Rodriguez 1

Tate Rodriguez
Jon Beadle
English 115
15, September 2015
Gender is Socially Contructed
Without order, society would be chaos. Gender is a way of organizing society. Gender is
used to divide labor in society and choose people to do various tasks. For thousands of years,
people have thought males to be the superior gender. Men are physically stronger, and
throughout history have assumed positions of power. Males tend to be more dominant and
aggressive in the social, physical, and political domain. Most people believe that males are
stronger in these areas because of the biological traits that they are born with. However, many
sociologists today postulate that gender is created through social interactions with our parents,
through the way they communicate with, dress, and behave towards their children. Therefore,
gender is not a biological trait, gender is a psychological construction.
Gender is first introduced to people when they are born. Children are placed into a sex
category based on their genitalia right at birth. Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran argue that
babies are dressed a certain way so that they can be easily identified as a girl or a boy by other
members of society (76). Boys are often dressed in darker colors and wear clothes decorated
with superheroes or military gear. Girls often wear light colors and wear dresses adorned with
hearts, flowers, and princesses. Girls also typically have their ears pierced, which makes them
easily identifiable as females. A childs clothes have a big effect on their social interactions,
because people will treat a baby differently if it is a boy or a girl.
Parents are responsible for creating gender because they treat boys and girls differently
according to their expectations for their childs gender. The way the parents interact with their

Rodriguez 2
child is a huge part of what constructs its gender. Renzetti and Curran discuss research showing
that parents engage in rough physical activities more with their sons than with their daughters
(79). This rough physical play is a big part of what shapes a boys personality growing up.
Psychologist Liz Connors states that baby girls may be better behaved than boys because of their
mothers expectations (qtd. in Renzetti and Curran, 78). Connors found that mothers were more
sensitive with their girls and more restrictive with their boys. Interestingly, fourteen month old
boys were less emotionally attached to their mothers than fourteen month old girls. Connors
believes this difference is due to the mothers treating their child differently based on its sex.
Parents are likely to believe that daughters need more help than sons, and they frequently act
upon that belief. This difference in treatment of boys and girls is the process by which gender is
created.
The way parents communicate with their children while they are young has a big effect
on their gender later in life. Renzetti and Curran state that parents communicate in different
ways with sons and daughters. Parents use more words relating to emotion with their daughters.
With sons parents talk about anger more, while with daughters parents talk about sadness more
(79). Significant differences between boys and girls can be seen at a very young age; girls use
more emotion words than boys by the age of six.

Researchers have also found that girls can

better understand others emotions by first grade. By first grade, girls are also better at
monitoring emotion. This difference in how parents communicate with girls and boys teaches
boys to be more assertive and express more anger, and teaches girls to be more aware of others
feelings.
Emily Kane discovered that parents frequently disapprove when their child acts in a way
that doesnt conform to expectations for their gender (93). When boys want to play with barbies,

Rodriguez 3
most parents have negative responses, because barbies are an icon of femininity. Parents also
report negative reactions when their boys dress up in a feminine way, such as wearing skirts,
dresses, or other frilly clothing (92). Kane also found that boys who played with nail polish and
makeup frequently received negative responses from their parents. However, the parents in
Kanes research study offered positive reactions to their sons acquiring domestic skills and
behaving in a nurturing way. The way a parent behaves in regard to their childs gender based
behavior has a huge effect on children, because children want to be accepted by their parents.
Thus, Kanes research shows that parents are very active in their childs gender formation.
Perhaps parents are shaping their childs gender behaviors in order to provide a structure
to society. Judith Lorber believes that the purpose of gender is to construct women as the
subordinates of men, in order to provide social order (30). Lorber states that gender organizes
labor both at home and in the workplace, gives legitimacy to those in authority, and also
organizes sexual and emotional life. Lorber believes that social order in western society is based
on class, racial ethnic, and gender inequality. Women play the primary role in shaping gender,
and shape the subsequent structure of society.
The reason the authors are writing about this is because equal respect for all genders is
needed in society today, and the authors want to facilitate that. Male gender roles are more
valued in society because of the social expectations that come with gender. The authors want
equality in the workplace, particularly in positions of power, and also with regards to all aspects
of social life.
Furthermore, the authors want to dispel any false thoughts about the origin of gender.
Many people are unaware of how gender is created, and the topic of how gender is created is
rarely thought about or discussed. Many people assume that the traits males display are

Rodriguez 4
biologically based, but many studies shows these traits are actually created through socialization.
People believe that males are superior for biological reasons, which isnt necessarily true, due to
the strong influence of parenting.
The ideas in these articles changed my perspective on gender. Gender makes up a big
part of everyones lives without them even realizing it. Gender affects what people wear, how
they act, and what they do. I learned a lot about how gender is created, and how much parents
affect gender. There are so many ways that these ideas about gender can be applied in anyones
life today. I will think about the ideas when I become a parent, and be more aware of my
responses to my children. Having a deeper understanding of gender can also help me to better
connect with others. I realize that both sexes are equally capable of the same tasks both at work
and at home. A goal of mine is to start my own business one day, and knowing that both men
and women are equally capable of the same tasks in all aspects of life will definitely affect how I
think about the hiring process.
Gender is such a prevalent organizing force in the world today, and it is extremely hard to
escape the false judgements that it can create. Knowing that gender is created through
socialization puts a much different perspective on gender differences. Having knowledge on the
origin of gender is important because it breaks down preconceived notions about all genders.
Without any preconceived notions regarding gender, people can live with respect for each other
and treat one another with equality. Everyone deserves equal treatment; nobody should be
mistreated for their gender, especially since males and females are completely capable of the
same exact tasks.

Rodriguez 5
References
Kane, Emily. ""No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That":Parents' Responses to Choildren's
Nonconformity." Composing Gender. Burton: Leasa Burton, 2014. 92-93. Print.
Lorber, Judith. ""Night to His Day":The Social Contruction of Gender." Composing Gender.
Boston: Leasa Burton, 2014. 30. Print.
Renzetti, Claire. "From Women, Men, and Society." Composing Gender. Boston: Leasa Burton,
2014. 76-79. Print.