Social Interaction Theory: A Discussion Of Gender Roles

Society has a set standard or ideal for practically everything. One of the largest driving factors it dictates can be found in gender roles. Gender roles, as defined in unit 2 are, “the characteristics, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that society expects of males and females.” They are something that are ever-present in society, and interacts based on the social interaction theory, as well as being something an individual encounters on a daily basis.
The idea of gender roles is something that applies in everybody 's daily decisions and life, whether they realize it or not. Gender roles dictate everything from which clothes you put on in the morning to what job you go to, even as far out as what car you drive. I chose the topic of gender roles because of how important it is. It is such a large part of society and not everybody realizes that. It is something that as a girl I grew …show more content…
In some cases it would be easier to answer. For example, why is it more acceptable for men to wear pants? Because traditionally men needed the extra movement they allowed in farm work or varied work conditions, or to be able to ride horses as transportation more effectively. In other cases the answer is not so clear. An example of that would be, why does pink represent girls, and blue boys, and why is it frowned upon if a girl wears pink? The main aspect of the theory that gender roles relates to is the meaning portion. The portion says that people interact with symbols based upon their meanings. It means that people interact with a specific thing based upon how that thing is perceived by society ("Symbolic Interactionism."). To relate it back to gender roles, men and women are held to separate standards based upon what society feels they should or should not do, or how they should or should not act. Everything becomes relative to the meaning that society has placed upon