In today’s society there are two very clear views of how men and women are supposed to act and the roles that they are supposed to have. This is due in part to the ideas that we have toward masculinity and femininity.
Main stream masculinity has traits of intelligence courage and honesty. The text points out that there are two main points to this idea, machismo and the provider role. The machismo role involves violence and the sexual aspect. On the other hand the provider role involves ambition and confidence. Masculinity is further broken down based on other characteristics that we have talked about such as race and economic status. White middle class men have the emphasis on success wealth and fame, the provider role. Other races are more often associated with the machismo element.
Femininity is often viewed as being soft, passive emotional and domestic. Women often have to work against the double bind concept that we talked about in chapter 2. The role of women in society is starting to slightly change. Today’s idea woman not only has the characteristics of being soft and passive but also can prosper in the business aspect of life. As the text states it she “is to be able to do everything.”
These standards of what society considers normal about being male of female is one of the reasons that if you were to ask a boy if he was a “sissy” when he was younger he would not want to admit, yet when asking a female if they were a tomboy its much more accepted. Society has socially constructed two distinct differences among the two.
The idea that gender is embedded in our culture is something that we learn from a very young age. When you little and a girl you get the play kitchen set and the little make-up kit. Boys get the tool sets and start playing cops and robbers. This is the beginning of society starting to mold us into what were supposed to be; girls the domestic housewife and boys the strong provider. However as the text points out today women are starting to embody both sets characteristics. Yet it is still only socially acceptable if the women works they are still responsible for most of the household chores.
Another area where the basic ideas of masculinity and femininity come up is in the area of athletics. I’m sure that everyone has heard the expression of throwing like a girl. This idea is due in part to the fact of gender socialization; there are certain behaviors that go with being a boy or a girl. Boys are supposed to know how to throw a ball while girls need to be taught the proper way. According to Nelson, men are not necessarily better athletes then women but instead sports are developed to reflect the strengths of men. Most sports that are popular nationally are not female dominated sports.
In today’s society gender is learned from a very young age when a child’s nursery is decorated a certain way. Then the parents begin to but toys that correlate with a specific gender. Certain behaviors are expected depending on their gender. Even as you get older there are certain rites of passages that distinguish you as either male or female. In the United States and Latin America teenage girls have a Quinceanera which signifies them coming out into society. Cotillion is another way the teens become to come out and present their self to society. They must learn proper etiquette and how to dress and dance, typical activities that embody femininity.
In conclusion masculinity and femininity are around us everywhere in society. They are learned behaviors and put separations on male and females. The idea of femininity is beginning to change to embody both male and female characteristics; however it is still very rarely accepted for a man to be sensitive. Until this occurs this is just another way that society is separating male and females.