Gender Inequality In Adulthood

Improved Essays
Through the early stages of development and socialization, children have been taught to understand the concept of gender. A recent study conducted by Barbara A. Kerr and Karen D. Milton examined the environmental influences that affect children and distinguish them from their associates of the opposite sex. This included the concepts of masculinity and femininity, which have been portrayed through the social construction of gender norms. Another critical aspect that was explored involved gifted children and the obstacles they have experienced in their academic pursuits. Other findings have exhibited similar distinction between males and females in both positive and negative contexts.
As adolescents transition from puberty to adulthood, they tend to develop different levels
…show more content…
Infants have been labeled with a factor at birth that has determined their social identity. While the first study neutralized the issues from male and female perspectives, the others emphasized the concepts through a feminist view. Consequently, the struggle to succeed socially and economically has been a greater challenge for women. The reported data confirms the source of these issues through statistics and social observations. Primarily, the dilemma resides in different opinions regarding sex. Men have been raised to be more dominant and promiscuous, while women have been informed to be more reserved. This was revealed in the investigation of attraction, in which men were more willing to be involved in casual sexual experiences. Additionally, women have not achieved the status of equal pay in the economy. They have not been taken seriously in working environments, mainly as a result of the humor that they are the common target of. Under the circumstance that we address the issue and promote gender equality, we may take a greater step towards better opportunities for

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    When the question comes, as it often does, we say we have no preference in whether a baby is born a boy or girl. In private, just us, we talk about the pros and cons of each gender. We talk about which would have more advantages or who would have an easier life in today’s world. According to author Richard Dorment, “the comparison is a toss-up or even a draw. In today’s society, it is impossible to say that a boy or a girl has any conspicuous advantages because of his or her gender”.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Class Connections: 1. Through volunteering at KinderFrogs, I mainly learned that gender can be such a social construct. Meaning, we as humans either consciously or not, typically adhere to the different gender stereotypes that have been presented to us throughout our lives. While we have discussed this concept in great detail in class, we usually focused on the negative aspects of “socializing gender.” For example, we have talked about how boys feel pressured not to cry or play with dolls, girls feel like they can’t be as good at math, and one’s personal appearance determines what gender they are.…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Almost immediately children become gender aware. They start creating generalizations, which they apply to themselves as well as other people, slowly forming their personalities. (Martin and Ruble, 2004). The role of schools has become major in the lives of children younger than 5 years old (Sales, Spjeldnes, and Koeshe, 2010). Two fundamental parts of the early childhood environment influence perceptions of young children’s gender and gender stereotypes: classroom materials and the instructions of EYPs (Well and Hmm, 2005).…

    • 1156 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gender is constructed by the society. Although individuals are born sexed, they are not born gendered. Learning is required for individuals to become masculine or feminine. Children learn to talk, walk and gesture according to their social group’s beliefs of how boys and girls should act (Lorber, 1991). Gender is a human production which relies on everyone continual “doing gender” (West & Zimmerman, 1987).…

    • 1922 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    As the child grows up he or she is capable of realizing their gender based on the toys they are expected to play with, it is through this play and toys that a child identifies what is socially acceptable for a boy and what is for a girl and learn that what is considered social acceptable for a particular gender is not necessarily acceptable to another gender (Kohlberg,…

    • 1998 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Such girls are also better at visual-spatial tasks than other girls. However, environmental factors are also influential in boys and girls developing nontraditional gender-based abilities and interests. Cognitive factors in children 's understanding of gender and gender stereotypes may contribute to their acquisition of gender roles. Two cognitive approaches to gender typing have looked at when children acquire different types of gender information and how such information modifies their gender-role activities and…

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The average American child spends over 900 hours of their time in school each year, meaning over 900 hours that are directly influenced by school teachers, school friends, and learning environment. In school, males and females are portrayed and taught in gender stereotypic ways; be it in class movies, books, or homework (Bower, 1992). At a young age, males are readily portrayed in more traditionally “masculine” roles; brave, powerful- possibly firefighters or the working parent- and women are portrayed in a traditionally “feminine” role; caring, gentle- the homemakers, or teachers. If children are being exposed to hundreds of hours of learning a year, much of which touches on gender appropriation, it is no surprise that stereotypical gender roles are prevalent later in life and in society. A change in the way children are presented information and material having to do with gender, specifically a change before the age of gender constancy (ages 5 through 7), could lead to an alteration of what is perceived as the norm.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Intersectionality is a conceptual tool used primarily for analyzing key differences in various environments and situations. Feminists use this term to critically analyze the patterns of oppression that interlock with multiple identities, such as social inequality in its complex forms. Bromley, in her writing, explains that the societal categories that define one 's identity and status quo further enables the development of hierarchies, and unearned privilege. Identity markers such as gender, sex, class, and race are socially constructed factors that further put up barriers of inclusion and exclusion for the individuals of society. In order to explain the root of the problem or offer a solution to eliminate these constructive barriers, one must…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Gender Blur

    • 1411 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Aaron Devor, the author of the essay “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes”, states that gender is a social construct that has very little to do with biology. On the other hand, Deborah Blum, in her essay “The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End And Society Take Over”, claims that while society has an effect on gender, so does biology. In this essay, I plan to present the argument that biology and society both have an effect on gender. I, like Blum, noticed biological gender differences in my children (two boys and a girl). As a father who has raised his children to believe that, men and women both do the housework, I noticed that my boys were much more aggressive than my daughter ever was even before pre-school.…

    • 1411 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “America is not like a blanket: one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, and many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread.” This quotation spoken by Jesse Jackson, a civil rights activist, demonstrates how influences of puritanical culture possess metaphorically a patch in the quilt of the United States and the idea of puritans influencing Americans from the belief of conforming to civilizations norms. Throughout the United States, Americans are held up to the idea of equal opportunity but subsequently caused by our extensive history of puritanical influence; society has been turned into isolation of diversity creating unequal…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The presence of the tyrant in the country signifies the presence of inequality of the social strata. It can be strongly exemplified by the Patriarchate system that implies the concentration of power exclusively in the hands of men. In such way, the women's rights are neglected to the considerable extent. It was exactly prevailing of the male individuals in power as the core mean of contribution to the increase of feminist waves, wars, and conquests.…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Annotated Bibliography It is a fact that in the past a gap has existed in the financial earning abilities of both men and women. This disparity has been perpetuated through time as a symptom of the cultures that occupied their times. This discrimination of genders has and will be for some time to come, a hurdle to overcome. This hurdle can be tied to other issues such as race, religion, an individual’s appearance. The list can prove to be infinite.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many stereotypes exist regarding gender and it is commonly thought that women are only recognized as the weaker sex; they are highly demoted in terms of career, social status, physical strength, and wealth. Men have always been seen as superior to women, but in recent days, women have become more independent, self-sufficient, powerful and less-sacrificing. In a world in which equality is becoming more feasible, it is important to remember that the root cause lies in childhood which will outline how a person will live the rest of their life. Since child ‘X’ is not categorized as a boy or as a girl, it will not have to face the numerous stereotypes that come along with having a gender and will be better off. From an intersectional approach, children should not be defined by their gender alone, just as they should not be defined by their race, religious background, class or any other characteristic.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social issues are far and wide, but what are people doing about them? There are many organizations dedicated to helping solve problems that are plaguing millions of people. One such issue that impacts society the most is the economy. Inequality in economics has always been around since the beginning of money and before that. It has always been about the haves and the have nots.…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays