Essay On Gender And Culture

Over time, cultural values are changing and so does perception of gender. The way we define ourselves is mainly influenced by family and the culture we live in. In the United States, gender identity is shaped by family,economy and social environment. The most significant years of gender formation are the first few years of our lives-where we learn to be masculine versus feminine, learn to like specific sexual orientation, and perhaps anything that will impact the identity we will exhibit. Every society classifies people based on gender and assigns different norms to each group. Our society consist of only two legal genders, anything in between is considered deviant. As our culture and economy changes, values and norms seem to follow this change as well. We live in a time where gender roles are changing due to economical freedom women have gained. Gender is an achieved status while sex differences are ascribed. The formation of gender begins with simple classification of genitals, based on that we are labeled as a girl or boy. This label is then marked by clothing and name given by parents. Thus …show more content…
Females in sexuality are more “ malleable and mutable: it is responsive to culture, learning, and social circumstances”. Thus the more freedom they have in society, the more likely they are to try new things. Men in contrast cannot experience this plasticity without being sanctioned by society, for them it is more important to stay masculine. The most significant sexual plasticity women experience in the modern world is anal sex, “ In 1992, 16 percent of women aged eighteen to twenty-four said they had tried it, and now at the upper end of that bracket, the number is 40 percent”. Women are more open about their sexuality, since they choose their partner , they have a stronger bond and are willing to experience all aspects of