Gender Behavior

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in many societies, gender behavior is not considered a part of nature, but rather learned, acquired or earned as a rite of passage. The author points out that, in the U.S., gender roles were a part of a system constructed by the ruling class during the formation of the country; to maintain a centralized wealthy ruling class where wealthy, white men controlled the economy and women were considered to be physically, mentally and emotionally inferior to men. The paper relates that fashion trends and clothing styles significantly aid the social construction of gender in which the presence of this standard for the judgment of beauty automatically designates some group controlling another.

From the Paper:

"The term "woman" itself was created by the masculine conception of what femininity should be. These criteria set up the dominant/subordinate relationship standard because women lacked the power to challenge the male point of view. Lorber suggests that "as a process, gender creates social differences that define 'woman' and 'man'" through interactions and expectations of peers and family. As a stratification, gender ranks men's work superior to women's, regardless of skill or difficulty. As a social structure, gender organizes work habits both domestically and economically."

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