Free Essay Sample on Gender Equality: Balancing Femininity & Masculinity

Introduction

Femininity and masculinity are considered useful in most of our societies because it helps to determine one sex from others. Regardless of feminism and masculinity being viewed as important, some people usually perceive it in a different way. Some might perceive it in a positive way, while others normally viewed it in a negative manner. Positively, femininity and masculinity are seen as significant among the people because it eliminates the differences across the gender by advocating for gender equality. Also, femininity and masculinity are useful in determining individuals’ behaviors and the roles they play in their societies.

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Negatively, some people view masculinity and femininity to be unfair to them because, to some extent, it gives more power to one gender as compared to the other. The paper will, therefore, focus on the definition of femininity and masculinity. The paper will also discuss the reasons why feminism and masculinity are normally considered as socially constructed. Also, the paper will look at the argument for variation of femininity and masculinity across the culture. Moreover, the paper will explore some of the connections between violence and masculinity and ways that men benefit from deconstructing notions of masculinity. Furthermore, the paper will discuss some of the consequences that emerge as a result of continued inequality and my brief thoughts concerning what I have learned from the readings.

Several Theories

Several theories have been used to defined femininity. Feminism theory is one of the theories that explain feminism in a broader way. According to feminism theory, women and men are considered equal when it comes to leadership representation and job creation. Moreover, femininity can be defined as those characteristics that are only specific to women in terms of behavioral conduct and their social roles in society. Some of the traits that are normally portraited by women include; being submissive, emotional, and forgiving. Gender stereotypes theory is the other theory that further explores the definition of femininity and masculinity. Gender stereotypes theory has discovered that women are less masculine than men ( Gerke, 2016). On the contrary, males are viewed as less feminine than women. Also, masculinity implies the traits that are strictly portraited by males in their daily lives. Examples of these traits are; a man should be strong, aggressive, and patient.

The traits that are associated with femininity and masculinity are socially constructed. Socialization is one of the ways that shows femininity and masculinity is learned. Through socialization, one is able to distinguish the characteristics that exist between males and females. Also, socialization enables people to identify the roles of women and men in their respective communities. Growth and development are the other reasons why the traits of femininity and masculinity are considered as socially constructed. Women and men normally adopt certain characteristics as they are undergoing the process of growth. Moreover, the environment has been discovered to be associated with the traits that are acquired by males and females during their lifetime. Males and females may acquire different characteristics depending on the environment where they are brought up.

Social Responsibilities

The study has discovered that femininity and masculinity vary across the culture, depending on the social responsibilities of each individual (Manne, 2018). Also, masculinity and femininity usually vary across the culture because of the differences in cultural practices from one community to the other. An example of a cultural practice that contributes to the variation of femininity and masculinity across the culture includes marriage.

Patriarchy refers to a situation whereby one gender is more powerful than the other. The powerfulness linked to patriarchy is normally viewed in terms of leadership across the culture. An example where patriarchy can be drawn is a society that is majorly dominated by males as compared to women. The domination, therefore, may, at times, creates inequality across the gender since one gender is at the frontline when it comes to laying down of the rules to be followed. There are various connections that exist between violence and masculinity. One of the common violence that has drawn from the readings is that women feminist usually advocates for the rights of females without putting into consideration the rights of males, thus neglecting them ( Bridges, & Pascoe, 2016). As a result of the negligence of the other gender, males would rarely get access, especially when it comes to exercising their fundamental human rights. Cultural interference also relates to violence and masculinity in a way that some communities might tend to enroll men in activities that are meant for females.

Men can benefit from deconstructing notions of masculinity through power, whereby males are given more representation in leadership positions as compared to women. The chance that is given to men enables them to be recognized in society as well as being valued, particularly on the roles they play. Also, deconstructing notions is considered to be beneficial among men since it enables them to advocate their rights.

Inequality has been one of the major challenges across gender. One way in which inequality is viewed as a problem is that it undermines the progress of different groups of people through influence. The inequality may influence people in different ways depending on they are being treated. There would be several consequences to women and society if they continued with the status of quo. Negligence across gender is one of the results of continued inequity among women because most of them would value their needs, thus leaving aside the grievances of other people. Continued inequity also demies other people to air out their grievances whenever they are faced with challenges.

Also, with the existence of the status of quo across the gender, the society would likely to experience oppression from those who are in leadership positions. The oppression can be based on color or race in which individuals belong to. Furthermore, oppression can be drawn from an event whereby some women are rarely involved in leadership positions, thus denying them the right to expression. The rare involvement of women in governance would also deny them the right to express their roles. Moreover, the existence of a continued inequity in society rarely gives an opportunity for women to exercise their rights, for instance, a right to fair wages after offering their services. The inequality that might exist in society would also make some women view themselves as superior to others.

There are various feelings that I can share concerning the readings. One of the feelings that I can share from the readings is that masculinity and femininity play a key role in most of our societies by offering a basis under which women and men are classified. The other feelings that I have learned from the readings are that femininity and masculinity are socially constructed since most of the traits are acquired at the different stages of life. The readings also show that femininity and masculinity can be advocated through ensuring equality across all genders. Getting access to social services such as employment is the other thought that I can share from the readings. Culture has also contributed a lot in the field of feminism because it has enabled people to know their respective roles, therefore easing the work ( Garlick, 2019). I have also learned that; feminism and masculinity co-relate with each other in a way that they are used to identify the duties of each gender. Also, the perspective of feminism and masculinity enables people to know the traits that are specific to a particular individual on the basis of their sex.

Conclusion

In conclusion, femininity and masculinity are the components that contribute a lot when it comes to the classification of gender, as discussed in the paper. Masculinity and femininity are the most appropriate tools that are usually used to differentiate the traits that belong to males from the characteristics that are associated with women. Also, femininity and masculinity help people to come up with proper ways of eliminating gender inequality that exists between them, thus promoting unity amongst themselves ( Meintjies, 1991). Through the understanding of femininity and masculinity, people are able to fight against a patriarchal society where one gender dominates the other. Cultural interference would also be easily eliminated through understating femininity and masculinity hence enabling the people to exercise their rights according to their will. All forms of discrimination would also be eradicated, therefore promoting good relationships between different genders. The understanding of masculinity and femininity shapes the behaviors of the individuals across the culture, thus eliminating gender differences.Deconstruction notions should also be applied wisely to avoid gender discrimination. The feeling that I have towards the readings is that people should be at the forefront when it comes to advocating for equity across gender.

References

Bridges, T., & Pascoe, C. (2016). Chapter 15/violence and masculinity threat. In L. Wade, D. Hartmann, & C. Uggen (Eds.), Assigned: Life with gender (pp. 97-101). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Garlick, S. (2019). The Return of Nature: Feminism, Hegemonic Masculinities, and New Materialisms. Men and Masculinities, 22. Retrieved from file
http:///home/chronos/u-5f39cc8e613af78cf584f796bb6a4b28b265eb55/MyFiles/Download s/Feminism, Hegemonic Masculinities, and the New Materialisms.pdf.

Gerke, M. (2016). Chapter 4/gay male athletes and discourses of masculinity. In L. Wade, D. Hartmann, & C. Uggen (Eds.), Assigned: Life with gender (pp. 33-37). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Manne, K. (2018). Down girl: the logic of misogyny. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Meintjies, F. (1991). Men, Feminism, and Masculinity. Empowering Women for Gender Equity, 11–14. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/4547965.