Essay About Gender

Gender is a concept that relates to roles that are assigned by culture or society. As a result, society expects individuals of various sexes to behave in a certain way and to execute responsibilities allocated to them by the community’s culture. For example, most African tribes feel that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. As a result, women are expected to cook for men while men are supposed to provide for their families. In light of this, women in Sub-Saharan Africa’s rural communities who continue to embrace their cultures, beliefs, and roles will be subjected to their husbands. They only cook and go for communal ceremonies such as church, funerals among others. While their counterparts will go deep into the forest to hunt and gather vegetables for their families and return in the evening with meals for the entire family. In such areas, women who come out of their comfort zones to fend for their families viewed as having inappropriate behavior while the males who lazy around and fail to fend for their families are considered weak and feminine. Although in the developed countries where every individual has equal rights and can explore options before them it brings up a new twist into the whole issue on which are the inappropriate and appropriate behaviors.

Appropriate and Inappropriate Behaviors

As one grows up, he or she learns the expected behavior whether as a male or female by observing how the elders behave and the environmental setup. These roles and behaviors are linked to the biological sex basing on norms, standards of that particular cultural society. For example, in the Canadian culture, masculine roles are linked to strength, aggression, and dominance, while the feminine roles relate to features that don’t require strength such as being passive, caring, nurturing, and subordinates to males. The association of colors to a specific gender is predominant. Light colors such as pink, yellow and light green, which are considered to be shouting colors, are associated with females. This implies that if a male has a likeness with bright colored clothes he is perceived to have female characters.

Another way in which toddlers learn how to behave is by the way they play. In most cases, parents provide male children with toys associated with what men do such as trucks, helicopters. This may imply the need for males to work, be aggressive and require being strong. On the other hand, girls are given dolls to play with. This makes them learn on the morals of being caring, to nurture young ones. According to studies done by (Caldera, Huston, and O’Brien in 1998) indicated that the children were at peace playing with the gender appropriate toys rather than having any toy. Boys would prefer trucks while girls would go for dolls.

These roles proceed to influence the type of professions chosen later in life due to the notion that jobs that require strength and aggressiveness are for men such as careers in law enforcement, military, and politics. Whereas, occupations such as child care, health care, and other soft jobs are left for women. Thus, gender identity starts at early stages of growth. Gender roles to some extent are flexible, men can perform women roles and vice versa without changing the gender identity. As gender identity is just an individual’s conception basing on the person’s associations with feminine or masculine roles.

From the above discussion, the behaviors in relation to preferences that are traditionally acceptable and do not generally indicate the presence of homosexuality. This is because homosexuality is a sexual orientation that is linked to feelings to persons of the same sex, or of opposite sex (heterosexual), bisexuality, attraction to individuals of either sex or asexuality, where there is no attraction to either sex.

Persons who identify themselves with the roles of the opposite sex are transgendered. For example, males that are transgendered have strong emotional and psychological connections to the feminine behaviors in the society to the level that they even identify their gender as female. There are females who have characteristics of males, they are aggressive and associate less with being feminine. It has yet to be determined why individuals transgender, with some experts citing genetics while other linking it to social and cultural factors they went through in the upbringing. (APA, 2008). Transgendered individuals experience intimidation, discrimination basing on their gender identity. Additionally, they can be subject to assault and discrimination (CBS News, 2011) in accessing resources and even getting marriage partners which are negative aspects that impact the individuals and can result in low self-esteem, loneliness and ultimately complex depression. Although it gives the woman that competitive advantage where she can be exposed to a male world and opportunities often denied to women, giving her a higher advantage over others.

Children that have behaviors that are considered inappropriate as viewed by the society or having transgendered at some point in life and now exhibit gender roles that seem of the opposite sex cannot be said to exhibit paraphilia. This is because paraphilia is an intense persistent sexual interest more than just having genital stimulation. Furthermore, this disorder causes distress and sometimes impairment. However, in this instance, it is just about the individuals exercising or behaving in a manner that is not as the norm in the society. Like a boy having feminine emotions, the softness lacking aggressiveness but it does not mean that that person has developed an interest in the sexual feeling or interest. Thus, there is no paraphilia disorder.

To a parent whose daughter (or male child as appropriate) behaves or seems to behave like a boy, one of the interventions to consider is studying the company in which her little thrives in or plays along with. For instance, if they are boys then there is the possibility that she is learning the traits from the boys such as undertaking heavy duties or perceiving to be fit for them. Additionally, she could have a passion for the male toys rather than dolls. If this is the case, change her playing company, find her new toys and take her to fellow girl children to put up with her as they play along. Through the other girl, she will learn feminine values and traits. This approach is effective in cases where the desire to associate with the opposite company and pick their traits is inspired by keeping of the opposite company a lot and is learnt over time (Potard, Courtois, & Rusch. 2008).

Conclusion.

From the research done above, it is evident that each society has ascribed roles to different genders (University of Southern Carolina, 2017). Some which are demeaning to those genders affected while others are empowered from the roles they are given. For example, boys are given roles that appear to be powerful while the girls in some cultures are given the subordinate role where they have to be submissive to their husbands and their place is seen to be in the kitchen to just sit back and wait to be provided for. Although some of the old cultural morals, roles and values are being surpassed as time goes by as we head towards gender equality. This is whereby, professions will not be left to certain gender but battle it out in the chances offered at the institutions. It has been determined that the change in behavior, which may appear to be inappropriate according to the beliefs of a society, does not dictate an individual’s sexual orientation. A female could be behaving like a man but he has no sexual feelings towards men and that she may even be a lesbian. Likewise, a male may exhibit behaviors of a woman but at the same time but lack feelings towards females but rather those of the same sex. It has been established that the gender roles are not rigid but rather flexible and they can be interchanged at some point. This means let us not demonize those individuals that seem to behave inappropriately, minimize stigmatization, intimidation, and discrimination. We have learned that paraphilia is not linked to behavioral changes but rather a persistent feeling of sexual interests and to some extent they are a disorder that may be fatal if not treated. To sum the whole issue up, let us embrace and support such individuals in our society and shun away from thinking of treating them as outcasts in the community.  

References

American Psychological Association (APA). 2008. “Answers to your questions: for a better

Understanding of sexual orientation and homosexuality.” Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/orientation.aspx.

CBS News. (2011, April 13). Boy in pink nail polish sparks online outrage. Retrieved from cbsnews.com: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boy-in-pink-nail-polish-sparks-online-outrage/

University of Southern Carolina. (2017, April 23). Gender Differences in Social Behavior. Retrieved from dornsife.usc.edu: https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendywood/gender-differences-in-social-behavior/

Potard, C., R. Courtois, and E. Rusch. 2008. “The influence of peers on risky sexual behavior

During adolescence.” European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care 13(3): 264–270.