Gender is the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being male or female. It shapes how we think about ourselves and how we interact with others. However, there is an unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between women and men, which is called gender stratification. This inequality can affect opportunities and put obstacles in the way of goals one wants to achieve. In reality, most of the differences between females and males are actually socially created and have do not have much to do with biology. There are some biological differences, but neither sex is superior to the other.
In most places in the world, such as the United States, patriarchy is the dominant form of social organization. It is where males dominate females. On the other hand, there are some cultures and places where matriarchy exists. Matriarchy is the other form of social organization in which females dominate males, although this is pretty rare. One study done on gender and culture was carried out by Margaret Mead. Mead was an anthropologist who claimed that if gender is based in the biological differences between females and males, people everywhere would define feminism and masculine in the same type of way. Yet, if gender is cultural, these concepts should vary. After studying three societies in New Guinea, she concluded that culture is the key to gender distinction. She saw that some other cultures actually reversed some of the popular ideas and beliefs about gender. Hence, gender is not based on, or at least solely on, biological differences.
One issue with gender that exists is sexism. Sexism is the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other. This concept can be a belief or attitude an individual holds, or it could also be something that is built into an institution of society. To demonstrate, the legal system is an example of this. It has a history of excusing violence against women. However, are women considered a minority? Most think of Hispanics, African Americans, or Asians as minorities, but technically, women are a minority. There may be more females than males, but they fall into the category of a minority still. A minority is any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural differences that a society sets apart and subordinates. Hence, women are a minority because they have a very clear economic disadvantage. They have less income, wealth, education, and power than males at every class level.
One group of people that looks to get equality for women and males are feminists. Generally, feminists would agree that action needs to be taken to increase equality. There needs to be an active push toward social equality because it will not just happen on its own. Next, feminists believe in expanding human choice. Cultural ideas about gender divide the full range of human qualities into two opposing sides. They believe there needs to be a reintegration of humanity by which everyone develops all human traits. Furthermore, they want to end gender stratification throughout society and sexual violence. These are both serious problems facing the female gender. Lastly, feminists promote sexual freedom. Many believe in the right for a women to decide what to do with her body and her pregnancy. They advocate having control over their sexuality and reproduction.
Overall, gender plays a big role in what experiences and opportunities a person will have. Gender often shapes who someone is because gender roles and stereotypes are enforced at such a young age and is kind of a learned concept. Some may view it as a positive thing, while others view it negatively; it is a matter of opinion.
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