Gender Differences Between Masculinity And Femininity

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Gender is learnt through socialisation as part of the rules and conventions shared by a culture to generate meaning. Many of the rules and conventions that dominate Western society emphasis dichotomies, good or bad, black or white, and gender: masculinity or femininity (Beck, 1998). Masculinity and femininity as separate and distinct gender identities are constructed through the performance of and repetition of ‘gendered’ acts. Over time gendered performances have become embedded in the structural arrangements and preferences of society (Fahey, 2007).
Masculinity defines itself in its opposition to femininity, as part of the dichotomy of gender this is reflected in the rules and conventions that structure society. The distinction between

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