Lorber on Gender and Sex

  1. What does Lorber mean when she says that gender is socially constructed? Provide an example from your own daily world of how you participate in the social construction of your gender.

The issue about gender and sex has been a debatable concept over the years. Nevertheless, according to Lorber, the two concepts are socially constructed as interpreted by different human behavior pattern and not as a result of biological differences.. It is either defined by self ascription or description from others as either a woman or a man. Every child is born either as a female or a male and fits in that society with feminine or masculine traits. Social norms play a significant role in determining the fate of a person concerning masculinities and femininities. The society has a set of behavioral expectations assigned to either a boy or a girl. According to Lorber, the social structure puts men in a higher rank as compared to women despite being of the same race and same class. The society has brought about a scenario where women as a group should be subordinate to men as a group.  Gender  is a social construction and is evident in daily lives since different gender are expected to portray certain traits such as courage, independence and aggressiveness. For example it is always the norm of mothers telling their sons that boys should not cry like girls.

  1. What does Lorber mean by gender as “process, stratification, and structure”? Give an example of each.

Besides being socially constructed, Lorber also describes gender as a process, stratification, and structure. Behaving in a certain gender appropriate ways is not a one –day action. It is a continuous process that is learnt through social interaction where different sexuality behaviors are developed. Through the development process, there are chances there will be modifications and variations in the development. For instance, a small boy will be given a toy car to play with while a baby girl will be happy with a doll.

Additionally, stratification men are always considered superior in social status as compared to women. Gender stratification has brought about gender inequality where men have had great control in well paying jobs as opposed to women. It is a social norm to set aside well paying jobs to men while there are women of the same class and expertise.

Gender structure has resulted in women being condemned to child keeping roles while their husbands are supposed to work for the families. There is a social structure that determines feminine roles and those masculine roles.

 

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