Essay on Gender Roles: Norm Violation by Women

Gender roles is a set of anticipation connected with the perception of femininity and masculinity. It can be identified as prescriptions of gender roles that aims at encouraging the socially desirable behavior. Gender roles can be realized not only in our work and behavior but in the manner in which we react to other people as sometimes we are reinforcing gender norms without even knowing. For norms to achieve its purpose, it represents a particular social control mechanism characterized by generalization and realization. However, there is no single form masculinity of femininity in Western culture, but there exist culturally dominant forms, and both are culturally constructed.

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As stated earlier, gender norms aim at encouraging socially desirable behavior among genders. However, this practice is sometimes violated by both genders. I recently decide do a little research and investigate on the issue gender norms and gender breach, especially among women. During my research, I noticed various behaviors that is violation of gender norms, especially among women. I focused on the various place during my research such as school, market places among other public places. During my research, I adopted various data collection techniques including observation and interviewing. The following are behavior that I identified that I believed to be violated by women.

Spitting in public

Use of men bathroom

Send men flowers

By/chew tobacco

Open doors for men

Talk knowledgeable about car

Watching football

Wearing mini-skirts

Role of Gender Norms

Gender norms play an essential role to both men and women to understand what is expected of them in the society. For instance, women, are supposed to be nurtured, wise and caring people, and this is what is expected from them. This is individuals who spend most of the time with kids, and they play an essential role in nurturing a child as they grow. It will be a breach of norms if you find a lady spitting in public, using mens bathrooms and smoking tobacco. Such behaviors can means that women will not be playing their roles as guardians. Also, women, are expected to be submissive and respectful people. At the moment, women wearing mini-skirts and reporting to the house late at night without a genuine reason and this is a norm.

When I visited a local university during my social research, I realized that gender roles and norms also contribute to decision regarding education and careers. We have gender roles that are shaped with education hence critical decision that we make in our career choices play an essential role in what we will be in our society. For instance, I realize that women were pursuing courses that lead to lower paying jobs since they expect to be involved in lighter jobs in future such as taking care of children as compared to men. Every decision we make is driven by the roles that we need to play when we are adults.

I further visited the various household in my neighborhood, and the found out the attitudes toward gender stereotype have changed. It was late in the evening, and I expected wives to be at home something that did not happen. Every household had a house help who took care of children. This is a norm violation as women are expected to back at home earlier as compared to men.

Gender norms play an essential role especially among women as it enables them to be key players in early child development. Sometimes, gender role is the role that the society expects someone to take on. It begins during the child interaction with the parent and teachers as this individual groom the child towards their respective roles when they grow up. Currently, women are spending less time with their kids and are not playing their roles of nurturing them. Additionally, most women are smokers something that has surprised many. Such activity is a breach of gender norm as it is a bad habit that if copied by children as they grow up.

I wanted to see the reaction from people when a particular gender role is violated. Our local market is one of the cleanest markets if not in our country, then in the world. I visited the market accompanied with me were my three friends and targeted a large group of people and spit in front of them. The reaction I received from the public was shocking. In fact, if it were it not my three friends that I went with, I could have been beaten by the angry crowd. The public at first thought I was not an ordinary person and watched me for a while yet my friend knew what after. The public surrounded me as my friend just watched, and this attention even attracted the attention of the local police who were on patrol. After I had done the violation, one man came to me and told me that it was an irresponsible act from a person like me. As a lady, we play various roles in our society, for instance, we supposed to be nurtured, wise and caring. The kids who were around, in fact, laughed at me calling me funny names. The truth is that we should be the one to guide the young ones as they grow up. What did the young people think of me when they saw me urinating in public? I believe it was a bad example from me. We should act as a role model as we are supposed to nurture our young ones toward the right directions. One lady, who appeared to be the same age as my mom approached me and politely asked, why are you doing this? I felt guilty. From the public appearance, it was not all about social norms as I heard somebody shouting that I was polluting the environment. I just wondered how this was possible only to realize that preserving the environment is our responsibility.

Conclusively, the changing gender norms appear to be moving toward gender equality. The role that men used to play seems to be superiors as compared to women. For example, men are supposed to be leaders, influential, confident individuals who should take care of the family. On the other hand, women are expected to be nurturers and caring and choose courses that lead to low-paying jobs as compared to men. Nowadays, this has changed, and there is gender balance in the society. Everybody is a breadwinner nowadays, and families are not relying on men as providers of the family. Also, in education, women are pursuing science and maths courses that were previously perceived to be for men. Also, women are holding leadership position that was once left for men, and their responsibilities at home have drastically reduced. The responsibilities are now left to the house help as women spend most of the time at work to cater for the need of the family the responsibility that was left to men alone.