Thursday, January 30, 2020

Gender-role socilization Essay Example for Free

Gender-role socilization Essay Gender socialization is the way society shapes our sexual attitudes and behavior through various mechanisms, it defines the roles that we as males or females in society are expected to play. According to Ann Oakley, who first introduced the terms, sex refers to the biological divisions into being male or female while gender reflects the parallel and socially unequal division into being feminine or masculine (Sex, Gender and Society 1972). Sex is therefore can be seen as the biological constructed aspect of differences between men and women. As oppose to sex, gender can be seen as the socially constructed knowledge, values and practices linked to sex based differences mostly by the process of socialization. The term gender has been extended since than and not only reflects the individual identity and personality but also, at the symbolic level, to cultural ideals and stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. Gender roles are the societal expectations attached to being male and female. Through gender role socialization, a person is introduced and taught the behaviors expected to be played by them. The home often called gender factory by some sociologists, reproduces societys traditional gender roles through parental reinforcement (Appelbaum and Chambliss, 223). From birth to death, males and females are constructed to act according to societys mold of gender identity. Parents describe their newborns with adjectives pertaining to traditional gender roles. Newborn girls are described as tiny, soft, delicate, and fine-featured, while newborn boys are described as strong, alert, and well coordinate (223). Even during breast-feeding gender divides, males are treated rougher and given more milk while females are treated delicately and given less. This can best be illustrated by an experiment to show how gender stereotyping enters almost every part of an infant since the day he or she was born. The experiment better known as the Sussex experiment tried to unveil how people perceive the way an infant either a male a female should act. Infants dressed in blue were quickly thought to be male while infants dressed in pink were treated as female. Therefore gender stereotypes can be defined as one-sided and exaggerated images of men and women which are deployed in  every day life. Similarly, in the old days and even in some societies today, womens place was regarded to be in the home while men are expected to be the bread winner for the family. But there is no permanent and definite framework on how men and women should behave. Such definitions vary from one society to another. For example the study conducted by Margaret Mead in Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935). In some of the tribes in which she had visited women were place in a higher status than men. They were regarded as the bread winner, hold important positions in the tribe and even made important decisions. Contradict to this, men were placed in lower positions and even played the role as housewives. The roles and behaviors expected to be played by both sexes also change over-time. For example, the roles played by women in ancient Greek and Roman were limited. Women were portrayed as submissive and inferior. They did not hold any important positions in society. Most of them only played the roles of mother and housewife. Women nowadays are more aggressive and in some areas are more dominant than men. Women during the Victorian era, were expected to be grace and beauty was signified by having small waist. They were forced to wear corset to get the shape considered to be beautiful. Sexuality is defined as the sexual feelings and drives as well as the sexual practices common to a society. There is some debate on whether sexuality is innate or learned. To answer this question sociologists have come out with four main approaches: psychobiological, psychoanalytic, learning and sociological. Sociobiology is the study of human behaviors on the basis that they are not learned instead determined by the biological aspects. In other words, human behaviors are innate. They believed that certain sexual behavior emerge through the process of evolution. These behaviors emerged and are maintained simply because they have been chosen through evolutionary means as the most  advantageous features to maintain the survival of human being. Therefore sexual behaviors, whether they show feminity or masculinity are genetically programmed. Sociobiologys version of sexuality has been criticized for ignoring other factors that may contribute to the development sexual behavior such as surroundings, societys expectation, norms and culture. In psychoanalytic approach, human sexual behaviors are both determined biologically and culturally. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalytic approach asserted that human sexual behavior is determined by three factors, the id, the ego and the superego. The id exist after an infant is born shapes the characteristic of the baby before he or she came into interaction with the outside world. The ego is the next stage of human development. In this stage a person will come into contact with external forces and this will influence the direction, whether he or she will adopt a feminine or masculine behavior. As the superego develops, the person will learn the norm and values of society. He/she will discover what the society expected from him/her. By learning the expected ways of society, the moral conscience of the person will develop. He/she will be able to distinguish what the society perceived as right and wrong. Freud held that sexual experiences will influence adult sexual behavior and personality. A girl, raised among boys will develop a masculine-like behavior. Though it may change overtime, the sexual experiences faced by the girl will have a deep impact on his adult behavior and personality. Freud has been criticized for his over-emphasis view on biological factor as the determinant of ones sexual behavior. Though he did say that sexual behavior may be cause by the process of socialization, Freud personally agreed that the biological factors play a greater role in determining ones behavior than culture. He has also been criticized for only conducting most part of his experiment  using mentally disturbed patients. His views stem from therapies with these patients. He has also being criticized for being bias in his work. He made an implicit assumption that women are biologically inferior. The learning approaches have a different view on how sexuality is developed. According to the advocates of these approaches much of sexuality is innate that is based on the cultural aspects rather than biologically. These approaches went further by identifying the process of self-identification and imitation. These approaches portrayed individuals as a reactor to society, neglecting the fact that he or she may also be an actor who constantly makes decisions to change society. These approaches have been criticized for treating individuals like puppet on the string. Individuals have no choice to make decisions, everything has been set up for them by the society. Their actions must be in line with the social expectation or they will be punished. In contrast with the earlier approaches, the Symbolic Interactionism based their theory on the assumption that individuals as social actors make have their own opportunity to make decision. They have the choice on which path they want to take. According to symbolic interactionism, sexual behavior is the result of individuals constantly engaging in interaction and communication with others. We attach sexual meaning to behavior and ourselves by observing others and their reactions on certain stimuli and labels to our behavior. By interacting with each other, we learn to play specific roles and as the result of constantly involving in these roles we learn a series of scripts. These scripts help us to define sexual behavior. For example, the specific script for a woman and a doctor at a gynecological exam. The script or the roles played by the two social actors do not give any sexual meaning or sexual assault in situation in which the doctor has to check the woman breast and genitalia. Symbolic interactionism has been criticized for not being able to explain adequately spontaneous sexual behavior and sexual behavior that occurs in ambiguous situations. It has also failed to explain the situation in which two or more individuals with different sets of scripts engage and interact with each other. Differences in sexual scripts is often given as the reason for date rape where on person defines it as sexual and the other does not. Functionalism believed that the disruption is sexuality, on how male and female should behave will lead to society to fall apart and social stability unachieved. Therefore, through the norms, values, laws and beliefs sexual behavior is regulated. Functionalists study the effect of regulations on sexuality and its contribution in the maintenance of society. Functionalism has also been criticized for putting to much emphasis on the culturally aspects that determine social behavior and ignoring the fact that some sexual drives may be innate. Ann Oakley outlines how socialization in modern societies shapes the behavior of boys and girls from an early age. Basing her work on the findings of Ruth Hartley, Oakley discusses four main ways in which socialization influences gender roles. The first way is by the process of manipulation in which parents play a huge role. For example, boys are dressed in masculine clothes. The next stage is the canalization where children are given toys to build up their gender identity. Boys are given pistol and toy trucks while girls are given teddy bears, dolls and soft toys. The third is the use of verbal appellation where such sentences like you are a naughty boy will build up boys sexual identity. The fourth stage is where boys and girls are given a set of different activities. This will encourage children to perform the sexual expectation of society and enable them to identify in which gender they belong. Ann Oakley has been criticized for her emphasis on socialization in shaping  gender roles. What about boys who have a high level of estrogen. Are they likely to behave like girls or will they due to the effect of early socialization behave like normal boys? Similarly, girls who have a high level of androgen, will they behave like boys? Or can the early process of socialization shape them to become like any other ordinary females? Ethnomethodology regard the process of developing gender roles as socially constructed. Suzanne J. Kessler and Wendy Mckenna stated that individuals categorized the world around them according to their own perspective. Therefore the decision whether to regard a person as male or female is socially produced. The process of gender- role socialization begins at the early age of childhood and continues throughout life. Society still typifies males and females according to gender-role trait expectations. There are however evidences that gender attitudes are changing beginning in the 1970s towards a more egalitarian, liberal attitudes. No matter what theories have been introduced in explaining sexual behavior whether it is innate or learned, I believed that both factors contribute in the development of gender-role identity. I based this statement on the fact that biological aspects play an important role in shaping an infant in his/her early age at least until he/she reaches the age of three. After that it is up to the family and society to shape his/her sexual behavior and define appropriate gender-roles for him/her. Gender role socialization is a life-long process. Therefore, I believe that cultural aspects play a greater role in shaping one sexual behavior than the biological aspects because they influence individuals from young until old.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Essay --

Imagine you are in the beginning 17th century England, you are starting to feel as if you disagree with the Kings ideals which are very different from your own. You would like to be able to express your beliefs and also live somewhere that has prosperity and a great future for you and your family. The only problem is that your beliefs and ideals aren’t supported where you live and you feel isolated and are looking for somewhere new to be free. In today’s societies we have so many beliefs and very different ways of thinking that we differ greatly from others. We are accepted by others with the same beliefs and also have the freedom to express whichever belief we have. This wasn’t so easy to achieve. Someone somewhere had to do something, sacrifice their life, challenge the norm, in order to have the freedom to choose that we have today. In the United States of America we can; for the most part; say and do as we please. We can follow any religion or no religion as we please. If we don’t agree with our President or policies we have a voice. This foundation was laid on our Ancestors pre say that made a voyage, fought famine, died by diseases and conflicts among the natives of the land to find a land where you can be free of a Kings rule and start their own rules and ways of life. With the new World the possibilities are endless because you can start over a new life and civilization. I New England colonies of British America were located in New Hampshire, Vermont,   Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. these all later on being part of the 13 colonies  including the middle and southern colonies. The founders of these New England colonies had  different goals from the Jamestown settlers. They left England for all differe... ...t they grew rye, corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, peas, carrots and turnips instead. They  also owned sheep, pigs, chickens, and cows. This was a largely farm centered life. Although a huge improvement from a feudal society. The early 1600’s were very crucial to the new colonies. Many waves of settlers were making their way across the Atlantic risking their lives, catching various disease, leaving their family, starting a new life with their families, risking exile from the mother land. All this in order for no longer having any religious persecution or a better life per say. These settlers wanted something outside of the mother country and to explore a new world. This had to be exciting and freighting. Many risks were taken but well worth it. They were the first crusaders in a lot of the freedoms we have today. Without them we wouldn’t have the America we have today.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Kenya DBQ Essay

Colonialism occurs when one nation takes control of another. And that is exactly what happened when the British arrived in Africa. The people of Africa had no idea that the British was taking and had taken their land. But, with that being said the British are who had help develop Kenya by bringing them some of their viewpoints from Great Britain. These viewpoints did a number of things to the people Africa. They changed the way they were politically, economically, and even culturally (religiously). The culture or religion of Africa was a very diverse. They all had their own beliefs and myths about how the creation of everything came to be such as the Abaluyia creation story, where it says that god created man so that the sun would have someone to shine on (Doc 7). The British did not really understand this, given the majority of them were either Protestant or Catholic. They couldn’t comprehend the idea of believing in witchcraft or witch doctors, or how each tribe had a concep t of a â€Å"Supreme Being† (Doc 6). But, as more years went by the number of people believing in indigenous beliefs went down. 38% of the people in Kenya were Protestant and 28% of people became Catholic, while from the original 80% of people who followed indigenous beliefs, only 8% of the people stuck to those beliefs (Doc 8). The economical impact that the British had on Africa was one of the few things that actually benefited them. The education of Africans was provided, even though it was not compulsory, with 3,442 schools (Doc 10). In total, there were 395,000 students that attended these schools (doc 10). And within 50 years there was a substantial amount of growth in both Railroad and Road networks throughout Kenya (Doc 11). The cause for the majority of economically growth came from all the raw materials and cash crops that were being sold and produced for Britain. Politically, there were differences amongst both the people of Kenya and the people of Great Britain. When the British came and announced that the people of Africa now had a new king to serve under and that their land was his, the people were confused (Doc 3). The people could not understand how this foreign king was now their king and how the land that was passed down from their fathers’ father, now belonged to this stranger of a king (Doc 3). Most Africans learned to except the fact that they were now part of a colonial state, no  mat ter how much they despised it (Doc 4). There was even some Kenyan headsman/chief who assisted the British legislative council that who ruled Kenya. After the First World War though, Kenya started to become harder to rule and control, and soon by the time World War II ended the control the British had was gone. The colonization of Kenya is what made Kenya what it is today. And with the help of the British they were able to make the people of Kenya more civilized and developed. The British had altered their perception on how things should be, on how they should be. And their viewpoints gave them insight and had changed the way that they had been, politically, economically, and culturally.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Writing a Reaction Paper analysis and an evaluation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1763 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/09/16 Category Politics Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Writing a Reaction Paper v A reaction paper is an analysis and an evaluation of the material presented. v In a reaction paper, make sure to give a detailed overview of the experience and tell what exactly was taken out of the experience. v A reaction paper should be more than a simple summary of the material that you are reacting upon. v It should include your opinion or reaction to the material. v This may take on a variety of forms:  § You may compare the work to other related material;  § You may come up with ways to improve the work;  § You may express what you learned; You may concur with the work or argue against the work v You can even use â€Å"I†, or the first person, in this type of paper. How to Write a Reaction Paper Consider these general steps as you plan your writing: †¢ Pull your thoughts together on what you just experienced. †¢ Come up with a thesis statement. †¢ Come up with what reaction you want to put down on paper. †¢ De cide on your organization and format draft your reaction paper. As a starting point for your reaction paper, select two or three major points from the following list and write a paragraph for each point.  § React to the ideas presented. Are they clear and suitable? Explain the ideas, give examples of their application in the material presented, and compare/contrast the ideas with your own.  § Compare it to another material. How was it similar to the other material? How was it different? Which did you enjoy more? What makes it more enjoyable? Which did you learn more from?  § Discuss specific insights or facts you have learned or gained from reading the material presented. Discuss each insight or fact you have learned in a detailed paragraph, using direct examples from the material presented. Include a page reference to the material you are reacting to. Make a judgment about the material presented and support it. Did you like it? Why or why not? Elaborate on your answer by c ommenting on the content, style, clarity, validity of ideas and method of presentation.  § Analyzed the material presented. What is its purpose? How does it go about achieving its goal? What is the plan/method of presentation?  § Tell what others might gain from the material presented. Is it valuable? Is it informative, entertaining, or accurate? Do you think your instructor should use it again? Why or why not? In your conclusion, summarize your ideas and tie them together. Writing a Reaction or Response Essay Reaction or response papers are usually requested by teachers so that youll consider carefully what you think or feel about something youve read. The following guidelines are intended to be used for reacting to a reading although they could easily be used for reactions to films too. Read whatever youve been asked to respond to, and while reading, think about the following questions. †¢ How do you feel about what you are reading? †¢ What do you agree or disagre e with? †¢ Can you identify with the situation? †¢ What would be the best way to evaluate the story? Keeping your responses to these questions in mind, follow the following prewriting steps. Prewriting for Your Reaction Paper The following statements could be used in a reaction/response paper. Complete as many statements as possible, from the list below, about what you just read. My Reaction to What I Just Read Is That . . . I think that; I see that; I feel that; It seems that; In my opinion; Because; A good quote is; In addition; For example; Moreover; However; Consequently; Finally; In conclusion. What youve done in completing these statements is written a very rough reaction/response paper. Now it needs to be organized. Organizing Your Reaction Paper A reaction/response paper has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. †¢ The introduction should contain all the basic information in one or two paragraphs. |Sentence 1: |This sentence should give the title, a uthor, and publication you read. | |Sentence 2, 3, and sometimes 4: |These sentences give a brief summary of what you read (nutshell) | |Sentence 5: |This sentence is your thesis statement. You agree, disagree, identify, or evaluate. | †¢ Your introduction should include a concise, one sentence, focused thesis. This is the focused statement of your reaction/response. †¢ The body should contain paragraphs that provide support for your thesis. Each paragraph should contain one idea. Topic sentences should support the thesis, and the final sentence of each paragraph should lead into the next paragraph. Topic Sentence | |detail example quotation detail example quotation detail example quotation detail example quotation | |Summary Sentence | ( You can structure your paragraphs in two ways: |Author | |You | OR |Author | |in contrast to | |You | ( The conclusion can be a restatement of what you said in your paper. It also be a comment which focuses your overall reac tion. Finally, it can be a prediction of the effects of what youre reacting to. Note: your conclusion should include no new information. Strategies for Writing a Conclusion Conclusions are often the most difficult part of an essay to write, and many writers feel that they have nothing left to say after having written the paper. A writer needs to keep in mind that the conclusion is often what a reader remembers best. Your conclusion should be the best part of your paper. A conclusion should †¢ stress the importance of the thesis statement, †¢ give the essay a sense of completeness, and leave a final impression on the reader. Suggestions †¢ Answer the question So What? Show your readers why this paper was important. Show them that your paper was meaningful and useful. †¢ Synthesize, dont summarize o Dont simply repeat things that were in your paper. They have read it. Show them how the points you made and the support and examples you used were not random, but fit together. †¢ Redirect your readers o Give your reader something to think about, perhaps a way to use your paper in the real world. If your introduction went from general to specific, make your conclusion go from specific to general. Think globally. Create a new meaning o You dont have to give new information to create a new meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work together, you can create a new picture. Often the sum of the paper is worth more than its parts. Strategies †¢ Echoing the introduction: Echoing your introduction can be a good strategy if it is meant to bring the reader full-circle. If you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay was helpful in creating a new understanding. Example Introduction From the parking lot, I could see the towers of the castle of the Magic Kingdom standing stately against the blue sky. To the right, the tall peak of The Matterhorn rose even higher. From the left, I could hear th e jungle sounds of Adventureland. As I entered the gate, Main Street stretched before me with its quaint shops evoking an old-fashioned small town so charming it could never have existed. I was entranced. Disneyland may have been built for children, but it brings out the child in adults. Conclusion I thought I would spend a few hours at Disneyland, but here I was at 1:00 A. M. , closing time, leaving the front gates with the now dark towers of the Magic Kingdom behind me. I could see tired children, toddling along and struggling to keep their eyes open as best they could. Others slept in their parents arms as we waited for the parking lot tram that would take us to our cars. My forty-year-old feet ached, and I felt a bit sad to think that in a couple of days I would be leaving California, my vacation over, to go back to my desk. But then I smiled to think that for at least a day I felt ten years old again. †¢ Challenging the reader: By issuing a challenge to your readers, yo u are helping them to redirect the information in the paper, and they may apply it to their own lives. Example Though serving on a jury is not only a civic responsibility but also an interesting experience, many people still view jury duty as a chore that interrupts their jobs and the routine of their daily lives. However, juries are part of Americas attempt to be a free and just society. Thus, jury duty challenges us to be interested and responsible citizens. †¢ Looking to the future: Looking to the future can emphasize the importance of your paper or redirect the readers thought process. It may help them apply the new information to their lives or see things more globally. Example Without well-qualified teachers, schools are little more than buildings and equipment. If higher-paying careers continue to attract the best and the brightest students, there will not only be a shortage of teachers, but the teachers available may not have the best qualifications. Our youth wil l suffer. And when youth suffers, the future suffers. †¢ Posing questions: Posing questions, either to your readers or in general, may help your readers gain a new perspective on the topic, which they may not have held before reading your conclusion. It may also bring your main ideas together to create a new meaning. Example Campaign advertisements should help us understand the candidates qualifications and positions on the issues. Instead, most tell us what a boob or knave the opposing candidate is, or they present general images of the candidate as a family person or God-fearing American. Do such advertisements contribute to creating an informed electorate or a people who choose political leaders the same way they choose soft drinks and soap? Summary In summary, this handout has covered prewriting and organizing strategies for reaction/response papers. †¢ Prewriting o Read the article and jot down ideas. o How do you feel about what was said? Do you agree or disagree with the author? o Have you had any applicable experience? o Have you read or heard anything that applies to this what the writer said in the article or book? o Does the evidence in the article support the statements the writer made? †¢ Organizing o Write the thesis statement first. o Decide on the key points that will focus your ideas. These will be your topic sentences. o Develop your ideas by adding examples, quotations, and details to your paragraphs. o Make sure the last sentence of each paragraph leads into the next paragraph. o Check your thesis and make sure the topic sentence of each paragraph supports it. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Writing a Reaction Paper :analysis and an evaluation" essay for you Create order