Argumentatice Essay Gender Roles - 1268 Words

‘Boys will be boys’, a phrase coined to exonerate the entire male sex of loathsome acts past, present, and potential. But what about the female sex, if females act out of turn they are deemed ‘unladylike’ or something of the sort and scolded. This double standard for men and women dates back as far as the first civilizations and exists only because it is allowed to, because it is taught. Gender roles and cues are instilled in children far prior to any knowledge of the anatomy of the sexes. This knowledge is learned socially, culturally, it is not innate. And these characteristics can vary when the environment one is raised in differs from the norm. Child rearing and cultural factors play a large role in how individuals act and see†¦show more content†¦(1) These expectations are passed on by parents and parents’ parents in a viscous cycle. When a person’s parent fits the vision of perfect masculinity or femininity the children are quite likely to mimic their acts. Proof of the cultural impact on gender; some backgrounds have more than the two genders typically associated with western societies. They are born either male or female but how they choose to identify themselves is their gender. In Samoa, the Fa’afafine are born males who choose to be raised as girls and are encouraged by their families and communities to act as such (Schmidt 1). Many occidental cultures, especially America, do not see it as such, this would classify as transvestism. Carmen Và ¡zquez’s â€Å"Appearances† discusses, in depth, the effects of gender deviation in America, â€Å"At the simplest level, looking or behaving like a stereotypical gay man or lesbian is reason enough to provoke a homophobic assault†¦I call it gen der betrayal†¦[one man] said, ‘We hate homosexuals. They degrade our manhood’ (Và ¡zquez 474). American culture is so opposed to divergence from what is standard; men and women who even show an inkling of being akin to the opposite sex are automatically homosexuals because they cannot possibly be otherwise. It also leads to child rearing in a way that attempts to prevent these results at all costs. Parents typically teach their children how to dress themselves, how to properly eat food, and