Gender: Social vs. Biological Construction

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Table of Contents

Socialization of Gender
Gender Inequality, As It Relates to Intersectionality
Five Key Functions of Family
Domestic Violence
Reference

From the biological perspective, gender is determined by the birth of a person. It is determined by two major factors, such as hormones and chromosomes (Lindsey, 2020). From a social perspective, gender varies in different societies. It includes norms, behaviors, and roles assigned to men and women (Lindsey, 2020). These perspectives impact the perception of gender and the way community members interact with individuals belonging to different genders.

Socialization of Gender

Structural Perspective

Following a structural functional perspective on gender, there is a specific division of labor existing in society. It implies that women perform traditionally female roles while males should be focused on doing their male duties (Lindsey, 2020). It means that men should work for the family and supply it with money and necessary resources. At the same time, women should take care of the home, raise children and provide them with all necessary resources.

Conflict Perspective

From the conflict perspective, gender is viewed as the opposition between men and women. Males attempt to maintain power and the privileges acquired because of their position in society to save their leading positions (Lindsey, 2020). It means they struggle to remain the dominant group, while females remain the subordinate cohort. It creates the basis for conflict and the emergence of tensions within society.

Symbolic Interaction Perspective

From the symbolic interaction perspective, gender socialization is a complex process. It implies learning how to behave as a girl or boy following the stereotypes existing within a society (Lindsey, 2020). It means that the gender of a person is acquired during the interaction with parents, teachers, and friends. Moreover, the mass media and the ideas dominating society help to promote a better understanding of gender and make it apparent.

All these perspectives are interconnected because they revolve around the ideas of gender and how they exist in society. They view gender from a social perspective, disregarding biological peculiarities. Instead, these paradigms focus on the way individuals living in society interact and show their attitudes to traditional roles and relations between men and women. For this reason, all these perspectives are closely interconnected.

Gender Inequality, As It Relates to Intersectionality

Intersectionality can be viewed as the ways in which specific systems of inequality rest on gender, race, ethnicity, orientation, and other factors. Thus, speaking about gender inequality, it is vital to admit the fact that intersectionality impacts the way society understands this concept and how it allows individuals to behave regarding their genders (Lindsey, 2020). In other words, gender inequality is linked to discrimination based on disability, cultural diversity, and orientation. As a result, the dominating perspective on this factor creates the basis for the growth of inequality.

Five Key Functions of Family

Traditionally, functionalists speak about the five major functions of gender. These include reproduction, socialization, care, and emotional support, assignment of status, regulation of sexual behavior by following social norms (Lindsey, 2020). These functions are central to a family as they should be performed by men and women, considering their stereotypical occupations and duties. From this perspective, the family is an essential element of society and contributes to its stable functioning and evolution.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence can be viewed as a result of the opposition between genders. The struggle for dominance between men and women can acquire aggressive forms. As a result, domestic violence can be viewed as a violent act committed by one of the partners in the domestic circle (Lindsey, 2020). It is a result of tensions existing within a family and might come from the inability to resolve conflicts emerging because of the assigned social roles. It should be viewed as a severe problem affecting society and households.

Reference

Lindsey, L. (2020). Gender: Sociological perspective (7^th ed.). Routledge.

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