Gender denotes cultural or social differences attributed to masculinity and femininity. Each gender is ascribed to various roles and is expected to portray different behavior and attitudes and this begins with socialization at birth (Little, 2012). Gender is socially constructed, varies from one culture to another and changes with time. These differences are portrayed in the expression of feelings and emotions, child upbringing, participation in roles, media activities and peer groups.
While expressing their feelings and emotions, women in USA give out squeals of glee in public places and jump as they hug while men are expected to give a brief hug or shake hands. In the Japanese culture, friends bow to each other while in Arab men kiss to express their greetings. Social class is also a determinant in expressing feelings and emotions therefore high class men and women are reserved in showing their delight as compared to lower class men and women. In child upbringing, mothers tend to be closer to their daughters as compared to their sons. Different toys are also bought for both genders which further outlines their differences even as they transition into adulthood (Little, 2012).
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While participating in their various roles, men protect and support their families while women stay at home to look after children. In the absence of a father figure, women in northern Albania take an oath of lifelong virginity and take over the man’s role. Additionally, men enroll to law enforcement and military professions while women engage in care-related careers. Moreover, the media portrays gender differences as men dominate while females are stereotyped. However, with changes in technology this notion is slowly eroding. Peer groups also determine participation in the various activities. For boys, popularity emerges from toughness and athletic ability while physical appearance and family background worked for girls. All these factors demonstrate contents that are of interest to sociologists due to their different coverage on gender.
Reference
Little, W. (2012). Introduction to sociology (1 st ed.). Hewlett Foundation, United States.
