Gender Roles: What They Are And What Are Their Types
Gender roles in our society refer to the set of ideas, behaviors or forms of expression associated with gender. These behavioral patterns have been built based on what is expected of us based on our gender.
For the most part, gender and the roles that arise associated with it have been normatively classified in a binary way: man and woman. Here we are going to refer to these differentiated gender roles between what is socially “proper” to men and women, but it is important to keep in mind that there are dissident identities outside the gender binary; Non-binary gender identity exists and is one that cannot be classified as either feminine or masculine.
In this article we are going to comment on What are the gender roles associated with the female and male gender? giving some examples to better understand this concept and the ways in which it is presented in our society, often without being aware or realizing it.
As we have mentioned, gender roles bring together the different ways of acting and behaving that are guided by our gender. They include, for example, the way we speak, dress, groom ourselves, behave… For example, femininity has been associated with education and complacency, while masculinity has been more related to strength and aggressiveness.
Gender roles can vary depending on societies, cultures and ethnicities; Each has different expectations in relation to gender, and they can vary greatly between groups.
Socialization
Learning gender roles occurs through socialization This is a learning process that begins with our birth, and little by little and based on the experiences we have and the realities we perceive, it defines our ways of understanding the world and its components. For example, we observe and learn the different ways in which communication occurs with a girl or a boy, the activities that are considered appropriate for them and the behaviors that may be reprehensible.
This entire behavioral set It will be defined by our environment in childhood and during our growth, mainly, our family nucleus and closest social context during this stage. However, gender roles and their acquisition have also been affected by socioeconomic or contextual variables other than the family; The school you go to, the neighborhood or city you live in, and the media consumed affect the socialization process and the establishment of these ideas.
Stereotypes
The biggest controversy about gender roles is considering them as a reflection of the social stereotypes associated with each gender Our society has been patriarchal and sexist since the beginning of our days, therefore, the roles and characteristics associated with the masculine will always have a higher value than those associated with the feminine. While feminine characteristics are presented as weaker and more emotional, masculine characteristics are conceived as stronger and more valuable, not as difficult to break.
This does not mean that women are the only victims of gender stereotypes and roles; Men also suffer its consequences. Presenting men as distant from emotionality, for example, can lead to the repression of these emotions and the fear of appearing socially weak, which leads to problems in emotional well-being and mental health in the short and long term.
Types of gender roles
Four ways have been differentiated when classifying gender roles and the stereotypes to which they refer:
1. Personal characteristics
These roles or stereotypes They refer to personality variables, such as extroversion, self-confidence, aggressiveness. To give some examples, women have been mostly related to patience, and men, to action.
2. Domestic behaviors
These attitudes have to do above all with the differential way in which men and women handle domestic and day-to-day management For example, women have always been associated with cleaning, cooking, and childcare tasks, while men have been relegated to finances and mechanical repairs.
3. Professions and world of work
These stereotypes or roles refer to the separation of occupations or jobs for women and men This is evident in the language we use, which is a reflection of the process of socialization and machismo inherent in the society that we mentioned previously. We almost always say the nurse and the doctor; It is the way society has taught us to represent these gender-associated occupations.
Gender differences and socialization have also had an effect on the maintenance of different canons of beauty or physical aspects considered acceptable in men or women In this way, bodily femininity is associated with thinness, the existence of hips and hair removal, among others, and masculinity with muscularity and height. These physical aspects also refer to the clothes we wear or how we present ourselves to others through our appearance. For example, it has been normalized and it is presumed that dresses are for women, not for men.
Some examples of gender roles
Although we have commented and proposed different examples of the representation of gender roles or social realities that we can see in our daily lives, we are going to review some examples in more depth.
The cares
Caring refers to the ability to take care of the needs of those people who cannot meet their own needs. Normally, in a normative home, care is associated with little people or older people. This caring role has been normal and historically represented by women
While men were dedicated to the economic maintenance of the family, women focused on providing care and cleaning at home, without this being ever considered a job in itself, but rather as part of their roles as women. It is said that the entry of women into the workforce has broken this role, but it is not true: more than 80% of single-parent households in Spain are led by a woman, and 94% of people who work part-time are women. ; It is the only way to balance work life with the care they have.
A solution for this sun is to break it completely, this transformation also having to come from social structures. It cannot be an individual change, but rather a collective one, which directs us towards co-responsibility in care.
As previously presented in this article, the capacity and ease of emotional expression has been a construct normatively linked to women. Weakness has always been associated with the feminine, so it is not strange or difficult to understand that a woman cries or appears emotional. However, men have been educated not to show their emotions or their weakness so crying is not conceived as an acceptable act for them.
Fortunately, with time and social evolutions, we become more aware of this, but there is still much to do. The changes in this case must be strengthened in socialization and school education. Boys and girls should receive from childhood an emotional education that facilitates their emotional expression and emotionality, accepting their feelings and without being afraid to show them to others. Crying is for girls and boys.
Dominance versus conciliation
Another of the most visible examples of gender roles is the one that differentiates the type of character. Historically, men have been associated with leadership and the ability to manage other people while women have been more empathetic, conciliatory and focused on obedience.
These stereotypes are reflected in the world of work; The wage gap is around 23%, and in addition, women only occupy 36%% of management positions in our country, compared to 64% of men. This is a reflection of the value that has been given to men to achieve their goals and orient themselves towards leadership, compared to the association of women with lower positions and job skills more related to following instructions.
Destroy to build
As a conclusion, Gender roles are the reflection of archaic ideas and conceptions that should be aimed at disappearing Through social education and the generalization of these ideas, populations should realize the number of beliefs that we have assumed to be true but that are strongly influenced by sexist, patriarchal and even aggressive ideas for women. Only by destroying these conceptions can we build a new world that is not governed by these very binary and separatist ideas.
