|  |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Printable Version
E-mail to a Friend
APA | MLA | |
"The nature of masculinity ('maleness'/male behaviors) and/or femininity ('femaleness'/female behaviors) is becoming more mixed up 'these days'". A Gender role is a set of expected behaviors’ for males and for females. Gender roles have changed throughout the years but not every male and female has changed with them. This essay will explore the attitudes towards traditional gender roles which, varies by culture and education. In today's society the media presents saturated ideas of what is considered to be masculine and feminine.
It is assumed that men are supposed to act 'masculine', while women present themselves in a 'feminine' manner. Traditionally 'masculinity' is defined as being a breadwinner, strong, protective, assertive, not emotionally expressive and intellectually rational, meaning they are good at electronics and hard disciplines, such as mathematics, engineering etc. While 'femininity’ was defined to be someone who was soft, understanding, forgiving, caring, supportive, patient, passive, nurturing, useless at mechanical and electronic work and intellectually limited, hence they are emotionally expressive and talkative who enjoy soft disciplines like nursing and English literature. In the 19th century Britain, middleclass men were seen to be physically strong, emotionally stable and hard working, while, middleclass women were physically, intellectually and emotionally delicate, virgins at marriage and incapable of physical labor.
Now, gender roles have changed significantly and people’s perception and understanding of it have increased. Gender roles have now become more integrated, in a sense that some aspects of femininity and masculinity have either disappeared or combined. Attitudes towards a women engaging in occupations which traditionally were considered to be a ‘masculine jobs’ have changed, hence women are now working and having a stable career. Women in today's society are perceived to be harder workers but still emotionally sensitive. On the other hand, men have remained in their masculine occupation, but some are involved in professions which once were considered to be ‘feminine’. Men compare to decades ago are more expressive and forthright with their emotions and feeling.
In today’s society it is evident that great deal confusion about what is considered to be masculine and feminine have stemmed from the media and in particular from the magazines. Magazines influence a majority of girls' and boys’ behaviors towards being feminine and masculine. For example, in a magazine aimed at the females, which is called Women’s Weekly, the following extract was found about the changes in the role of a husband and wife. It is quoted that “My husband is a stay home father while I go to work. Although it was both of our decision to live our lives this way, I feel like I’m the man in the family and he’s the wife that does all the house wife chores including looking after the kids, so he’s got the easy life meanwhile I have to work to pay the bills and put bread on the table” (Women’s Weekly, 2007, p.15). Traditionally women would be doing the house hold chores whilst their husbands would be working and providing the money. Now days, this has changed and it is a norm for both genders to be working as well as contributing to the household responsibilities.
All over Australia, this confusion with femininity and masculinity is concerning parents of teenagers. Within the society, people have a certain perception of what is considered to be normal and socially acceptable when it comes to masculine or feminine roles. Teenagers are becoming more and more confused about how to act accordingly to their sex. Some suppress their sexual feelings towards the same sex because traditionally, society deemed that homosexuality was not considered “normal”. Quoting a parent that wrote an article in a magazine "My sixteen year old son has openly told me about his boyfriend and how he doesn't care what others think of it. I obviously cannot address this issue with my husband or he'll go ballistic and kick him (her son) out". Traditionally, a young boy would not be open about his homosexuality; however in today’s society, it is gradually becoming a socially acceptable issue.
Evidence that indicates this confusion in men and women are observations in real life. For example the media, such as shows like “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”, although it was based on gay guys doing a ‘maker over’ on a straight guy, it was rated one of the highest viewing make over shows in Australia. If this show was aired in the olden days, it would have got cancelled on the spot. However, since homosexuality is not much of a big deal now, shows like this are considered as entertainment, hence socially acceptable.
Even though many changes have occurred, some traditional parents are still concerned about their children’s involvement in the society. For example a traditional mother who is concerned about her daughter being very modern and prefers having a career than learning how to cook, be married and have kids. Similarly, this is evident among parents whose son is pursuing a "feminine career" where he is engaged in feminine activities, such as nursing, child care, teaching, cooking, cleaning and other career’s that are considered feminine are a huge concern to these traditional parents. This highlight the point that many gender roles within the society has changed, however some people’s attitudes towards gender roles have not yet been changed.
University student Azita Doudman who has completed her degree in psychology at the University of Adelaide and is currently studying social science at the University of South Australia talks about the issue of gender roles. She states “Gender roles are set of behavior relating to males and females in a given social situation or system, which determines how an individual of a particular sex should behave in a given situation or group. Traditionally many of these roles were assumed to be fixed and masculinity was identified as active while femininity was identified as passive. However this view point has changed since then. In today’s society, both masculine and feminine roles are flexible and vary among individual. Therefore, it is impossible to categorize one sex as passive while other as active. A factor that contributed to this change is the involvement of both females/male in traditionally masculine/feminine roles and occupations, as well as changes in people and societies attitudes towards this issue of gender role’.
In conclusion it is evident that both masculinity and Femininity in today's society are changing rapidly, and in this process of change, masculinity and femininity is becoming more over rated and complicated. Individuals and media are causing this effect of this confusion in today’s society because there are some people who are still very traditional. Nevertheless, the positive aspect of this change in gender roles is the level of tolerance and acceptance of many of these roles which is carried out by male and female. In future, people who hold a traditional outlook on masculinity and femininity will change or at least become flexible, hence those who prefer practicing traditional roles of masculinity/femininity will understand that not everyone agrees with their view and that it is ok for a women to get in touch with their masculine side and men to get in touch with their feminine side.
By Sharareh Doudman
Reference(s):
1. Book:
• Bessan. J., & Watts. R. (2002).Sociology Australia. Sex In Australia, 2nd edition. Allen & Unwin.
2. Expert:
• Psychologist
3. Magazine:
• Total Girl, 2007 February
• Women Weekly, 2007 March Edition
Still looking for the right essay?
Try our Premium Essay collection!
This essay is copyrighted by the author and maintained
by GotEssays.Com for research purposes only!
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
