Gender and Identity

Evaluation of the Impact Gender has on an Individuals Identity

The most important question facing any human, be they male or female, is that of the discovery of their own identity. The majority of child development theories have dealt with the way in which children must learn to disengage their own identity from that of their parents (mothers in particular) and discover who they are as adults however this process is far from over when an individual reaches physical maturity

Gender is a factor of human sexuality. The way to demarcate and understand gender is to identify the process and procedures of its social appearance.

The roles of gender are outlined by the norms and behavioral expectations and when an individual ascertains these norms they can then implement the behaviors that project the gender they aspire to portray.

There are precise behaviors and norms connected with gender and only by adopting these norms and behaviors pilots to the perception of an individual belonging to that gender category. Gender is not as straightforward as being in a gender category modestly because gender is influenced by society for instance parents, culture and peers.

The relation between gender and sex in the biological sense is controversial because parents can socialize a biological female into a traditional feminine role which portrays traditional gender characteristics for example sensitivity, emotional, dependence and empathy. This is the exact same process for a biological male in the sense that the male gender characteristics are traditionally associated with them being independent, dominant and courageous. Presuming that both sexes feel associated with their gender roles they will be integrated in their identities, so the female and male will behave naturally in the ways that manifest their particular gender. For example the girl will be identified with dolls, clothes, appearance etc and the boy will be identified with physical activities, cars etc.

Preparations for gender socialization are instigated prior to birth of an individual because knowing the sex of your baby is the beginning of social categorization. This is a process which will persist throughout their life. This process can be perceived as manipulation foe example dressing girls in pink pretty clothes, it can also be distinguished as canalization which means the individual is encouraged into their appropriate gender behavior. Parents or carers also use verbal appellations towards their offspring , this means a parent telling their boy how strong they are or telling their girl how sweet and pretty she is.

Oakley 1974 states four main ways in which gender socialization takes place.

1. Manipulation – parents influencing their offspring towards their traditional role.

For example fathers paying attention towards their son playing sports.

2. Canalization – This is where girls and boys are directed towards objects that define their gender. For example girls are given dolls to play with.

3. Verbal Appellation – This entails parents using words such as “pretty girl” to

encourage them toward their appropriate gender.

4. Different Activities – Female and male children are exposed to different activities.

On the contrary gender roles are changeable and I say this because society has an influence on individuals, so for example a male can decide that he no longer desires to render himself as masculine so will go forth and adopt female characteristics this is known as Androgynous.

Your gender has an immediate effect on your identity and role in society. We can identify this by analyzing the differences between men and women in work and occupation.

A women’s role within the workforce has altered throughout the years. In the past women played a significant role within the household this is called structural functionalism but with the vast introduction of capitalism this changed with women beginning to participate in the labor force but this also depended on their social class.

Women in the workforce earn less than men within the workforce and women were not