Gender Roles

The set of behavioral norms which are expected from an individual to be an appropriate member of the society in the context of a particular sex or particular culture are considered as gender roles. In deciding whether the differences in the personality characteristics and behavior is due to the social and the cultural factors leads to various opinions.

Feminist and the economic influences have made changes in the interpersonal relationship and there by the views of gender-based differentiation has acquired new forms.  Still, there are considerable differences in the gender roles in every society. But, in times of crisis like war even women are permitted to do the work of men and vice versa.

Types of gender

There are several definitions for Gender roles. In general, the term gender refers to the set of characteristics which are mainly concentrated to differentiate male from the female and which reflect on the gender identity focusing on the biological sex of a person. At the core, gender identity is the personal sense of an individual of being a man or a woman.

There are two major genders namely masculine and feminine. In some cultures there has been a third gender named "Androgyny" and there are some societies which even have more than five genders.  The external manifestation which includes the shape, structure and the functioning of the body mainly referred to gender identity. In addition to it, hairstyles, clothing and behavior are helpful in determining the gender of a person.

Comparison between men and women

There are many gender stereotypes which instigate expectations on the basis of the emotional reaction and the emotional expression of an individual. According to the studies that involve gender roles, the display of the emotions and the stereotypes that are formed on the basis of gender mainly corresponds to the difference in experiencing the expressions and the emotions.

Niedenthal states that women are emotionally expressive and responsive. They are more empathetic and have got the sense of feeling for others. Women pay more attention to the body language of a particular person and have the ability to express more fear, love and more sadness. They can smile, laugh and gaze more than men. On the other hand, men are considered to be stoic and their expression of emotions show dominance. Compared to women, men are more obsessed with sex and they are overwhelmed with the women's expression of emotion. Compared to women, men are expected to express more anger. Another common notion is that men commit more crime when compared to women. Even survey in the prison shows that men do occupy it more than women.

Questions:

• Mention the types of Gender?
• Who is considered to be more stoic and more obsessed with sex?