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Social Construction of Gender
Gender, a buzz word, but a socially constructed concept, and has nothing to do with nature or biology. The roles assigned to gender does not depend upon its reproductive organs but the very own perception of society regarding gender (Wisby n.p). Expectations attached to gender when matures and becomes acquainted become gender roles. A role, any specific gender would find convenient to play in the society.
Gender structures have always been there, ever since we human beings witnessed the dawn of societies. Societal structures changed time to time and so the gender roles and expectations did. It seems quite an intricate question to draw a line between men, women and transgender without having any kind of expectations attached to them. Expectations and roles out of expectations are actually what label them as men, women or transgender. Gender roles and expectations actually have three levels and each level play a significant role in determining the gender expectations and roles out of those expectations (Wisby n.p). The three levels are individual, interactional and institutional. Parallel to these three levels are cultural traits which actually provide a foundation to the roles assigned to gender in every society.
Gender socialization is yard stick in the hands of society and most commonly used against Trans people, or more precisely against transgender women. If a transgender woman absorbs the role of male, she, by no means, can escape what she was treated as in her past. History also propounds the view that gender socialization has complications, so profoundly complicated that no gender; male, female or Transgender is socialized in superlative mode. Every person irrespective of the roles assigned to it by biology has a inimitable gender and affiliation with that gender. Transgender women face multifaceted problems so far as their roles and expectations drawn out of those roles are concerned (Burns n.p). Society brands them as lampoons if they are too feminine in their outlook or roles. Same society would lacerate them if they are bold like men, just because their roles are not up to the mark and standards according to the masculinity.
Gender by no means is a naturally constructed but socially constructed. What roles they play, what dress they would wear, which brand they would promote for advertising, what role they would play, all are decided by societal patterns and resonated by cultural traits. Transgender women actually have to pass before they could actually aspire to be considered as beautiful. A sort of exams they need to take, and if, by any means they fail the exam, society will abhor them and living life would no more than a nightmare for them (Burns n.p). Same goes for the other two genders as well. Their roles and expectations of society is what make their life adorned with petals or thorns.
It’s not the gender who independently defines his roles, it the socialization who would make a man or woman. As far as transgender are concerned, they have a social stigma attached to them ever since the day they came out of their mothers’ womb. The stigma is still there. The spot got darker and darker as the time passed. They have no way to wash that out of their foreheads. Going down the aisle of history, it is beheld that society evolved from hunting and gathering to agrarian, from industrial to postindustrial, but evolution could not wash the social stigmas attached to any specific gender. Evolution, to some extent changed their roles but expectations are still there, which must be considered.
Works Cited
Burns, K. "Navigating Beauty Standards As A Trans Woman Is An Impossible Balancing Act." Allure. N. p., 2018. Web. 15 Apr. 2019.
Wisby, Gary. "Gender, Culture And Expectations | UIC Today." Today.uic.edu. N. p., 2019. Web. 15 Apr. 2019.
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