Roxana Dubon
Soc 385
Gender Roles
Sociology has always been thought of as the study of society, but how can sociology explain human behaviors and actions? Durkheim defines a Social Fact as “every way of acting, whether fixed or not, which is capable of exercising an external constraint on the individual, or, which is general throughout a given society, whilst having an existence of its own, independent of its individual manifestations”(Durkheim, 3) This means that human behavior may or may not be instilled in an individual, but, what is true about behavior/actions is that there are standards that by choice can be lived up to. Yet the collective consciousness, the belief of society as a whole, can affect our participation or deviation. Anomie, the lack of normlessness, is what can make you feel like an outcast when you deviate from the role you are to play in society.
By Durkheim’s definition of social facts gender roles fit the definition. Gender roles exist outside of any one individual and there are constraints associated with them by society. Gender roles are predetermined by the sex of an individual. If you are born a female you are expected to act “lady” like. If you are born a male your are expected to fulfill those traits of a “macho” and “Romeo”, being stern and chivalrous. Both genders are labeled and have expectations that are to be fulfilled by the individual.
These ideas of gender norms have a shared understanding in society, this is called collective consciousness. As a society when a girl is born, pink is automatically assumed to be the color of choice for the clothes, room, and/or toys. For boys, blue is attributed to their birth and things purchased by parents or gifted from friends would most likely be blue. The toys we associate with each gender are from the collective consciousness. Girls are given dolls and play houses, while boys play rough with each other and have toy trucks/cars. This is only the start to gender roles that will be played throughout history and changed.
To date we see how gender roles are represented in present time. They have weakened and readjusted themselves. Still very present in everyday life gender roles structure the way people identify themselves. Let’s take the present role of women in society. Women are now working the same number of hours men do outside the home yet they are expected to come home and be house wives--tending the home, husband, and children. Why should they work twice as hard? If they don’t people will be quick to judge them. Yet, men on the other hand still hold similar roles that they have had throughout history, they are the bread winners.
As a women myself, I can relate. For me it is difficult to be a student , a worker, and still tend to my home. I don’t necessarily agree that women should work so hard, but, I do get a sense of normlessness when I don’t play every individual role I am expected to play. This sense of normlessness is what Durkheim describes as anomie. If the roles you are expected to perform as a woman aren’t carried out as society says you get undermined, you lack womenlyness. People seem to think less of you if you aren’t cooking for your family or keeping the house tidy. It certainly is hard to keep up with all that is expected, but to me it is important that I do play my role, not only because that is what is expected of me but because I feel as if I have accomplished myself as a woman.
Gender roles are tricky, they are the social facts that keep us constrained to performing the duties we consider feminine or masculine. The collective consciousness is what society as a whole agrees on what defines the gender roles as feminine or masculine, and anomie is what can force us into performing these roles in order not to be considered an outcast.
Soc 385
Gender Roles
Sociology has always been thought of as the study of society, but how can sociology explain human behaviors and actions? Durkheim defines a Social Fact as “every way of acting, whether fixed or not, which is capable of exercising an external constraint on the individual, or, which is general throughout a given society, whilst having an existence of its own, independent of its individual manifestations”(Durkheim, 3) This means that human behavior may or may not be instilled in an individual, but, what is true about behavior/actions is that there are standards that by choice can be lived up to. Yet the collective consciousness, the belief of society as a whole, can affect our participation or deviation. Anomie, the lack of normlessness, is what can make you feel like an outcast when you deviate from the role you are to play in society.
By Durkheim’s definition of social facts gender roles fit the definition. Gender roles exist outside of any one individual and there are constraints associated with them by society. Gender roles are predetermined by the sex of an individual. If you are born a female you are expected to act “lady” like. If you are born a male your are expected to fulfill those traits of a “macho” and “Romeo”, being stern and chivalrous. Both genders are labeled and have expectations that are to be fulfilled by the individual.
These ideas of gender norms have a shared understanding in society, this is called collective consciousness. As a society when a girl is born, pink is automatically assumed to be the color of choice for the clothes, room, and/or toys. For boys, blue is attributed to their birth and things purchased by parents or gifted from friends would most likely be blue. The toys we associate with each gender are from the collective consciousness. Girls are given dolls and play houses, while boys play rough with each other and have toy trucks/cars. This is only the start to gender roles that will be played throughout history and changed.
To date we see how gender roles are represented in present time. They have weakened and readjusted themselves. Still very present in everyday life gender roles structure the way people identify themselves. Let’s take the present role of women in society. Women are now working the same number of hours men do outside the home yet they are expected to come home and be house wives--tending the home, husband, and children. Why should they work twice as hard? If they don’t people will be quick to judge them. Yet, men on the other hand still hold similar roles that they have had throughout history, they are the bread winners.
As a women myself, I can relate. For me it is difficult to be a student , a worker, and still tend to my home. I don’t necessarily agree that women should work so hard, but, I do get a sense of normlessness when I don’t play every individual role I am expected to play. This sense of normlessness is what Durkheim describes as anomie. If the roles you are expected to perform as a woman aren’t carried out as society says you get undermined, you lack womenlyness. People seem to think less of you if you aren’t cooking for your family or keeping the house tidy. It certainly is hard to keep up with all that is expected, but to me it is important that I do play my role, not only because that is what is expected of me but because I feel as if I have accomplished myself as a woman.
Gender roles are tricky, they are the social facts that keep us constrained to performing the duties we consider feminine or masculine. The collective consciousness is what society as a whole agrees on what defines the gender roles as feminine or masculine, and anomie is what can force us into performing these roles in order not to be considered an outcast.