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Running head: GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

Gender Role Analysis


Soc 333
May 26, 2014

GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

Gender Role Analysis


Human beings are like sponges, especially when it comes to learning new things. Our
neighborhoods or communities, places of employment, and jobs shape who we are. As far as
gender is concerned some of the behavior is learned and some of it is obtained from our
genetics (Sapiro, 2003). While some individuals focus on the assets they can bring to society,
others are getting involved and letting education, public policy, and the workforce shape them
into strong and responsible people. These men and women are becoming prestigious leaders in
society and are wasting no time trying to get to the top of the corporate ladder.
Gender is not only shaped by what we learn at home, but it also helps us appreciate our
worth. For instance, women were not able to receive the same education as men in the earlier
days, but once they were able to become educated things changed tremendously. In a
classroom setting there are different instruments used for learning such as, chalk boards, art
supplies, books, etc. These items do not necessarily shape the gender, but the students use
them in different ways. Boys are said to participate more in class than girls and show more
interest in math and competitive learning. Boys interact more in the classroom than girls and it
is said that they have more confidence (Sapiro, 2003).
In classrooms there are also dcor that enhances the learning experiences of the
students. For instance, a history class usually has pictures of famous people that have made or
been a part of history. There may be pictures up of men more than women because of the laws
that clearly separated different actions regarding both genders. Learning about history may
help the female students of today; this may make the girls more self-aware and increase their

GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

confidence. Female students are deemed less skilled in the areas of logic and especially physical
activities like gym courses. Female students are considered less skilled in every area as well as
all subjects (Journalism of classroom interaction, 2011). When I was in junior high I was
required to take a gym class. My gym teacher Mr. Lett was always more attentive to the boys.
He looked out for the boys best interest and because he was also the coach for the basketball
team he kept his eyes peeled for raw talent in his gym class. When it came time to do physical
exercises like pushups, he would make the boys do them the regular way and tell the girls to do
them the girl way. The girl way entailed the females with both hands on the floor, on their
knees, which was rather simple. As females in the class we wanted to push ourselves. We
wanted to show the teacher and the boys that we were capable of doing the same physical
activities.
There were other female students in the class that proved the teacher right and did not
have the physical capabilities or the upper body strength that all of the boys had in our class, so
they had to do the girl pushups. Communication is the key to success and this is something
that females are better at than males. Males have a hard time saying what they feel, expressing
their emotions (Sapiro, 2003). The females in the class did not have a hard time expressing
themselves to Mr. Lett. We felt that if we advised him that we wanted to do the same activities
as the boys he would let us. He was clueless as to what was going on. Teachers like Mr. Lett lack
awareness of the inequalities and may base certain activities according to gender and their
expectations (Journalism of classroom interaction, 2011).

GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

Men have always been at the head of the table since the biblical times. At times I feel
like this is the reason that all of the policies, jobs and laws are focused around men. Men are
said to be more aggressive, enforcers with regard to everything that they do. Men are
considered to be more powerful and better leaders than women. Women and men also run
neck and neck with being able to balance finances (Sapiro, 2003). Women have recently
become more involved in politics because of their increased education. After reviewing some of
the laws and government policies I can see why women would have a more difficult time
enforcing them. For instance, women may be passed over for a government job or not get as
many votes for office as men just because they are women. There may be more discrimination
against women in areas that are not used to having female leaders. Researchers suggest that
women are not good candidates for office because they are emotional. It is also stated that
women may have to resign from office if they have to give birth or have other family issues.
Women have also been known to want to avoid conflict (Gagliarducci & Paserman, 2011).
Gender norms in government include security, aggressiveness, power, leadership and a
host of other terms. In order to fulfill these norms women were restricted from political offices.
Women were also forced to support their husbands as they were not allowed to vote (Sapiro,
2003). A good example regarding the discrimination of women in politics would be the recent
run for presidency by Hillary Clinton. Hillary is the wife of Bill Clinton who used to be president
previously. Hillary did not receive her respect as did the other candidates. The election was a bit
different because she was competing against a minority. Many people that I know would have
rather voted for Hillary Clinton then Obama. Obviously Clinton has had enormous amounts of

GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

training, furthered her education and is married to one of the best presidents that we have ever
had in the United States.
Hillary Clinton is competent and highly educated. She knows how to express herself and
she is familiar with government policies, especially after being the former first lady. Many
people did not like the fact that she ran for president, but some people remained hopeful.
Being elected as a government official is a huge responsibility, but Hillary was up for a
challenge. A lot of people trusted her because they knew that she was smart, especially
women. Hillary was able to relate too many of the women voters, but it appears that America
was not ready at that point to elect her. Although President Obama was less experienced than
Clinton, some feel that his manly traits saved him when running against Clinton. Females in
office are said to be able to handle civil rights, women issues, education and poverty. Men are
said to be able to handle foreign policy, crime and military issues (Bligh, Merolla, Schroedel&
Gonzalez, 2010). These items are all based on gender traits and beliefs. I believe that years from
now we will make history again by electing a woman president.
Before we can elect a female president we have to get more females in higher positions
in the work place. Gender in the work place is a very touchy subject. Women have started to be
treated equally more during this generation. Women started off cooking; cleaning, being nurses
in the military and now they have climbed the corporate ladder by holding positions in political
office, being CEOs at companies, etc. Women in earlier centuries were treated unfairly because
of their female traits and reproductive capabilities. Men are considered to be linear and are
able to focus better which helps them make better decisions. Women are able to see the

GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

problem and may even be able to fix it, but most of the time they act on impulse or their beliefs
(Sapiro, 2003). These roles differ from the past because women were non factors. Recently
women have become more educated, more laws have been passed for equal treatment and
people have begun to change their opinions. In order to fix these issues or come up with a
strategy to employ women and for women to be treated fairly, we must get rid of the negative
stereotypes.
Some of the stereotypes include women not being good leaders, being weak, and not
being able to think logically (Sapiro, 2003). The current role of gender in the work place in this
day and age is reasonable. It is only reasonable at this point because most companies with the
economy being the way it is has no room for mistakes. Also, these particular companies try to
keep from being sued to protect the business profits. For instance, I applied for a job that is
really high on the company hierarchy chart. I interviewed for the position against one of my
male coworkers. I had a degree, more experience and I worked at the company longer than my
coworker, but he was given the job. I was advised that I am not tough enough. I had a
problem with this because my coworker was not tough at all. I noticed his particular qualities
over the 6 months that he had worked for our company.
I ended up hearing from a member of management that they wanted a man to be in the
position because of the type of work that the company completes. I went to the HR department
and told them that it was unfair and they immediately had a meeting with upper management.
After the meeting nothing happened and I was completely brushed off. I could have taken this
to the EEOC, but I valued my job at the time and knew that they would attempt to retaliate

GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

against me. I just dealt with the way that they treated me, and I did not have to! Later on the
male that they selected ended up not being a good fit for the position. It was said that he
worked slow and was not knowledgeable regarding company policies. It is shameful that the
company went through all of those steps to prevent me from obtaining the position.
Gender is important in society and both males and females have different qualities that
make up the world as a whole. There are some things that women are better at and some
things that men are better at. We must all work together and incorporate our talents to help
better this damaged economy. Gender may shape education a little, public policy may still be
predominantly males and there still may be unequal treatment in the work place between men
and women. One day it will be determined by who is better for the job and not by race, physical
capabilities, gender, etc. I am not sure that this will be the case during the present time, but I
will remain hopeful for the future.

GENDER ROLE ANALYSIS

References
Bligh, M., Merolla, J., &schroedel, J. (2010, Winter). Finding Her Voice: HILLARY
CLINTONS RHETORIC IN THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. Women's Studies.
Gagliarducci, S., & Paserman, M. D. (2011, December). Gender Interactions within Hierarchies:
Evidence from the political arena. Review of Economic STudies, ().
Journal of Classroom Interaction, ISSN 0749-4025. 2011, Vol 46.2, pages 11-23
Sapiro, V. (2003). Women in American Society: An introduction to women's studies (5th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

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