Gender Roles, Socialization and Relationships Essay examples

Watch the classical film Grease and one will understand how relationships function in western Society. The film tells a story of a boy (Danny) and a girl (Sandy) who falls in love. Through a series of misunderstandings they break up, but still care enough about each other that they still try revive their relationship. Through ballads such as Summer Night’s that are still popular today, the film shows how differently males and females view relationships. Danny, for example, describes his relationship in more physical terms while Sandy describes her relationship in much more emotional terms –such as what they did that night. Films like Grease are like a mirror, reflecting societal values and how it socializes its members. It makes clear†¦show more content†¦Males were more likely to score higher on tests that scale romanticism and are more prone to recognize their romantic feelings much earlier than females (Kanin et al. 64). Since males tend to recognize the lo ve feeling earlier, for males to be determined as â€Å"more romantic,† the definition must be based on the speed of the recognition of the romantic feeling (Kanin et al. 71). Look no further then evolutionary history for an explanation of this. The ultimate goal of animals is to reproduce their species. The constraints on their reproductive capability have a profound effect on their approach to relationships. Males have large reproductive capacity. He simply must produce sperm cells and go through with the act of copulation (Gray 79). This causes his reproductive capability to be limited by the number of females he mates with and thus he tries to maximize his copulation attempts (Contrary to popular belief, humans are not a monogamous species but a largely monogamous and partly polgynous species) (Gray 79; 83). Furthermore, males have much less parental investment, which, if Trivers’ theory is to be believed, would result in him being competitive for mates –re sulting in him being the more aggressive sex (Gray 79). Since males must play the aggressor role in relationships, he must be more responsive and attracted to physical stimuli (Kanin et al. 71). This requires him to recognize his romantic feelings much more quickly then females.Show MoreRelatedGender Roles Of Women And Women1512 Words   |  7 Pages1.a Gender roles are how a society believes a man or women should act based on their gender. Each society has its own gender roles, where a man might be expected to do something in one society a woman might be expected to do it in another one. An example of gender roles affecting women is that women are expected to take care of the housework and so they do chores around the house even if they have a job. Men are expected to be the breadwinner and support his family financially. Men are not expectedRead MoreGender Socialization : Social Norms And Expectations1431 Words   |  6 PagesGender Socialization Gender socialization, the social norms and expectations of each gender, are easily the number one influence of teenagers and adults. These norms, cause people to act and think what they might not necessarily believe is true to their inner beliefs. All around society, common phrases, actions, and ideology are used, without even recognized as being gender influenced. Things such as the percentage of women who are in high management position, are not due to purely intellectualityRead MoreGender Socialization And Social Control1508 Words   |  7 PagesBy and large, gender socialization is a major contributor to identity and self- concept. Gender therefore becomes a characteristic that defines other’s perceptions and evaluations of us. People come to manage gender along with aspects of other aspects of the self by making sure that we are acting in gender-appropriate way (Goffman, 1959, Libby). In itself, the self is a product of social forces and it emerges through socialization. Being that gender is a major function of one’s identity, stereotypesRead MoreGender Roles. What Did The Toys Received Or Played With868 Words   |  4 PagesGender Roles What did the toys received or played with during childhood do to reinforce or break those patterns of gender socialization? In my opinion if you are a boy, you played with trucks, action figures, toy weapons, or sports equipment. If you were a girl, you played dress-up, played with dolls, or pretend kitchen sets. As we grow, we learn how to behave from those around us. At a very early age, children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. TheRead MoreSummary : Just Add Hormones An Insider s Guide The Transsexual Experience 954 Words   |  4 PagesKailey, M. (2005). Just Add Hormones: An insider’s guide to the transsexual experience. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Kailey (2005) started off Just Add Hormones by introducing the terms sex and gender as individual and different words in definition. He also spoke about how transgendered people take much longer to transition than what people frequently assume. Most people assume that one surgery can make a male a female, or a female a male. The book overall discusses the stereotypes transgender peopleRead MoreEffects Of Socialization1676 Words   |  7 PagesSocialization is defined as the â€Å"process by which individuals acquire thoughts, feelings, and behaviors â€Å"appropriate† to their positions in society,† (Rohall 149). Individuals experience socialization beginning the day they are born, and throughout most of their lives. It can occur through everyday observation and interaction at every stage of development, or it can occur more formally though education and mentors. Socialization is important to how individuals interact in society and it also playsRead MoreWhat Did The To ys Received Or Played With During Childhood1057 Words   |  5 Pageschildhood do to reinforce or break those patterns of gender socialization? In my opinion, if you are a boy, you played with trucks, action figures, toy weapons, or sports equipment. If you were a girl, you played dress-up, played with dolls, or pretend kitchen sets. As we grow, we learn how to behave from those around us. At a very early age, children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. The term gender role refers to society s concept of how men and womenRead MoreReview Of Richard Schaefer s Consuming Kids 976 Words   |  4 PagesEssentially, sociology is the study of society and individual’s relationship with society is complex. Many traits and behaviors can be influenced by society and vice versa. Sociologist C. Wright Mills emphasized the importance of this relationship and coined the term sociological imagination, which is defined in â€Å"Sociology in Modules† by Richard Schaefer as â€Å"the awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society, both today and in the past† (Schaefer 5). Looking at interactionsRead MoreGender, Stereotypes, And Stereotypes Essay1434 Words   |  6 Pagesstereotypes based on genders have been put into the limelight and have become of high interest to a generation that is infamously known for deviating from the established way of life. Millennials have put gender roles under fire, deeming it a form of segregation and discrimination by gender. Researchers have followed suit. Mimicking millennial interests, numerous studies have been published that detail the relationship between gender, stereotypes, and the effects of the relationship between the two.Read MoreGender Socialization Of Children : Gendered Toys, Media, And Parental Affects Child Development1289 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Gender role expectations are inescapable in our society as we naturally tend to sort humans into categories, the easiest one being gender. Upon first meeting a person, most people automatically classify the other’s gender. With this classification come the inevitable gender role expectations. Even for those who consciously try their hardest not to cloud their perceptions of others based on â€Å"traditional† gender role expectations, it is almost impossible not to subconsciously succumb to these