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Essay / Social construction of gender and its effects on global society
According to dominant norms, gender refers to either sex, when considered in reference to cultural and social differences. Gender is important in dominant societies because it is what allows us to determine who is allowed to do what and how they are allowed to do it, no matter what. Gender separates men and women socially and culturally. It allows humans to simply function and follow a predefined path without questioning it, because that is what is considered normal. Although most societies accept these ways of thinking, for some it simply doesn't work. In this essay, I will discuss the problematic ways in which mainstream society has constructed gender and how this social construction affects global society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie acknowledges in her book We Should All be Feminists that men and women are physically and biologically different, but recognizes also the fact that socialization exaggerates these differences. In general, society allows children to express and present themselves as they please, as many people will view their deviation from social normality as a phase rather than a true feeling. When these children begin to reach puberty and experience physical changes, society expects them to conform to social normalities. This catalyzes the effects of gender-based violence as it violates general gender rules and regulations in society. This is often where the terms “gender” and “sex” are confused. “Gender” refers to the identity assigned to you based on your physical attributes. “Gender” refers to how a person themselves identify, regardless of their physical attributes. It is assumed that everyone's sex and gender intersect and work together harmoniously. However, many people's sex and gender are parallel and will never meet. Transgenderism, androgyny, and the concept that gender is a spectrum are ideas that are very foreign to many Western societies and are frowned upon in many mainstream societies. Gender, in some societies like Native Americans, is considered fluid and can easily change in a person's life. If a family desires a son, but the mother gives birth to a daughter, it is not uncommon for the child to be raised as a son. If a boy prefers to engage in typically feminine activities, his parents will usually decide that their son is now their daughter. Native Americans also have a “third” gender called “two-spirit” which refers to people who possess both masculine and feminine qualities within them. In this society, gender is fluid and does not operate according to a strict binary gender system like many societies do. By recognizing those societies that do not have the same conceptions of gender as traditional societies, it is proven that gender plays a different role and is accepted differently in each society. It also highlights the fact that gender plays an important role in how people perceive themselves and others in all societies, regardless of how it is interpreted. “Gender is increasingly used to designate any social construction linked to the male/female distinction, including constructions that separate “feminine” bodies from “male” bodies. This latter usage is..