Society is one of the most influential forces that shape human behavior. Most individuals strive to conform to the expectations and the standards that society has established. The acceptable behavior and roles that individuals are expected to perform are usually tied to their gender. In an effort to understand the impact of gender on behavior, I conducted an observation at my workplace. The observation involved examining the behavior of my colleagues to determine if the behavior was in line with societal expectations.
After observing my colleagues at the workplace for two hours, I made interesting findings. One, most of these people are assigned roles that are largely in line with societal standards. For example, the janitor and the cook are all female. This observation confirms that societal traditions and standards are defining role allocation at my workplace. I also noted that men occupied positions of authority. For example, the department head is male. On the other hand, women serve in positions that are rather lowly. These positions include receptionist and executive assistant.
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One of the most striking observations that I made concerns the challenges that those who defy societal expectations face. There is a young man who is rather effeminate. His way of walking, talking and general mannerisms go against societal expectations. For example, society expects men to speak with authority and confidence. This man was rather timid and spoke in a soft voice. I observed that he was isolated from the rest of the employees. I later learnt that the isolation is not necessarily by design. The employees avoid him because they find him difficult to interact with. The experiences of this employee correspond to the lessons gained in this class. In the Gen Silent video, it is revealed that many gay and lesbian senior citizens suffer in isolation as they have been rejected by their families and society in general (3DollarBillCinema, 2010). The young man feels isolated because his mannerisms do not match societal standards. The key takeaway from this assignment is that society continues to intrude in people’s lives and rob them of liberty. It is time that society responds to the changes in attitudes toward such issue as gender and sexuality.
References
3DollarBillCinema. (2010). Gen Silent-Trailer. YouTube. Retrieved June 2, 2018 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9l2Ks6kUyE
