Sex Role Development
For this assignment you are not going to have the video. I submitting three samples of my classmates so you can have and idea. It is a video about Sex Role and Development in children. Please follow the questions in your own wording. Use citations if you use an article. See bellow the samples:
1. Do you agree with the lady in the video in that we are people first and a sex second?
2. Do you believe the typical adjectives (strong and tough vs. fragile and delicate) used to describe each gender has some basis or are these adjectives man-made?
3. Do you think think that we as a society is moving more away from the stereotypes and towards androgyny?
What do you believe influences gender roles? Is it biology, environment, or both?
4. Do you think it would be beneficial to raise a child with no specific gender roles?
First Classmate Sample:
I definitely agree with the phrase that we are people first and then we are our sex because there are so many traits and characteristics that humans have that are not defined by being male or female that makes us who we are more than what lies in between our legs. When we come into this world and begin to develop while we have so many influences that can make us act a certain way or believe a we must fit a certain role but in the end we still have our own wants, desires, and needs that will be there regardless of whether we are male or female.
I believe that these adjectives are purely man-made. We as humans need to categorize everything to make sure that we have organization and can know what is distinctly right or wrong and this is what has forced us to label males and females with these traits. For example, I have always been aggressive since I was a little girl; I have never been afraid of saying what I think, going after what I want or being unapologetically myself. This would normally be attributed with males, who are able to assert themselves whenever they are threatened but if one gets to know me I am not masculine at all, Im just fearless. To associate these traits with distinctly male or female is oppressive and hinders others from becoming who they truly need to be and express themselves.
In my opinion, the more we allow people to be themselves and not stereotype each other into male and female, the better our society will be as a whole. According to the textbook, there are psychological differences between males and females that have been proven, such as verbal ability, mathematical reasoning, physical ability, and even aggression. These are biological differences that play a role in influencing gender but that does not mean that a female cannot have a higher ability in mathematical reasoning than a male. If we were to allow a person to just discover their strengths and not limit them if they happen to go against societies gender roles, then we may actually progress faster in society and be happier. Our society is slowly doing this since we are seeing a rise in females in male occupations and males in female occupations but we still havent fully made this change as a society. For example, females can have a career now but they must still take care of their children, maintain a home, and also take care of their physical appearance.
I could not agree more with raising a child with no specific gender roles. The parents that were interviewed in the Sex Role Development video made a wonderful point that when we give our child certain roles we are putting blinders on them. But if we allow them to develop on their own and expose them to the basic things that everyone needs to survive (cooking, cleaning, building) then they can grow in any direction thats best for them, not what was determined when they were born.
Second Classmate Sample:
I do agree with the lady in the video in that we are people first and sex second. Obviously, men and women have some differences, hormonal, physical and cognitive. However, none make one sex better than the other. Some things women cant do, men can, and some things men cant do, women can. Ive always thought that the only limit a person faces is themselves, no matter your sex, if you set your mind on something and work towards it hard enough, you will accomplish it.
These typical adjectives do have some basis, physically speaking men are stronger than women, that is not to say that all men are stronger than women, or that women cant be physically strong. Plenty of women out there are physically stronger than many men. However, adjectives like this one and others, only do harm even if there is some truth behind them, because they limit and discourage children from living up to their full potential. They limit them from trying, because they think it is impossible given their sex, and that is just sad.
I do think that society is moving away from stereotypes and towards androgyny. Gender roles throughout the years have been influenced by different things. Early on in human history men were the hunters and women the gatherers, mainly because of genes, with men being physically stronger and women having the ability to give birth. Before feminism took force, women were seen as lesser compared to a man, this was purely environmental and cultural, given that there are no genetic differences that makes one sex better than the other. Sure, there are differences, but at the end of the day were are all human. In todays society, people are no longer seeing women as inferior but as equal to men. However, even to this day there are many cultures who see women as inferior to men.
I do think it would be beneficial to raise a child with no specific gender roles. However, I dont think there is a problem with raising a child with gender roles as long as those roles do not limit them, or discourage them in any way.
Third Classmate Sample:
The video discussion on gender roles is a stereotype that has been ongoing for millions of years. The gender role is a premative way of thinking. The Neanderthals may have been thriving, the Romans may have been thriving and the settlers of America may have been thriving; however, the Suffrage Movement paved the way to an evolution in the way we raise our kids and communicate with each other. I am a firm believer that gender should not be a deciding factor of what someone does with their life, or how a child is raised. It is about equality and having freedom of choice based on interest. Gender roles are obsolete in today\’s society. We have made some progress but there is still a lot more room for growth in that sense.
The family that was a part of this case study was a modern family. I believe that modern families share the child rearing and house keeping responsibilities evenly. Also, that boys and girls are encouraged to follow their passion versus follow a gender role. In my house, my daughter is raised as an equal. The responsibilities are shared evenly.
As a psychology student and free thinker, I am often times frustrated by stereotypes like this one. Although I understand where the thinking comes from, I do not accept it and I do my part to influence a change in it.
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