Gendered Self and Society Essay

Gender self is as the concept or a belief about oneself that entails the aspects of life for example gender identity and sexual identity. According to Baron, Schmader, Cvencek and Meltzoff (2014), gender self is a stereotype that shapes attitudes on how people understand gender equality. Therefore, people tend to associate gender self with gender roles in society. As an individual, my gendered self is female. Gender in everyday life entails the manner in which I express femininity as a lady for example dress code, hair style and how I interact with other people for instance associating with other girls. In this essay, I will illustrate on how my gender impacts my everyday life, ways in which I conform or deviate from societal expectations, and its influence on decision making and interactions with other people. This essay will also explain how gender relates to other social factors like race, class and sexuality and explain how gender rewards or disadvantages an individual.

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Gender assigns each individual to their respective roles or ways of life so as to meet societal expectations. Ladies have a unique dressing code that makes it easier for an individual to quickly spot them. As a lady, I have to carefully select certain outfits while leaving out others so for example tight pants and dresses. Hair style and make up also add femininity to my image. Gender impacts directly on my interactions with other peers for instance the kind of people I hang out with. In most cases, my parents will feel at ease if I visit female friends as compared to male friends which affect the type of friends to have. To be a female greatly demands conformity to societal expectations. To begin with, body image is important. For instance, even though this factor is a natural occurrence, some women who suffer from a disorder triggered by androgenesis feel embarrassed for having facial hair. A lady is expected to be less masculine and have no facial hair as for the case of men. As an individual I have to talk softly, be emotional and accommodating which are societal definitions of lady characteristics. Roles such as cooking, cleaning the house or doing the dishes are meant for me the females. All this trickles down to societal norms that dictate the extent to which men and women can act and their various roles.

Gender roles and behavior are set according to the societal expectations of masculinity and femininity. However, in some cases it might be hectic to fully conform to these demands. Human beings are experimental creatures therefore in society one tends to deviate societal expectations in the aim to satisfy curiosity or other self-interests. For instance I can associate with male classmates occasionally so as to share ideas and views. This is seen mostly as a male characteristic but in real sense it is not. I have a passion to join the military although it is seen as a male occupation. In some cases it takes courage to defy all odds so as to accomplish one's self interests.

The shaping of "gendered self" begins during childhood. Children are influenced to associate themselves with careers based on gender which affects their life choices later in life. As a young girl, my parents prepared me to take up feminine roles. For instance I could help my mother in cleaning the house or cooking. During play time I could associate myself with baby dolls and act as a mother. Growing up as a girl, I was encouraged to take up social sciences jobs and leave out technical courses for the boys. However, I dream of being a military lady, an idea that is unwelcomed by my parents and is referred to as masculine. This example of being discouraged to join the military best describes how gender has influenced my decisions in life. Discarding my passion of being a military soldier to take up social science courses.

Interactions can be adversely affected by gender. For instance, while socializing with other girls, a group of boys wanted to join us so that we could have fun together. However, due to the fear that they might take advantage of us, we declined their request and went on to have fun as ladies. The fear of interaction with other peers especially of the opposite sex is a clear life experience where gender impacted my interactions with others. Normally ladies tend to interact freely amongst themselves than with men. Gender affects interactions in everyday life such that I take up roles related to femininity and mostly associate with girls. During sports, my team mates are girls thus most interactions during sports are with girls.

Interactions and gender roles in society are discriminative in nature, thus it conforms to the way people of a different races, class or sexuality treat each other. For instance people of a certain race tend to associate with themselves while leaving out the others. Similarly, people of a high class tend to discriminate those of a lower class. According to the society, sexual attraction and intimate relations should be between people of the opposite sex. Any contradicting form of sexuality is unacceptable. Therefore it is easy to see that gender and other social factors are comparable since they have one thing in common, discrimination.

Appearance and body image form the basis of gender experience. The way people in society view an individual is related to the appearance of the individual. For instance as a lady I should behave in a way that conforms to femininity. Dressing code, physical appearance, hair styles and eating habits will tell another person what gender I am. Any other characteristic that tends to be masculine will be questionable and may lead to rejection in society.

In day to day life, gender can either be of a benefit or a disadvantage to an individual. For instance since ladies tend to be more emotional, one can easily be lured by my words and offer to me what I want with ease. However there are disadvantages in that practically all the house chores are left for the ladies. To add on, most sports are masculine hence as a lady participation in sports is limited. One may also take advantage of my femininity to harass me since I will be unable to defend myself.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gender self gives a person their place in society. It also dictates how the society expects them to act or perform their roles. These expectations impact on a person's life either directly or indirectly as explained in the essay. Gender can be of advantage or disadvantage to an individual. The feminine gender tends to be more disadvantaged as a number of privileges lean towards the masculine side. Gender can also influence life choices especially career possibilities which will affect a person's future life. Interactions are also influenced by gender such that people of the same sex interact freely than those of the opposite sex. However, one might deviate from the societal expectations of masculinity or feminity to suit their needs. Gender relates to other social factors such that there seems to be discrimination in them for example race, class or sexuality.

References

Baron, A. S., Schmader, T., Cvencek, D., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2014). The gendered self-concept: How implicit gender stereotypes and attitudes shape self-definition. East Sussex, England: Psychology Press