Introduction
This paper analyzes the concept of gender as a social construct. Gender in general terms refers to the various characteristics used to differentiate between male and female humans. These characteristics are interpreted under different contexts. Thus the meaning of gender has always varied. Gender as a social construct can be explained as follows.
Gender as a Structure
Gender as a social structure is based on the fact that ‘gender’ is a social construct. This means that the meaning of gender is socially created through interactions. Thus it can be analyzed at three levels in the society namely, individual level, institutional level and interaction level (Lorber, 1994).
At the individual level, assigning appropriate sex to a person is the first step in gender construction (Lorber, 1994). Gender status is then created through appropriate symbols such as naming, dressing and roles. For example, girls can be differentiated from boys through their mode of dressing. At the institutional level, gender determines organizational patterns of human beings in the society (Lorber, 1994).
It particularly influences the distribution of resources and the roles associated with different sexes. For example, a role such as taking care of babies is associated with women. Finally, at the interaction level, gender influences the way males and females interact. It achieves this by defining the mannerism or norms that guide interaction between males and females (Henslin, 2010). Gender is constantly created as people change roles, behaviors and patterns of interaction.
The Different Significance Gender Categories have for Individuals and Society
The significance of gender at individual level is that it focuses on creating predictable gender statuses. This means that it aims at establishing a “limited number of gender statuses” (Lorber, 1994) whose members have similar attributes.
This is achieved through teaching the individual to be either masculine or feminine. For example girls are taught to behave in a particular manner as required by their culture. Thus members of a particular gender will be identified by particular characteristics. However, the characteristics vary from one culture to another.
At the society level, the significance of gender is that it focuses on identifying the differences in gender statuses (Lorber, 1994). The differences are usually based on the perceived roles of each gender status. This means that a gender boundary exists and differentiates various gender statuses. However, the boundaries are usually breached as roles change.
Ideas from the Film ‘Race, the Power of Illusion’
Ideas from the above film help in understanding how race and gender are constructed and this can be explained as follows. First, the film indicates that race is not natural but a social construct. Thus it can not be used to classify human beings based on their physical traits.
As a social contract, race is created by social institutions such as economy and politics. This helps in differentiating between race and ethnicity. While race describes the biological traits that distinguishes individuals, ethnicity categories individuals based on their cultural heritage (Henslin, 2010). Thus race is a physiological product while ethnicity is a social construct.
The same concept explains the difference between gender and sexual orientation. While gender is socially constructed, sexual orientation is a physiological product. Second, the film indicates that race has been used to justify inequality by assuming that it is natural. This helps in understanding the differences in gender statuses. In most cases, gender boundaries are established to marginalize females especially in resource allocation (Lorber, 1994).
References
Henslin, J. (2010). Essentials of sociology: a down-to-earth approach. New York: Prentice Hall.
Lorber, J. (1994). Night to his day: the social construction of gender. New Haven: Yale University.