III.

Gender as a Social
Construction
 IDEA THAT GENDER
1 SOCIALLY
DIFFERENCE IS
CONSTRUCTED

Gender as a
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
CREATE GENDER ROLES
AND THESE ROLES ARE

Social 2 OR APPROPRIATE
PRESCRIBED AS IDEAL
BEHAVIOR FOR A

Construct
PERSON
OF THAT SPECIFIC
GENDER.
DIFFERENCES IN
3 BEHAVIOR BETWEEN
MEN AND WOMEN ARE
ENTIRELY SOCIAL
CONVENTIONS.
 ASPECTS OF GENDER THAT ARE SOCIALLY

Gender as a
CONSTRUCTED:

1 GENDER BINARY:

Social
- THE IDEA THAT THEREA ARE ONLY 2 OPPOSITE
TYPES OF PEOPLE: MALE BODIED PEOPLE WHO
ARE MASCULINE, AND FEMALE BODIED PEOPLE

Construct
WHO ARE FEMALE.

2
WHAT IT MEANS FOR MEN TO BE MASCULINE:
-BOYS ARE NOT BORN WITH AN INBORN DESIRE
GENDER IS FOR FOOTBALL AND COLOR BLUE, THOSE
SOMETHING CHARACTERISTICS ARE SOCIALLY LEARNED.
THAT WE AS A
SOCIETY HAVE
CREATED AND
3
WHAT IT MEANS FOR MEN TO BE FEMININE:
GAVE -GIRLS ARE NOT BORN WITH AN INBORN DESIRE
MEANING TO. FOR BALLET AND COLOR PINK, THOSE
CHARACTERISTICS ARE SOCIALLY LEARNED.
Gender as a
1 CROSS CULTURALLY
Social
Construct
2
.

HISTORICALLY
EXAMINING
GENDER:

“HOW GENDER IS SOCIALLY

CONSTRUCTED”.
Gender as A NUMBER OF SOCIRTIES RECOGNIZE MORE
THAN 2 GENDER:

a 1 INDIA AND PAKISTAN

Social
-LEGALLY
RD
RECOGNIZE A
3 GENDER – “HIJRA”

Construct 2 OVER 100 NATIVE AMERICANS

TRIBES RECOGNIZED A 3RD
GENDER, 2 SPIRITS.

3 SOME TRIBES EVEN

RECOGNIZE 4 OR EVEN 5
GENDERS
Gender as a
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MASCULINE AND
FEMININE VARIES WIDELY ACROSS CULTURE

1 PATRIARCHAL
Social Construct SOCIETIES: - MEN
EXPERIENCE PRIVILEDGE
AND HOLD THE
MAJORITY OF POWER IN
SOCIETY
CROSS
2
MATRIARCHAL
CULTURAL SOCIETIES: - WOMEN
EXPERIENCE PRIVILEDGE
EVIDENCE AND HOLD THE
MAJORITY OF POWER IN
SOCIETY
NURTURE vs. NATURE
 GENDER SOCIALIZATION
is the process through which children learn
about the social expectations, attitudes
and behaviours typically associated with
boys and girl.
s
 GENDER SOCIALIZATION
is the process by which we learn our culture's gender-
related rules, norms, and expectations. Through gender
socialization, children begin to develop their own
beliefs about gender and ultimately form their own
gender identity.
 Gender Socialization in Childhood
- begins early in life
SIX MONTHS OLD NINE MONTHS OLD
children can discern male differentiate between
voices from female voices men and women in
photographs
11 and 14 months OLD
children develop the
ability to associate sight AGE OF THREE
and sound, matching male have formed their own
and female voices with gender identity.
photographs of men and
women.
They have also begun to learn
their culture’s gender norms,
including which toys, activities,
behaviors, and attitudes are
associated with each gender.
Agents of Gender Socialization
-the people who influence the
process—are parents, teachers,
schools, and the media
 Agents of Gender Socialization
01
PARENTS
Parents are typically a child’s first source of information about gender.
Starting at birth, parents communicate different expectations to their children
depending on their sex.

02
TEACHERS
Teachers and school administrators model gender roles and sometimes
demonstrate gender stereotypes by responding to male and female students
in different ways
 Agents of Gender Socialization
03
PEERS
Peer interactions also contribute to gender socialization. Children tend to play
with same-gender peers. Through these interactions, they learn what their
peers expect of them as boys or girls.

04
MEDIA
Media, including movies, TV, and books, teaches children about what it means
to be a boy or a girl. Media conveys information about the role of gender in
people’s lives and can reinforce gender stereotypes
Gender Socialization Throughout Life

Gender socialization is a
lifelong process. The beliefs
about gender that we acquire
in childhood can affect us
throughout our lives.
 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
OF GENDER
STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM THEORY
• Viewing the family as the most integral component of
society, assumptions about gender roles within marriage
assume a prominent place in this perspective.
• - Men typically took care of responsibilities outside of the
home, such as hunting, and women typically took care of
the domestic responsibilities in or around the home
• - Women were often limited by the physical restraints of
pregnancy and nursing and unable to leave the home for
long periods of time.
 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
OF GENDER
CONFLICT THEORY
• Society is a struggle for dominance among
social groups (like women versus men) that
compete for scarce resources
• We can view men as the dominant group and
women as the subordinate group.
• According to conflict theory, social problems
are created when dominant groups exploit or
oppress subordinate groups.
 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
OF GENDER
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM THEORY
• Understand human behavior by analyzing the
critical role of symbols in human interaction.
• Discussion of masculinity and femininity
• Meanings attached to symbols are socially created
and not natural
• Feminity : affectionate, appreciative, emotional,
friendly, symphatetic, mild, sensitive etc.
• Musculinity : Dominant, achievement oriented,
active, ambitious, forceful, self confident, rational,
tough etc.
 WID
Gender and WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT

Development
Historical WAD
Background
WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT

GAD
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT
 1940’s
Gender and
Development The United Nations Charter of 1945 and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in

Historical
1948 established the first official worldwide
recognition of women’s equality and non-

Background
discrimination on the basis on sex.

BUT IT’S STILL THE SAME UP UNTIL 1960’S.

 WID
Gender and • ORIGIN:
WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT

Development BOSERUP’S BOOK WOMEN’S

EARLY 1970’S AFTER THE
PUBLICATION OF ESTER

Historical DEVELOPMENT.
REOLE IN ECONOMIC

Background NEED TO INTEGRATE

• FOCUS:
WOMEN IN ECONOMIC
SYSTEMS, THROUGH
NECESSARY LEGAL AND
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES.
 WAD
Gender and • ORIGIN: WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT

Development MODERNIZATION THEORY

EMERGED FROM A
CRITIQUE OF THE

Historical IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE

AND THE VWID APPROACH

Background
1970’S
• FOCUS:
FOCUSES ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. WOMEN
HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS- THEREFORE INTEGRATING WOMEN IN
DEVELOPMENT IS A MYTH.
 GAD
Gender and • ORIGIN:
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

Development APPROACH DEVELOPED IN

AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO
THE WID FOCUS THIS

Historical THE 1980’S

Background PERSPECTIVE LOOKING AT

• FOCUS:
OFFERS A HOLISTIC
ALL ASPECTS OF WOMEN’S
LIVES. IT QUESTIONS THE
BASIS OF ASSIGNING
SPECIFIC GENDER ROLES TO
DIFFERENT SEXES.
 GENDER AWARENESS AND
SENSITIVITY
Gender awareness – is
the ability to view society
from the perspective of
gender roles.
 GENDER AWARENESS AND
SENSITIVITY
Gender sensitivity – is
translating this awareness
in the design of
development policies,
programs and budgets.
 Resource Page
https://delta2020.com/blog/228-mind-the-gap-is-gender-equality-a-reality-in-businesses-today

https://youtu.be/AQMoTjB4_80

https://zrc.pshs.edu.ph/gender-and-development-gad-corner/

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-introtosociology/chapter/theories-of-gender-and-sex/

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/cochise-sociology-os/chapter/gender-identity-in-everyday-life/

https://aquaknow.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/gender-water-and-development/15666

Bunch C., 2006, Women and Gender: The Evolution of Women Specific Institutions and Gender Integration at the United Nations. In: The
Oxford Handbook on the United Nations eds. Weiss T.G and Daws S.

Chege, 2007, A Curriculum for the Training of Trainers in Gender Mainstreaming. African Women's Development and Communication
Network (FEMNET). Available online: http://www4.worldbank.org/afr/ssatp/Resources/HTML/Gender-
RG/Source%20%20documents/Training%20materials/TRGEN1%20Femnet%20Gender%20Mainstreaming%20TOT.pdf

WHO, 2012, Gender, women and health. Available online: http://www.who.int/gender/mainstreaming/en/index.html

Source: Boundless. “The Social Construction of Gender.” Sociology – Cochise College Boundless, 26 May. 2016. Retrieved 27 Feb. 2017
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