Abstract
Gender difference can be defined as the difference that society creates between the male and female sexes. Gender roles can be defined as the tasks made by the society and are linked to either the male or female sexes. There is a major difference between gender and sex. Sex comprises of the physiological and biological characteristics of the male or female sexes. Contrary gender is an aspect molded by the society in relation to the male or female sexes.
The aspects of gender are clearly seen from the time a child is conceived to the time of birth (Kramer, 2010). Once a woman knows that what she is carrying is a boy or a girl, necessary preparation to receive the unborn in relation to gender are made. If the child is a girl, then the room may be painted pink and blue if the child is a boy. This is because the society has associates the two colors to the two different genders. Once a girl child is born in hospital, members of the society will pay visits with dolls and car toys if the child is a boy.
Once the child’s mother is discharged from hospital, there are different ways in which members of the society will receive the child in reference to gender. Members of the society will tend to associate the child to the father if it is a boy. This shows that members of the society link the boy child to anyone or anything in the society that is masculine in nature (Lindsey, 2006). Contrary most members of the society will link the child to the appearance of the mother including other factors if the child is a girl. The boy child is talked to with a firm tone a symbol showing that he should be hardy. The girl child on the contrary is spoken to with a soft tone that is soothing. This is because the society believes that the feminine gender is the weaker sex and therefore should be delicately treated because women are delicate.
The books and games encouraged for the boy child are of a dominant nature that mostly has themes related to becoming warriors. The girl child on the other hand are exposed to games that show how a woman should behave or act in the home setting such as cooking, cleaning and washing amongst others. These activities are what mold the gender roles taken by children at a later stage in life. This is because the children grow with the mentality that there are certain norms that they should adhere to within the societal setting.
In case of events such as Christmas, Halloween and birthday parties, the girl and boy child are assigned different tasks that assist them in creating a border between their different roles in the society. For instance, during Christmas most boys in the Christian religion will be dressed as Joseph while the ladies will be dressed as Mary. The boys will be taught on how important it is to take care of the women just as Joseph did. In relation to Halloween, the boys will bought for scary masks while the girls’ costumes will not be as scary as such.
When it comes to the social media such as the television, boys are seen to be exposed to violent television programs (Kramer, 2010). Girls on the contrast are exposed to programs that are sentimental and mostly of themes that revolve around love. This is the stage where the two genders get a distinction between the gender roles when it comes. Boys are known to be the leaders and the girls the followers. The boys are known to be the ones to ask for a date while the girls should wait. Occupation is another important aspect and most boys are encouraged to take occupations that are masculine in nature such as engineering. The girls are encouraged to take occupations that do not require a lot of muscles such as clerks and front office attendants.
Reference
Kramer, L. (2010),The Sociology of Gender: A Brief Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Lindsey, L. (2006), Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective, New York: Prentice Hall.
