Differences Between Tocqueville And Devor

Both Tocqueville and Devor discuss their views on the myths about gender. Devor argues that gender roles are not understood at birth because they are socially constructed in a process that takes a lifetime. As people live their lives, society can punish or reward their behavior for conformity or digression from social norms. Devor analyzes masculinity and femininity and claims how the stereotypes regarding the two gender roles are harmful to society. Tocqueville argues that social changes that promote equality will aid women to be equal to men. By comparing women in Europe to women in America, Tocqueville realizes that women in America are better in terms of how they are treated and who they are as individuals. Tocqueville also compares the …show more content…
Children at a very early age, can only comprehend the differences between the two genders but not the behaviors associated with the two genders. As children develop concepts of themselves, they do so while observing themselves as reflected by society and its expectations. However, Devor claims that a person’s idea of self is not formed by just any person but only people of significance. Not everyone is of equal importance so only certain people can influence someone’s degree of masculinity or femininity. Devor argues that masculinity and femininity should not be viewed as mirror images of each other because it leads to the stereotype of masculine aggression and feminine passiveness. Anyone who performs the behavior of the opposite gender well, is ridiculed and scorned for blurring the gender line, which should not even be an …show more content…
However, following tradition will only push men to become aggressive and insensitive towards women. Therefore, the gender line should not be drawn on the sand and threaten to harm anyone who crosses the line. The same can be said for women who do not follow tradition. Women should not be stereotyped as reliant on a man and maternal because the stereotype implies that women are useless in terms of employment and that femininity as a role, is actually satisfying a masculine vision of heterosexual attractiveness. Nobody should become the epitome of masculinity or femininity because, as Devor stated, psychological androgyny fixes any gender role issues and seems to be the most peer pressure way to live. There is comfort in the idea that gender roles are not complete nor uniform and that they are the result of an imbalance from society’s expectations. The only way to break the stereotype of gender roles is to step outside of them and explore what qualities of masculinity and femininity are most