Shaping of Understanding

Paper Summary:

In this paper, the writer looks at how gender shapes the way in which we see the world, affecting our decisions and choices. The writer maintains that work, education, sexuality, war, health and popular culture are all, in some measure, influenced by our views of what it means to be either a man, or woman, or by the absence of any clear notion of those roles. The writer notes that the idea of a division accorded to gender is common to people at all different levels of technological development and social organization. The writer concludes that though much has changed, popular culture, together with almost every other aspect of society, keeps many stereotypes and pre-conceptions alive and well.

From the Paper:

"A frequently-quoted statistic states that women are grossly underrepresented in managerial positions even in large, and supposedly progressive, corporations. These careers do not involve much physical labor, but they do involve a considerable amount of logical thought and decision-making. As well, many of them require advanced degrees or other forms of educational certification. In the minds of many, these sorts of activities are still best performed by men. Women are also often paid less than men though they perform identical work. As a result of these attitudes, women must work harder in order to prove themselves. They must be over-diligent and over-devoted to their careers. Such tactics lay them open to charges that they are self-centerdly cold and unfeeling in the pursuit of their aims, willing to climb over others, and take advantage of those beneath them. The business world can still be a man's world."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Boehm, Christopher. Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999.
• "From the Tour: Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice." The Collection, National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2006. URL: http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg23/gg23-1226.0.html.

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