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 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 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 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 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 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 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 discusses "The Simpsons," which is the longest running primetime cartoon on American television. The author looks at how this show reflects and challenges stereotypical genderroles such as father knowing best, work, and education. The author explains the conditions under which "The Simpsons" was originally developed and how the content of typical family programming changed over the decades with the political ideologies of the time. The author also compares "The Simpsons" with other TV family shows, with respect to the frequency with which male and female characters appear, whether the plots revolve mostly round the male or female characters, and the themes of marriage, education, and how genderroles are perceived by the characters themselves. Each of the members of the Simpson family is looked at in detail, and the paper concludes that "The Simpsons" weaves traditional family values with contemporary criticisms of the limitations those same values create.
From the Paper "The conditions under which The Simpsons were originally developed help to shape the issues the show was able to tackle in its program. Timing was critical in the evolution of The Simpsons. In the 1950's family life on television seemed to only be diverse in terms of where the family lived, be it in the suburbs or the city. Shows often played up the neighborhood social bonding aspects from America's past in order to reach a broader audience."
Tags: program ideological broadcast, sex life, stay at home mom, MENSA dysfunctional identity icon
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 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 Despite the advances made in the modern world,existing perceptions of gender difference are still around. According to Berryman et al (1997), in present society ?qualities such as ambition, drive and competitiveness are regarded as typically masculine, whereas passivity, nurturing and emotionality are seen as typically feminine.? The paper shows that if this still our current concept of gender we might assume that these perceptions still influence the lives of individuals. Thus these perceptions also influence today's youth and their education. The essay deals with this issue by examining the impact of gender on educational outcomes. It emphasizes why differences between the two sexes occur (in choosing subjects for example) and examines who is to blame for this. The paper also looks at the gender gap and society's reaction to it.
From the Paper "Adams and Laurikietis (1976) look at the role of teachers in the affirmation of sex differences. They point out that in schools teachers have different expectations of boys and girls and treat them differently as well. Furthermore they refer to different gender affirming phrases such as: "What a language for a lady" and "Can I have two strong lads to help me"?. Though these are actually quite standard phrases they do promote a further gender typifycation. But according to the same authors gender in children is already established at a much younger age. They argue that the parents already pre-form children because they treat boys and girls according to society's view - girls are dressed in pink and boys in blue. Archer and Lloyd (1989) note that children as young as 3 and 4 already chose gender-related toys."
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, 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 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."
