Doing Gender - How Society Creates Differences Between...

In this essay I discuss that doing gender means creating differences between girls and boys and women and men.... (West Zimmerman 2002:13) I am concentrating on the female perspective, how societyputs forth expectations of what is natural or biological even though, in some cases, it can be quite demeaning and degrading. I am using some examples from the local media and also a few childhoodexperiences that have helped me to now strongly suspect that the quote from Simone Beauvoir (1972) One is not born a woman, but rather becomes one most likely has quite a bit of truth to it. There is continuing controversy about the differences between girls and boys, men and women, the biological make-up and also how men and women grow up in†¦show more content†¦The bodyparts beingthose of women, of course. Catherines older sister Karin was the same age as me, 12 years old. Her parents had the latest mod cons shipped out from the USA and her bedroom was decked out with hot pink shag pile carpet and a white fourposter bed with gold trimming and pale pink floral fabric, which flowed delicately in all the right places. My bedroom had the bare necessities, which was all I really needed or wanted. My bedroom was very basic with no signs of femininity and I was okay with that. I also didnt like wearing frills or lace. I thought it was rather lame. What I initially found very fascinating about Karin was thatshe had boobs, which she was particularly proud of, and I was very flat chested. Id never met anyone my age with boobs before. She convinced me that thats what boys like, and also emphasized the greatimportance of being liked by boys. She persuaded me to wear one of her old training bras and stuff it with tissues. I was so in awe of her that I complied. There were only a couple of older boy s on the mission station and they were actually teenagers, so their approval of our maturing young bodies, well... hers in particular, was very important. Before Karin had arrived the thought of attracting the attention of a boy didnt even register in my mind seeing as I was just one of them, mostly. I grew up with two brothers and mostly all male cousins so taking part in boyish activitiesShow MoreRelatedThe book I choose to read was Delusions of Gender: How Our Mind, Society, and Neurosexism Create1200 Words   |  5 Pageswas Delusions of Gender: How Our Mind, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine. There are three parts to the book: â€Å"Half-changed world†, â€Å"Half-changed minds†, Neurosexisam, and Recycling Gender. The reason I choose this book was because it dealt with gender and how in society and our mind we create the differences that are used against us. I thought that by reading it I would understand more from a psychologistâ€℠¢s point of view how our thought process creates what we perceive asRead MoreGender Bias On The Classroom1112 Words   |  5 PagesGender Bias In The Classroom Gender roles are widely accepted societal expectations about how males and females should behave (Rathus, 2010, pg. 447). Gender roles create a difference in the way that masculine and feminine behaviors are accepted among society. Gender roles are often depicted as just a part of who a person is and help better define the difference between male and female. When society begins to use these gender roles as norms we often see those who don’t fit into the correct roleRead MoreYou May Ask Yourself, By Sociologist Dalton Conley955 Words   |  4 Pagesaddressing how â€Å"gender is a social construction† that is so normal for society to think how a man or woman should act towards the public. 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Wikipedia defines it in short as ‘the study of mind and behaviour.’ Defining clear differences between girls and boys is a complex and extensive exercise, since each child is an individual and different to all the others, however there are many similarities between us all, some of which I’ll discuss in the following paragraphsRead MoreEssay On Gender Socialization1574 Words   |  7 Pages Gender Socialization and Children’s Retail Children are known for absorbing information from the world around them. Therefore, what children are exposed to while they are growing is important, as they learn a lot from the world around them. In this paper, the process of gender socialization will be discussed and examined. In specific, how retail marketed for young children may have an effect on their development, especially as they distinguish gender. Socialization is general the processRead MoreToy Story1455 Words   |  6 Pagesa daily basis. What if toys could talk? What information would they give us? 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