Julissa Rivas

SOC 155: Sociology of Gender

Professor Cate Taylor

12 June 2023

The question of gender and what it means, how it functions, and how it affects our daily

lives is difficult to answer in a concrete way because it means something different to every single

person. Gender is the reasoning behind why men and women appear to be so different, even

though they might be more similar than anyone realized. Despite all of the advances that have

been made in the area of women’s rights and gender equality, gender inequality is persistent in

today’s society.

To answer the question of what gender is, it is helpful to look at the different ways in

which gender can occur. The Multi-Level Model of Gender refers to the three different levels that

gender occurs in: individual, interactional, and institutional (Taylor 2023: Lecture 2). At the

individual level, gender is what one was socialized with during childhood. The interactional level

refers to gender during the interactions that one has with others. Lastly, the institutional level is

the way that gender functions in institutions such as schools, work, or churches. By taking into

consideration the way in which gender changes situationally, it becomes more clear that gender

is a social construct. The Multi-Level Model of Gender shows us that different situations lead us

to “do gender” differently (Wade and Ferree 2018: 69). This fluidity that is found in gender helps

define it as a social construct that is subject to change depending on the situation that the

individual is in.

The Multi-Level Model of Gender is also helpful in determining the way that gender

functions because it gives three different scenarios in which it functions differently (Taylor 2023:
Lecture 2). At the individual level, gender may function as the way the individual portrays

themselves in order to either conform to a specific gender role or go against it completely.

Gender at the interactional level refers to the way the individual will “do gender” when they are

in social settings with others, meaning that gender would function with accountability taken into

consideration (Wade and Ferree 2018: 69). At this level, the individual may be held accountable

by their peers if they are not “doing gender” in the way that is expected of them or that their

peers are used to perceiving (Wade and Ferree 2018: 69). In institutional settings such as schools

and churches, gender functions in a way that may place the individual in a position where

gendered is assumed. For example, gender in churches may be assumed when someone expects a

priest to be a man. Similarly, gender in schools may be assumed when someone expects the

literature teachers to be women and the math teachers to be men.

Men and women appear to be so different because of the constructs and norms that

society has placed on gender. The Gender Similarities Hypothesis states that “... males and

females are similar on most, but not all psychological variables.” (Hyde 2005: 102). Despite the

fact that over 75% of differences between men and women are close to zero, society still creates

a divide between the two. Another reason that men and women appear to be so different is

because of the differences in physicality of the two. In actuality, humans are not very sexually

dimorphic, which means that there isn't a dramatic difference in size or appearance between

sexes of the same species. Men and women also appear to be very different when taking into

consideration the vastly different roles that they play in society. While men are expected to enter

fields that are centered in technology or finance, women are expected to enter more nurturing

roles such as teaching or nursing. This expectation has led to this actual divide occurring, making

some fields especially dominated by men and others especially dominated by women.
 Gender inequality is so persistent because a point of comfortability for some people has

been reached, and it is difficult to make a change if a vast majority of people are not on the same

page. Men would, in theory, be less inclined to ask for the erasure of gender inequality because

they are the ones benefiting from the system that is currently in place. Women on the other hand

already have to deal with the stereotype that they are bossy or too demanding, and speaking out

about the gender inequality that they may face in their workplaces would only fuel that further.

Gender inequality continues to be persistent because of how early it begins in the institutional

and individual level of “doing gender” (Wade and Ferree 2018: 69). In schools especially, kids

are more likely to interact with kids that they feel look most similar to them, which is where a

divide between boys playing with trucks and girls playing dolls is likely to begin. Furthermore, if

children don’t appear to fit into their gender stereotype academically, they may be overlooked

and those talents not appreciated. For example, a girl that excels in math and a boy that excels in

writing may be overlooked for someone that does fit the stereotype.

Gender is a multi-faceted topic that cannot be broken down into one definition and cannot

be looked at through a singular lens. There are many levels to gender and the way that an

individual navigates through the different levels is subject to change at many points, often more

than once. Gender is a social construct, but more importantly gender is one of the ways in which

an individual has the liberty to express who they are. Gender refers to the way that an individual

wants to be perceived not only by their peers and the various institutions that they are a part of,

but themselves as well.

 References

Hyde, Janet S. 2005. “The Gender Similarities Hypothesis.” The Gendered Society Reader

3:95-112.

Taylor, Catherine J. 2023. Class notes.

Wade, Lisa. and Myra M. Ferree. 2018. Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions. New York: W.W. Norton

& Company, Inc.