Traditional Functionalist Theory Essay

Being a female today means being a fragile, sensual caregiver that takes care of the strong, balanced protector to maintain the traditional functionalist theory that has been used as a general gender concept for years. Women are expected to be frail, fragile beings who have unstable emotions while being submissive to their male counterparts. The male counterpart is expected to be a dominant, strong being who has a balance of emotions and applies logical reasoning to their thinking. The divergent differences stem from the traditional gender roles, which classifies women and men into different categories and classes. For instance, according to “Girl”, Kincaid explains how the girl is expected to clean the house, cook, sew and be submissive to her male counterparts. In contrast, “Even an Android Cry”, Nelson explains how men are perceived to be the ones who are like superheroes with strong mentalities and physical abilities (Nelson, 2004). These perceptions contribute to the roles that have been established in America and continually contribute to the gender stereotypes that are evident in America.
Based on these traditional concepts and ideas, being female means being the weak minded, overemotional, cooking and cleaning being that holds a …show more content…
From the traditional functionalist theory, women have been defined as overemotional and illogical creatures. However, men have been perceived to be superior to their counterparts with logical and dominant roles. For example, in “Even an Android can Cry”, the Vision is shown as a character that embodies the male stereotype in culture. The constant tug and perception of men as the heroes and women being the damsels in distress is emphasized in that work and culture. These forms of media have contributed to the male and female gender stereotypes and continuously add to the traditional functionalist theory that has been