” to describe the way in which men and women communicate with each other. She suggested that men and women have different styles of conversing, forming two distinct dialects. In a review of Tannen’s book, DeFrancisco (1992) attributed the differing communication styles of men and women to the respective cultures in which they grow up. Because of such gender differences, misunderstanding between men and women creates a gap in the communication process.

Despite inequity, there is a myriad of comparable traits that are shared by humans which portrays our personality. It is in one's power to decide whether or not to conform to society. Indeed both texts include many similarities and differences such as the stereotypical roles set on each gender, their search for individuality and their desired privileges. While approaching adulthood, many people encounter obstacles which lead their understanding to a fact that gender stereotypes do not only occur for women but, for men as well. The narrator in Boys and Girls discovers the societies’ views and expectations of her.

Cultural values of a specific time period are suggested to have an impact on the writings and themes. As Bonny Ball Copenhaver stated in their writing discussing the portrayal of gender and gender roles in plays,

There are several different sociological theories that help explain gender and gender inequality. Some of these theories are the structural-functional theory, the symbolic-interaction theory, the social-conflict theory and the intersection theory. All of these theories help to explain gender inequality, but there are limitations to each approach. The first theory is the structural-functional theory, this theory explains that the differences between men and women is what shapes society. Each gender has specific roles that help to create a balanced society.

GENDER AND THE MEDIA The media has a very powerful effect on culture, shaping societal structures and operations. Dominant media forms have heavily assisted in constructing gender and genderalized norms. Advertising and mass media forms display codes that are associated with representing male and female attributes. These gender codes shape the way in which society views gender and assists in determining what is acceptable gender performance. It is through media’s reinforcement of gender stereotypes, codes and gender displays that shape the way in which society perceives and constructs genders.

They also believe that gender difference is constructed by the social norm of a specific culture. Biological determinism has been challenged by feminist, cultural and societal theorists. These theorists believe that there is a complete distinction between gender and sex. Sex is biological whereas gender is cultural and social. It is said that the basis of women’s oppression is the social, political and cultural practices of society.