Gender Differences In American Culture

Gender is defined as the culturally and socially constructed differences between females and males found in the meanings, beliefs, and practices associated with "femininity" and "masculinity" (Kendall 281). Gender is a socially defined concept that directly impacts how every individual lives their life today. Nothing is inherently biological when referring to an individual's gender, yet we assign gender roles based on a person's biological sex. We as people must recognize the gender expectations created from within American society, and strive to challenge them in order to remove social boundaries/inequalities created by these arbitrary distinctions. The partition between men and women is portrayed as a clear division within American culture. There is a biological need to define sex in a distinct manner, but culturally gender has been separated similarly. Men are thought to be rough, violent, emotionally strong, and protecting. Women are thought to be petite, kind, emotional, and beautiful. When one strays from these set gender expectations the result can be catastrophic. People are ostracized, emotionally battered, and in some cases physically harmed for appearing "different". When individuals go out of …show more content…
One directly violates the proscribed sexual orientation or gender, and continues life acting out different gender expectations, usually that of the other sex. Homosexual people have been dealing with violence and discrimination for numerous years. In 2014 approximately 19% of all single bias hate crime victims were targeted because of their sexual orientation ("Victims"). Just recently one of the bloodiest massacres in American history took place in a gay night club (Caplan, Hayden). The American nation has progressed greatly when learning to accept those who diverge from the expected gender roles, however U.S. culture has much room to