In this role of man in society essay, the traditional functions of this gender will be explored.
Human beings are the most evolved creatures on earth. Over the centuries, they have managed to build the most advanced civilization. Each member of society plays a part in the overall functioning of the community. An essential characteristic of human civilization is that some responsibilities are divided along gender lines.
While there has been a trend toward achieving gender equality over the last century, the traditional positions of women and men in society continue to influence our worldview.
Therefore, this men and society essay will discuss how significant the male gender in our world is with a focus on their responsibilities and values.
In most societies, men are regarded as the defenders of the community. It is up to them to ensure that their homes and communities are safe from internal and external threats. Men are expected to take up arms and protect the children and women in the society. While this might sound like an old concept, it continues to prevail in modern times. For example, the majority of individuals enrolled in the national army are men. Men are also more likely to be involved in dispute resolution where physical force is required.
This role of men in security activities might be attributed to their relatively greater physical strength compared to women. In my opinion, socialization has played a major role in enhancing the security role that men play in the society. Women are regarded as weak members of the society in need of protection. Without such a mentality, women would be able to play the role of defense on an equal standing with men.
Men take up the leadership role in society. Most of the top leaders of the world are men and in most organizations, men occupy the highest positions. However, the fact that men occupy majority of the leadership posts does not mean that they are better leaders than women are. Instead, this occurrence might be because men are generally more assertiveness and aggressive compared to women.
In addition to this, women have traditionally been expected to serve in less public capacities. In instances where women take up leadership roles, they perform just as well as their male counterparts. To try to overcome this situation, many countries have tried to implement affirmative action. These policies are aimed at increasing the participation of women in leadership positions that traditionally been overrun by men.
One of the main responsibilities of men in society is as head of the family unit. The man is expected to serve as the spokesperson for his family and make some of the major decisions on behalf of the family. While this is a traditional notion, it continues to be followed in our society today.
The best example of this is in a marriage union where following the marriage, the family name adopted by the couple is the man’s first name. As the society advances and the family structure undergo change, this role of men as the head of the family will change. However, for now men continue to serve as heads of their family in societies all over the world.
The man is expected to serve as a role model for the younger boys. The advancement of human society is dependent on the passing on of traditions and skills from one generation to the other. Men are expected to teach some of the “manly” things to their sons. In modern society, the man will introduce his son to sporting activities and teach him how to shoot or ride a bicycle. Through this socialization, some of the roles and activities attributed to men are passed on from generation to generation.
One of the values greatly esteemed by men is courage. Men are expected to demonstrate fearlessness in the face of danger and stand up to adversity. Through this value, men can protect the society against threats and put their lives at risk for the good of the society. Other members of the society praise men who show great courage.
On the other hand, cowardice is greatly discouraged among men. Anyone who is regarded as a coward will be shunned and frowned upon by the society. The value of courage is an outcome of socialization since men are taught that being afraid is unmanly.
Another value attributed to men is resourcefulness. Men are expected to come up with solutions to problems and demonstrate great practicality in life. Faced with a new situation, the man should be able to find a way to adapt to it, survive and even thrive.
Through their resourcefulness, men can come up with solutions for most of the common problems that women might prefer to get professional help for. For example, men are more likely to fix faulty electricity systems in their house and diagnose their car for problems even if they do not have any professional knowledge on the issue.
Men play some very important roles and responsibilities in our society. Some of these roles such as security are because of the physical advantages that men possess. Other roles such as family leadership might be because of the socialization process that dictates the various roles that the man should play in society.