Section B: Culture, identity and sociolisation (homework 1)
Social constructionism examines the development of jointly constructed understandings however
these constructed understandings are not developed separately with in a person instead a person
develops understandings by using experiences and interaction with other people. For example
women are taught to find a suitable husband and then have children while men are taught to find a
wife and to support the family by having a good job the way these people are taught to do so by
social constructs since as from young off these people are surrounded by family members and peer
groups who socially construct them into what the norms, values and roles are. This theory shows
that gender it is not a fixed or fact, but instead it varies across time and place.
In sociology, we make a distinction between sex and gender. Gender is a concept that describes how
societies determine and manage sex categories; the cultural meanings attached to men and
women’s roles; and how gender involves social norms, attitudes and activities that society believe are
more appropriate for one sex over another.
Gender roles are mostly based on culture it would be natural to assume that gender roles vary across
cultures according to a specific culture’s beliefs and expectations with regard to men and women’s
roles. A sociologist called Margaret Mead observed the Arapesh tribe where both men and women
were peaceful in temperament and neither men nor women made war, which in the western society
is a female behavior not male. Among the Mundugumor, it is the whole oppsite from the Arapesh
they had the expected Male behaviors. Finally comes the Tchamboli were the men and females
switch the “normal” western behaviors meaning that women act as men and men act as women.
Showing that this shows that gender roles are not universal but are social constructs to meet the
needs of a particular society or group within that society.
Social constructionism examines the development of jointly constructed understandings however
these constructed understandings are not developed separately with in a person instead a person
develops understandings by using experiences and interaction with other people. For example
women are taught to find a suitable husband and then have children while men are taught to find a
wife and to support the family by having a good job the way these people are taught to do so by
social constructs since as from young off these people are surrounded by family members and peer
groups who socially construct them into what the norms, values and roles are. This theory shows
that gender it is not a fixed or fact, but instead it varies across time and place.
In sociology, we make a distinction between sex and gender. Gender is a concept that describes how
societies determine and manage sex categories; the cultural meanings attached to men and
women’s roles; and how gender involves social norms, attitudes and activities that society believe are
more appropriate for one sex over another.
Gender roles are mostly based on culture it would be natural to assume that gender roles vary across
cultures according to a specific culture’s beliefs and expectations with regard to men and women’s
roles. A sociologist called Margaret Mead observed the Arapesh tribe where both men and women
were peaceful in temperament and neither men nor women made war, which in the western society
is a female behavior not male. Among the Mundugumor, it is the whole oppsite from the Arapesh
they had the expected Male behaviors. Finally comes the Tchamboli were the men and females
switch the “normal” western behaviors meaning that women act as men and men act as women.
Showing that this shows that gender roles are not universal but are social constructs to meet the
needs of a particular society or group within that society.
