Gender, Social, And Cultural Aspects Of Gender Essay

Introduction Gender is one of the most debated sociological topics worldwide and there are a range of views on how humans are constituted as gendered beings. Our gender determines our social function and purpose in society. Gender can be described as, â€Å"psychological, social, and cultural aspects of maleness and femaleness† (McKenna, cited in Wharton, 2005 p.6). In other words, gender is the way our biological sex is represented in society. Ann Oakley (1972), one of the first sociologists to investigate how gender is formed suggested â€Å"that perhaps men and women were only as different as society made them.† (Holmes, 2007, p. 42) Oakley’s view on the concept of gender is that it is a form of social constructivism. This concept means that gender is a metaphorical idea formed socially and has changed, and will continue to change with time. Individuals accomplish gender daily. This essay is based on the approaches of ‘doing gender’ and ‘performing gende r’, in order to convey how we accomplish gender, and to demonstrate the ways in which the outcomes of social constraints constitute us as gendered beings. Gender Socialisation Gender socialisation is a term referring to the process of how men and women learn their social roles and expectations associated with their genders. From the moment our parents announce our biological sex, we are assigned that particular gender category; girl or boy. The process of Socialisation forms our gender. (Robyn 2012). What is accepted in our genderShow MoreRelatedGender And Gender Identity1648 Words   |  7 PagesIn light of performativity, political transformation via hegemonic cultural practices continues to advocate for gender parody. Overall, the recent exploration of alterity ethics complements performativity politics by exploiting the subversive potential of gender identity as well as female identity. 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