CRYSTAL ANN S.

LIAD
SSED 304

 Identify and discuss contemporary issues on gender and sexuality and cite own
experiences and/or that of significant others’ ordeals on the matter of discussion.

Social construction of gender and race is the process where the society creates roles
and associates them with individuals of a specific gender or race. The society then dictates
the nature of roles an individual performs basing on the gender or race. In addition, the
society believes that the roles are appropriate for a certain set of people who belong to a
specific gender or race. Proponents of social construction argue that the difference between
male and female individuals or races is a social convention. Social construction has some
level of impact on gendered or racial behaviors.
Gender comprises of mental, physical, and behavioral characteristics that differentiate
men and women in terms of masculinity and femininity respectively. In other words, gender
refers to a person’s sexual identity. Furthermore, gender reflects biological attributes of an
individual that define a person as either male or female. However, in defining gender one
cannot conclusively use the biological features of an individual to ascertain the gender of a
person, as in some unique cases, some individuals have both the attributes of male and
female. The individuals who have both attributes are hermaphrodites.
Therefore, gender can also refer to a conglomeration of roles and activities that men
and women construct socially. Gender relations usually give unequal powers to men and
women. Societal norms and beliefs associate specific responsibilities and roles to men and
women. The common roles associated with women are domestic duties such as cooking,
taking care of children, washing and performing chores that are indoors or within the
perimeters of the compound.
From the societal norms, men are the prime beneficiaries while women are on the
losing end. This is because norms and gender constructs consider women as a lesser beings
than men. Thus, many societies regard women as inferior compared to men. These societies
subject men and women to unequal treatment. According to the constructs, women should
perform some roles associated with the feminine gender. On the other hand, these norms
require men to engage in a different set of activities that define ideal roles for the masculine
gender.
The roles and duties cover all aspects of life from family, work, and education. They
dictate how individuals relate and work in a society. The constructs can also extend to the
social and religious activities where men get the chance to lead churches, mosques, and
other religious places as well as lead social projects in the society. Since the constructs view
women as inferior beings, they do not give them an opportunity to participate in these
activities.