Society's Perception of Gender and the Psychological Effects of this Influence

The society we live in today and the media such as the television shows, movies, music, and the pop culture are as tremendous influences when it comes to gender expectation of masculinity and feminity. Ideally, gender is the label that begins at birth in which the society and cultures assign superiority and inferiority to men and women. From the moment an Individual is born he or she has to undergo a process of socialization that often prescribes and at the same time prohibits the behaviors appropriate for each; for either the male or the female. For instance, in most societies, male individuals are given a perception that they are superior compared to their female counterparts. This often begins from birth in which male children are encouraged to be more responsible, aggressive and assertive, and to dominate their female counterparts. On the other hand, from birth and in equally most societies, women are often taught to follow the footsteps of the male characters in their lives; they are told to believe that they are inferior to men and often encouraged to act passively to conform to the demands of the male. Consequently, this kind of gender stereotyping that begins from childhood can have serious psychological effects on the individuals and can influence their individual identities in terms of their personal traits, physical appearance, domestic behaviors, and occupation.

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Society's perception of gender roles often has a direct influence on an individual's personality traits. For birth, children both male and female are expected to behave in a manner that conforms with the societal standards set for male and female. While male children are often expected to behave in a masculine manner and toughen up as they grow up, female children are encouraged to feel pain and to act in a passive way. For instance, according to Kimmel (89), while adults will always tend to comfort their children by saying a soothing thing when they cry, boys are more likely to have less soothing words or sometimes left to cry alone. This is the society's initial influence in the gender identity of an individual. As children grow up and as they turn into young adults, society still expects a certain role from a male child and the female child. For example, in schools, teachers and even peers do not expect young male adults to cry, but instead they should suck it up. For girls, on the other hand, it is perfectly acceptable to cry when undergoing any kind of difficulty. For this reason, males as they grow often bottle up their emotions and most male adults associate crying with feminism and weakness. Ideally, crying is a normal emotion portrayed by both adults and children irrespective of gender differences, therefore does not need to be deemed non-conforming to any gender or viewed as weakness.

Traditional societal perception of gender always assigns certain domestic roles that are considered to be Masculine to men and the ones deemed to be feminine to women. Even though the two-income households are normal in today's societies, the traditional expectation of men as the real breadwinners of the house still stands, and men are expected to make more money than their partners. According to Oakley, this traditional notion defines a man in some societies and is expected to be followed. This has continued to today's modern societies, and most men often feel resentful of their partners if they tend to make more money than them. Similarly, the societal view on domestic behaviors also expects that women should take care of the children and their households in terms of cleaning and cooking. Ashwin, states that in many societies, men are not allowed to step into their wives kitchen and to some extent a taboo to some communities. In particular, women are expected to conduct all the house chores in a quiet and passive manner. Despite girls being more vocal during their childhood, their attitude and beliefs about opposite sex often change drastically. It is also at this age that the society teachers women most that they are vulnerable and must always be assertive to gain the protection of their male counterparts. Ideally, these kinds of gender norms that expect women to be polite and obedient to their husbands always lead to many women suppressing their feelings and eventually suffer. At the same time, determining a man's worth buy the value of his paycheck is unfair and often tend to make men strive to provide for their families without asking for help from their wives.

In today's societies, society's influences and perception of gender identity have also been seen in occupations as certain jobs are seen as fit for female and others for the male. For instance, according to Kimmel (85), most people are always quick to assume that certain careers such as teaching and nursing are only meant for women, and any man working as a teacher or a nurse is portrayed as feminine. Just like the traditional society, the modern society assumes that there are certain jobs that only men can excel in as they require a certain degree of urgency and women are always deemed to be slow and tedious. Similarly, considering wages, jobs that offer more wages always given to men because they are their families' breadwinners. In addition, some companies do not hire men because the nature of their services require a certain level of compassion that men are assumed not to possess. For instance, most women are preferred over men as either customer cares or secretaries while most men are always allocated for leadership roles because of the belief that men should lead and people only respect a male figure in power. There are also few women in certain fields considered to be technical such as in doctors and engineers. This indicates that even though there are several changes in society's perception of gender roles, the old notion that men are superior are still being witnessed across the world.

Furthermore, the view of the society on gender differences and gender identity is seen primarily on physical appearance. Ideally, the society has set certain standards of physical appearance on both male and female in which men are expected to look and dress in a certain manner and women the same. For instance, in the view of society, men are expected to be muscular and tall compared to women. Despite this not being uniform, the majority of men are well-built up compared to their female counterparts, and those men who are less built and short are seen to possess female characteristics (Schmitt et al. 196). Additionally, men are expected to dress and groom in ways that conform to their gender. On the other hand, just like men are expected to be masculine, women often face immense pressure by the society to look flawless and pretty at all time. On television, for instance, there are always advertisements about women's beauty products indicating that they should always be pretty.

Understanding the psychological effects of the societal perception on gender identity is crucial while dealing with vulnerable people especially women and the transgender. From childhood, society has molded every individual's perception of what is right and wrong and giving the impression that male is always above women. This can lead to a significant psychological effect not only to the inferior women but also the men as well. For instance, societal perception of gender identity often leads to gender discrimination which has tremendous psychological effects. For example, because of the societal perception than me are superior, they may tend to cause harm to their female counterparts in terms of rape or any other physical harm knowing they would get away with it (Schmitt et al. 203). The result is, most women suffer in silence thinking they are always wrong and men are right. In addition, societal perception of gender has also led to certain discrimination instances especially to the LGBTQ and the transgender community. They are always viewed as outcasts because they are viewed not to conform to accepted societal standards. Moreover, societal perception on men as muscular and the head of the family has caused a lot of strain on men especially in the modern societies that judge an individual more based on their ability to take care of their families.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gender stereotyping that always arises from societal perception on gender identity not only influences individuals' identities in terms of personal traits, physical appearance, domestic behavior, and occupation but can also portray certain psychological effects on these individuals. For instance, as evidence suggests, personal traits are developed from childhood and always encouraged by parents. Similarly, as kids grow up, they get exposed to their peers and their teachers who deeply influence their perception about gender differences. In addition, as they grow up into adulthood, they start to understand that men are always superior compared to women who are often expected to be humble and perceive. This eventually leads to a toxic society that preys on the weak, therefore causing them significant psychological traumas as they are expected to conform to societal standards on gender differences and identity.

Work Cited

Ashwin, Sarah, ed. Gender, state, and society in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. Psychology Press, 2000.

Kimmel, Michael S. "Masculinity as homophobia: Fear, shame, and silence in the construction of gender identity." Race, class, and gender in the United States: An integrated study (2004): 81-93.

Oakley, Ann. Sex, gender, and society. Routledge, 2016.

Schmitt, Michael T., et al. "Perceiving discrimination against one's gender group has different implications for well-being in women and men." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin28.2 (2002): 197-210.