Abstract This paper states that sexual roles were very different in ancient Greece as compared to today. The author points out that the differences between sexuality and gender were even more distinct back in ancient Greece. The paper relates that Odysseus, as he makes his travels through "The Odyssey", frequently pushes the limits of his genderrole as presented in chapters 9 and 22.
From the Paper "Sexual roles were very different in ancient Greece, compared to those roles today. In fact, the differences between "sexuality" and "gender" were even more distinct back in ancient Greece. Just as in the modern world, sexual activity had certain strictures and gender roles had well-defined limits. All of these roles with their strictures and limits appeared in the literature of the time. Odysseus, as he makes his travels through The Odyssey, frequently pushes the limits of his gender role. This paper will discuss how he does so both in Chapter 9 and how he resolves this issue in Chapter 22. Over the centuries, men have traditionally been expected to behave "as men." Traditionally, they have taken on the role of family guardian and provider, of warrior and politician. Women have traditionally been the nurturers and caregivers, both soothing and passive."
Abstract This paper explores possible sources of genderroles and discusses some of the problems they create for society, as well as proposing some solutions. In this essay, the writer examines and compares two works concerning the issue of genderroles. The writer studies Judith Lorber's article 'Night to His Day' and the work 'Masculinity as Homophobia' by Michael S. Kimmel. The writer maintains that the fight for the civil rights of all people in the United States seems promising. Further, the writer notes that equality for both race and gender has come a long way since the early 20th century, but there is still a lot of work to do. The writer concludes that if genderrole segregation continues, the opposition of sexes will continue indefinitely and that it seems that the best way to solve this problem is to fight to stop genderrole enforcement from birth.
From the Paper "When it comes to defining people from a sexual perspective in the United States, people often confuse two words: sex and gender. The word "sex" has a purely biological definition, creating the categories of male and female. "Gender" has a completely different connotation, and contains many more than two categories. Gender roles in society are incredibly pervasive, and play an important role in defining a person. According to Judith Lorber in her article 'Night to His Day', children learn to play certain gender roles from birth, receiving cues from many different sources. In Michael S. Kimmel's 'Masculinity as Homophobia', the author focuses more on the male experience, focusing on how males learn and "perform" these roles that define our society. These articles contain a lot of similar themes, and at certain points it seems like they compliment or expand on each other. At the core of the concept of gender it is observable that both sexes receive subliminal cues from influential figures that attempt to define their actions for the rest of their lives; however, the separate expectations that apply to each sex are striking in their dissimilarity."
Abstract A look at how human genderroles are decided. The paper discusses the issues surrounding genderroles and whether these are chosen by nature, culture or society. The roles of men and women may be consistany with cultural stereotypes genderroles, however, today the sex that a baby is born with is not necesarily the same sex that he/she remains.
From the Paper The first question that is asked when a human baby is born is "Is it a boy or a girl?" The answer to this question is enormously important in human cultures. With that definition of "femaleness" or "maleness" comes an entire set of assumptions about how the child will look and act in her culture. It is also thought to be final - a child that is born a girl will remain female forever, while a boy will remain a boy until he is a man. It is taken for granted that the child's sex will..."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses genderroles through the years. According to the paper, throughout history, genderroles have played a vital part in the shaping of Western society. This paper focuses on genderroles from the 1920's through today, and examines the sociological trends of these roles over time.
From the Paper "As in previous times of crisis, women found themselves again asked to go to work outside the home. With increased demand for weapon manufacturing, and with nearly ten million men overseas, it became clear that the role of women must change again. Instead of being icons for homesick soldiers, the women of WWII had to become factory workers. While women had been in the workforce previously, their role was often still as educators, retail sales personnel, and other non-tasking roles. For the first time, women were asked by their government to join the labor force as skilled laborers, welders, and other traditionally male roles (Rupp, 63)."
Abstract Societies spend a great deal of time trying to explain and justify the genderroles that exist within them. The works of theologians and philosophers in particular are used to explain the genderroles within a society and justify their existence. This essay examines two particularly influential works. These works are "The Politics" by Aristotle and the Old Testament story of "Genesis". Although these works were written within a different cultural and temporal context, both works provide similar explanations and justifications for the superiority of men and the inferiority of women.
Abstract The paper is basically a timeline of genderroles in European history. It shows how women progressed through examples of radicals or people that wrote pieces against women. Included in the paper are Mary Wollstonecraft, Dona Marina, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Pocahontas, and Maria de Pizan.
From the Paper "In all facets of life, males and females have different roles. However, as recently as several hundred years ago, the roles didn?t remotely resemble equality. During the era of exploration and expansion, females were deemed mentally inferior. They were viewed as the caretakers of the household. Even the Declaration of Independence proclaimed, ?All men are created equal,? with nary a mention of a woman's rights. Simply put, gender roles were tragically skewed. But as time passed on, women fought for their sex, and gained a higher role in society. Through the work of revolutionaries like Wollstonecraft and de Pizan, they slowly gained more rights. And as evident by descriptions of Do?a Marina and Pocahontas, they were on the right path to equality."
Abstract This paper reviews the novel 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' by Zora Neale Hurston, and provides a gender construct that involves normative male/female genderroles, but ultimately provides a liberating feminist resolution for Janie.
From the Paper "This literary study will analyze the female and male gender roles that arise within the novel: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. By understanding the submissive role that Janie possesses through Hurston's characterization, one can realize her constant state of male exploitation within the institution of marriage. However, Janie does eventually exhibit a more aggressive feminism in her liberation from Tea Cake. This gender perspective provides the basis for Hurston's gender construct revolves around women struggling against patriarchal tradition in the African American community. In essence, the female gender construct of this novel will be examined through Janie's perspective within the institution of marriage."
Abstract This analysis provides the argument that filmmaker Dorothy Arzner was able to slip meaning into her films that contradicted the heterosexual and traditional genderroles of the era. Films by Arzner are used to illuminate this contention.
From the Paper "Though Beverle Houston maintains Dorothy Arzner remains largely invisible to the contemporary public the films she wrote and directed in ..."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the issue of genderroles. According to the paper, genderroles are defined as the ways that society expects men and women to act, based upon what society and long standing tradition says is appropriate for men and women. The paper further discusses how these roles have been open to interpretation in recent generations due to a better understanding of genderroles and the realization that each person is unique and, as such, may behave in a unique way in terms of what his/her gender expression might be. The paper also explores various dimensions of the terms and expectations of gender definition in an effort to better understand the topic itself.
Outline:
Abstract
Socially Defined Terms-Masculinity and Femininity
Male GenderRoles- Followed and Violated
Female GenderRoles-Followed and Violated
The End of a War and the Beginning of a Battle
Summary
From the Paper "When the war concluded and the men returned home, and to their regular jobs, it is true that many women returned to their home maker roles and left the working world behind. For a spirited few, however, the taste of an identity and ability to contribute by working outside of the home was not something that they could simply forget. Rather, many of these women stayed in the workforce, and it is likely that their husbands became the ones staying home. Undoubtedly, this was the case in the households where men returned from World War II too sick or injured to be able to work. Whatever the reason, the gender-shattering working woman was in force and here to stay."
Abstract This paper discusses how, from the time that males and females are born, they are expected to fit into what society often terms as the "traditional" roles for each gender. The paper goes on to discuss that in reality, both males and females often uphold and/or violate these so-called traditional roles, as does the multimedia establishment. This paper takes a look at the various facets of male and female genderroles in an effort to better understand this complex topic.
Outline:
Abstract
Socially Defined Terms-Masculinity and Femininity
Male GenderRoles- Followed and Violated
Female GenderRoles-Followed and Violated
Physiological Aspects of Gender Difference
Rebelling Against Gender Definition
Summary
From the Paper "Women broke free of many of the gender definitions pre set for them by necessity, as well as by the burning human desire to have freedom. Necessity called in times of warfare; when men were taken away from their wage earning potential for military service, women took on many of the jobs that were classically reserved for men, proving that they in fact could cross gender definitions as established. The desire for women to break free of their gender limitations also existed as a result of the modern movement of equality for women. Also, many women defy gender roles in terms of clothing choices, hobbies, etc."
Abstract The paper discusses how, over the past several decades, two neighboring Northern African states, Algeria and Morocco, have taken different paths in their views and treatment of families and genders. The paper examines how, as a result of the specific differences in the treatment of gender, the male and female genders have assumed different roles in each of these countries. In this paper, several books and films are discussed and analyzed in order to better describe the topic of genderroles in Morocco and Algeria.
Outline:
Introduction
Portrayal of the GenderRoles in Books
Common Threads of GenderRoles Conclusion
Works Cited
From the Paper "There are deeper cultural clashes that are depicted in "Year of the Elephant", which is a collection of stories written and compiled by Leila Abouzeid. The "title story", if you will, shares the history of a woman who has been divorced and left with nothing to her name, essentially leaving her trapped within the confines of her village. She goes through a period of depression and recounts her life story, her involvement in the independence movement, her marriage to a young man who becomes seduced by materialism. Through all of these trials, she takes on the viewpoint that the colonization that held Morocco in a powerless position is not over, that it has simply been replaced by ambitious and greedy Moroccans wielding power over the disenfranchised--the poor and women. By presenting such a complex story, Abouzeid takes on several cultural issues- secular versus sacred, materialistic versus personal, the powerful overtaking the weak, and of course the classic struggle for the genders to attain equality and more specifically for women to achieve equal rights in a society that basically refuses to give them those rights."
Abstract This paper discusses how, like most religions, genderroles are an important part of both Christianity and Judaism. It shows how both of these religions have very specific roles for men and women, which constitute key theological areas of both faiths and how, because Christianity arose out of Judaism, some of the genderroles are similar. It also looks at how Christianity has some unique genderroles of its own. Further, how the genderroles in both Judaism and Christianity have changed and evolved over the centuries.
From the Paper "Women, as keepers of the house and home, had special tasks to perform when preparing for the Sabbath. On Fridays before sunset, they had to work hard to finish the cooking and clean the house ("Women's Role in the Rituals"). They set the table for the first Sabbath meal and put all things that remind people of work out of view, as no work is permitted on the Sabbath. The woman of the house lights two candles on a table and says a prayer of blessing for the family; when this is completed, the Sabbath has officially begun ("Women's Role in the Rituals"). This is one of three ritual acts specifically given to women to perform in the traditional Jewish religion. Afterward, the man of the house blesses his children"first sons, then daughters"and then blesses his wife. The family then begins the first meal of the Sabbath. The last meal of the Sabbath is concluded with another prayer from the woman of the house."
Abstract This paper explains that video games represent a site for role-playing in ways that violate both the corporate-constructed genderroles of game worlds, as well as the norms of masculine and feminine in our society. The writer discusses how this analysis applies to a range of levels in video game culture: the design level with its sub-culture of game patch design where users patch existing video games to fundamentally re-design game worlds that reflect distinct constructions of masculinity and femininity and the game play level where both female and male users play games in ways that challenge normative genderroles. The writer's main focus is on female game designers and players, whose interactions with video game culture critically undermines common conceptions of female gender identity.
Outline:
Introduction
Gender Bias as a Methodological Problem
Women Coding Women: The New Gaming Female
Conclusion
From the Paper "In reviewing the scholarly literature upon gender roles and video game culture, it is important to recognize the operation of gender bias as a methodological problem. Before one can address the subject of video game and gender role transgression among females, one must note the profound degree to which traditional gender biases appear to impact scholarship on the subject of video game culture. Consider, for example, the question of the popularity of video games among males versus females, as well as the view that males prefer "violent" games while female players tend to reject these games for games that better reflect "feminine" qualities. There is a substantial body of research literature that has argued since the late 1980s that video games are a predominantly male cultural preoccupation. Surveys tended to reveal an extraordinary disproportion both in terms of numbers of players and the lengths of time devoted to gameplay. For example, adolescent boys have been shown to be as much as three times more likely to play video games as adolescent girls."
Abstract This paper examines research and studies that support the notion that the genderroles of men and women are determined at a very early age. Examples of this process are cited throughout the paper. Included in this discussion are the ways that genderroles that are defined when we are children affect choices we make as adults in regard to education, career, and attitudes. The paper talks about the need to better understand the early formation of genderroles so that we need not undo this process as adults in order to attain true social equality.
From the Paper "These roles were firmly accepted and promoted for years of existence in mankind. During the 1960's with the civil rights movement there was a major shift in the way women and men were viewed in the world. For the last four or five decades females have been moving to the forfront of equality and today many of the old gender role practices have been removed. The workplace has become much more equal and students in college are from both genders, but it is as adults the effort takes place. The gender roles of yesteryear are still being promoted and encouraged in the lives of children. Because of this, when the children grow up they often have to break out of the roles they have been taught and they work to squash the multi-generational habits that are ingrained in society. This can lead to many wasted years of confusion and struggle as both genders work together in today's society."
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between gender and conformity. It explores those norms that individuals are being directed to acquiesce to and looks at how the level of compliance varies within genderroles. It also investigates how this conformity to roles leads to an subsequently interrelated tendency towards stereotyping for both genders in the workplace as well as in society at large.
From the Paper "Here we observe the creation of a self-fulfilling social and marketplace prophecy for men and women. They appear to be based partly on societal constraints that individuals conform to regarding their gender and partly on some biological and evolutionary inheritance that is innate within the different sexes. While some studies have fond that women conform more easily than men, other studies have found that this can very within the situational context. In a sense we can see as regards conformity and gender that what men and women really do is vary in the type of interdependence they require from each given situation. Men often seem more concerned about their relationship with the larger group while women often seem to worry more about close friends and familial relationships. This can certainly set the course for conformity as related to gender and create some broad strokes of findings as far as the research states, but looking at things on an individual basis certainly there is a wide variance of conformity and non-conformity on a individual case by case level."
