Gender Roles and Its Development
Gender is an identity of an individual. Gender can be summed up as set of different characteristics which are used to distinguish between a male and a female. It has many definitions and gender is substituted by the word ’sex’ in modern terms. A role is a set of duties and responsibilities which have not been assigned as such but generally accepted with due course of time. In the same vein, gender roles are the roles taken by an individual according to his gender. Gender roles are considered a stereotype because it is more of a belief which has a practical reasoning to it.
Gender role is a categorization based on the gender of a person. It generally refers to a theoretical construct which is considered socially appropriate and gets reinstated with time. “We are as similar as we are different,” goes a general saying which clearly states the fact that both genders have many similarities as well as dissimilarities between them. Physical structure was the base of this kind of systematic categorization. The range of its influence on cultures can vary region to region but most agree that ‘physical features’ were used as a base for this concept. It was started as a concept in the research and studies of social sciences.
Gender stereotypes are an overview based on gender differences, attributes and roles of an individual or a group. Gender stereotypes are beliefs based on gender. Gender stereotyping is a classical mistake done by people who are known to assume things based on their experiences which can be both, positive and negative.
Gender roles can be stretched to accommodate the transgender category as well, but it has not been taken into consideration in the study of social sciences, yet many modern theories consider it as a third gender. This categorization is done mostly in developed countries as the transgender community is considered as queer in conservative societies mostly in poor countries. It is said that gender roles and stereotypes have gone into our psyche as it affects a wide range of categorization which cannot be easily proved. Gender roles and stereotypes affect our choice, decisions and everything in particular where the bifurcation is based on the gender of a person.
Evolutionary theory, Talcott Parson’s theory, Object-relations theory, Gender Schema theory, and Social Role theory are some popular theories which are used and accepted in the field of social sciences.
Gender roles may be controversial but it is researched on a large scale as it forms a base for many other solutions and theories which are required for the society in particular.
