Gender and Social Construction
Gender and Social Construction
Shirt sold in SM
“The Naked Truth” fashion show where Coco Martin pulled a female
model on a leash which netizens saw as an act commodifying women.
@inquirerdotnet
Sexist Comments and
statements on women
including rape
= 44,034
Source: PNP Women and Children
Protection Center
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/376614/news/specialreports/special-report-rape-in-the-philippines-numbers-reveal-disturbing-trend
Abusive Cultural Practices
• Child Brides
• Circumcision – both male and female (FGM)
• Breast ironing
• Acid Throwing, eve teasing
• Stoning to death
• Defense of honor
However, gender roles
are not set in stone.
We need to conceptualize
gender as a social structure,
to better analyze the ways in
which gender is embedded in
the individual, interactional,
and institutional dimensions
of our society.
Barbara J. Risman
elephant.ppt
Effects of Gender Construction on
Women and Men
• Violence
• Exclusion
• Discrimination
• Marginalization
• Exploitation
Effects of Gender Construction on
Women and Men
• Stereotypes men’s roles,
identities and attributes
• Places on men expectations and
roles not of his own choice
and decision
• Puts unnecessary burdens on
men
• Perpetuates Violence
Lets look at
some issues.
Choice of a Child
Having a
baby?
Chinese saying
Choice of a Child
The sex ratio at birth (SRB)—the number of boys born to every 100
girls—is typically 105 males to 100 females. But since the 1980s,
the availability of ultrasound technology has spurred sex selection,
particularly in countries where males are highly prized.
“In 2005 in China, it was estimated that 1.1 million excess males
were born across the country and that the number of males under
the age of 20 years exceeded the number of females by around 32
million,”
Therese Hesketh,
UCL Centre for International Health and Development
London, United
Kingdom.
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/14/gender-prefere
Choice of a Child
The surplus of men has increased
competition for brides, meaning
families must buy ever more
expensive housing to ensure
their sons can marry – increasing
the economic attractiveness of
daughters.
China has tens of millions of men who are destined to die single.
Some fear that the excess will lead to increased sexual violence,
general crime and social instability.
Choice of a Child
Times are Changing
• More women are employable in factories.
They are more careful and less troublesome
• Couples are transferring to city centers
where there is an opening of new ideas and
less pressure from extended families
• Parents are now depending on their
daughters and prefer daughters because
they now take care of their parents.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/02/chinas-great-
gender-crisis
Choice of a Child
Times are Changing
On 29 October 2015, Xinhua
reported the change in the
existing law to a two-child
policy citing a statement from
the Communist Party of China.
The new policy allowing
Chinese couples to have two
children was proposed in order
to help address the aging issue
in China.
htt
Preference for a male child is manifested in
several aspects in subtle ways:
Privileging of the male.
Visibility of male.
Home
Good food are reserved for the men.
In fact in some cultures, women only eat what men left
behind.
Privileging of men was evident
in Education. It is one of the
leading
institutions that teaches and bolsters
gender inequalities
• Since the 18th century, education was reserved
for the upper-class boys and men
• Many of the Victorian opponents of women’s
education believed that women could not
withstand and would not wish to subject
themselves to the rigors of higher education.
• Before the 1970s very few women had the
opportunity to obtain good education. They
were likely to be admitted in law and
medical schools. They were also not
allowed to participate in school
athletics.
In Religion, men are highly visible and
women were invisible.
In the Bible:
• Daughter 560 Son 3,420 times
times
• Mother 345 Father 1,685 times
times
• She 760 He 7,500 times
times
• Her 1,260 • There are 1,4269,900
Him/His namestimes
times mentioned in the
Bible
1,315 Male names
111 Female names
Media
• Usually shows sons in family setting
• If more than one child is presented, usually the
eldest child is male.
On Women Leadership
Women Leaders in Place in 2015
Germany South Korea
Liberia Cyrpus (North)
Argentina Senegal
Bangladesh Norway
Lithuania Latvia
Trinidad and Tobago Central African Republic
Brazil Chile
Kosovo Malta
Denmark Poland
Jamaica Switzerlan
Slovenia d Croatia
http://www.jjmccullough.com/charts_rest_fe
male-leaders.php
World's 10 most populous nations
and female leader status:
1 China No
2 India Yes
3 United States No
4 Indonesia Yes
5 Brazil Yes
6 Pakistan Yes
7 Bangladesh Yes
8 Nigeria No
9 Russia No
10 Japan No
In the Corporate World
The number of female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies stands at 23, with
exactly the same number occupying equivalent positions in the rest of the
Fortune 1000.
http://www.topmba.com/admissions/women-leadership-top-10-b-
schools-females
In the Corporate World
Women in the workforce (they now occupy more than
40% of all managerial positions in the United States)
Inventors
Famous
American
Scientists
THEY AFFECT
MEN
GENDER BIASES
AGAINST MEN
• Inherently aggressive and
violent.
• Don’t feel pain or incapable
of experiencing human
emotions.
• Inherently compulsive in
their sexuality.
• Don’t need closeness,
reassurance, and attention.
• SUBORDINATION
• GENDER STEREOTYPING
• MULTIPLE BURDEN
Gender issues are
deterrents to
development. Thus, it
is important to
address them in
development
planning.
However, the
good news is
Gender Roles do
change.
QUESTION:
Are Women born
Feminine?
Are Men born
Masculine?
MAJORITY OF BEHAVIORAL
SCIENTISTS AGREE THAT…
Socializatio
n
Learning of gender roles
begin in the early stages of
childhood.
As an outcome:
Male gender-roles
and
Female gender-roles
develop.