Gender Identity
I am a woman. That statement comes with connotations
attached that go deeper than our biological makeup. Man and women are divided
into two categories with different attributes. Some common qualities for women are:
quiet, weak, sexually submissive, emotional, nurturing, sensitive, innocent, etc.
Some common qualities for men are: aggressive, competitive, strong, active,
non-emotional, etc. These opposite feminine and masculine qualities do not
necessarily define every man or woman, yet we allow them to dictate our
expectations from the gender type. Culturally, gender roles are created as a
result of these expectations. In the 1950s the gender roles were defined as a
man makes the money and the wife cleans the house. Over the year’s men and
women have less defined career paths, however their characteristic expectations
remain the same.
Attached is a video of children answering questions on
gender roles. Children are exposed to their own culture and the ideas they have
about gender come from their environment. This video demonstrates the masculine
and feminine roles in our American society.
Soraya Manutchehri was a 35-year-old woman in Iran. She was stoned
to death after her husband claims she committed adultery. Her husband was later
found to be lying and considered his wife an inconvenience. Soraya’s gender
role for her culture was to be a faithful wife. Women were even restricted by
the law to be this gender type. Also, when her husband accuses her of adultery
her pleas of innocence are ignored. In that culture women are liars and men
speak the words of truth.
Attached is a journal article with the details of her life
and execution.
This concept has come up a lot in my life. Perhaps it is
because I am in the gender minority. It is weird to describe women as the
minority when there are more of us on this plant then men, but our lack of
power has made us so. I assume most men do not think about being a man on a
daily basis, because they are in the majority. This concept is useful for
understanding different cultures and the treatment of women versus men. A few
hundred years ago a women were property that could be traded and sold. Our role
was as a commodity to the family. The gender roles are always changing and
developing in different cultures. They help individuals develop their own
identities. I would be lying if I did not say my role as a woman in this world
did not define parts of who I am today.
Works Cited
Cannon, C. M. (2010). Soraya M., Stoned to Death for
Being an "Inconvenient Wife". Politics Daily .
Gender Roles-
Interviews with Kids. (2010, October
24). Retrieved January 24, 2012, from You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWc1e3Nbc2g
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ReplyDeleteYour explanation of Mrs. Manutchehri's ordeal is saddening. However, your final statement on the subject, "In that culture[,] women are liars and men speak the ... truth," is completely untrue. To condemn a culture to such a simplistic view because of the misgivings of a single individual is cruel. Instead, an explanation should be given on how the country's gender roles for men and women allowed for their judicial system to be corrupted and biased against Mrs. Manutchehri.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog and the clip you added on childrens view of gender. I believe that your comment that, "woman are liars and men speak the truth," is more in depth than people may take and I do totally agree with you. I do not believe you condemned a culture, but rather brought up an issue in a culture that is still being fought today. Great blog! Really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI do support your idea od "the gender roles are always changing and developing in different cultures and they help individuals develop their own identities". But your idea is little lack of confidence. Power is not the only way to balance the relationship and the status of men and women. More and more women have power of intelligence to earn what they should have right now globally.
ReplyDeleteNice blog, the video you chose was perfect for this type of exercise. I got a few laughs out of the children's responses. You bring up some valid points, and I too believe that the gender identities are changing with each passing generation.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. I really like the topic of gender identity, your cultural example, and the use of the ABC segment to demonstrate your point. It's pretty scary how hard wired children are to reiterate the binary gender/sex roles. It's cute b/c they are sweet kids saying these things, but the discourse is frightening. Maybe you can use this concept for your cultural reporter project?
ReplyDeleteFor future blogs, make sure you cite your references in the text as well. Here are some APA notes:
Cannon, C. M. (2010). Soraya M., Stoned to Death for Being an "Inconvenient Wife". Politics Daily .
Ex:: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of document. Retrieved from http://Web address
Gender Roles- Interviews with Kids. (2010, October 24). Retrieved January 24, 2012, from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWc1e3Nbc2g
Example: Psychology Video Blog #3 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqM90eQi5-M