{"id":12349,"date":"2021-07-03T15:19:09","date_gmt":"2021-07-03T09:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?p=12349"},"modified":"2025-02-25T13:12:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T07:42:46","slug":"sociology-of-gender-sociological-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/sociology-of-gender-sociological-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Sociology of Gender: Sociological Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sociology_of_Gender_Sociological_Perspective\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Sociology of Gender: Sociological Perspective<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relevant_for_Sociology_Optional_UPSC\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><b>(Relevant for Sociology Optional\u00a0 UPSC)<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >What's Inside this Blog!<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/sociology-of-gender-sociological-perspective\/#Sociology_of_Gender_Sociological_Perspective\" title=\"Sociology of Gender: Sociological Perspective\">Sociology of Gender: Sociological Perspective<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/sociology-of-gender-sociological-perspective\/#Relevant_for_Sociology_Optional_UPSC\" title=\"(Relevant for Sociology Optional\u00a0 UPSC)\">(Relevant for Sociology Optional\u00a0 UPSC)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/sociology-of-gender-sociological-perspective\/#Social_Construction_of_Gender\" title=\"Social Construction of Gender\">Social Construction of Gender<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/sociology-of-gender-sociological-perspective\/#Family_is_the_first_agent_of_socialization\" title=\"Family is the first agent of socialization.\">Family is the first agent of socialization.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/sociology-of-gender-sociological-perspective\/#Read_more_Blogs\" title=\"Read more Blogs:\">Read more Blogs:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25976 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-29.png\" alt=\"Sociology of Gender by Vikash Ranjan sir at Triumph IAS, UPSC Sociology Optional\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-29.png 1080w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-29-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-29-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-29-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-29-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The\u00a0<strong>sociology of gender<\/strong>\u00a0examines how society\u00a0influences our understandings and perception \u00a0of\u00a0differences between\u00a0<strong>masculinity<\/strong>\u00a0(what society deems appropriate behaviour for a \u201cman\u201d) and\u00a0<strong>femininity\u00a0<\/strong>(what society deems appropriate behaviour for a \u201cwoman\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Gender and sexuality\u00a0are not just personal identities; they are\u00a0<strong>social identities.<\/strong>\u00a0They arise from our relationships to other people, and they\u00a0depend upon social interaction and social recognition. As such,\u00a0they\u00a0influence how we understand ourselves in relation to others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>In the 19th Century,<\/strong> biomedical science largely converged around Western European practices\u00a0and ideas. Biological definitions of the body arose where they did not exist before, drawing on Victorian values. The essentialist ideas that people attach to man and woman exist only because of this cultural history. This includes the erroneous ideas that sex:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Is pre-determined in the womb;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Defined by anatomy which in turn determines\u00a0sexual identity and desire;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Differences are all connected to reproductive functions;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Identities are immutable; and that<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Deviations from dominant ideas of male\/female must be \u201cunnatural.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">As I show further below, there is more variation across cultures when it comes to what is considered \u201cnormal\u201d for men and women, thus highlighting the\u00a0<strong>ethnocentric<\/strong>\u00a0basis of sex categories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Ethnocentric<\/strong> ideas define and judge practices according to one\u2019s own culture, rather than understanding cultural practices vary and should be viewed by local standards.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Social_Construction_of_Gender\"><\/span><span style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Social Construction of Gender<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Gender, like all social identities, is\u00a0<strong>socially constructed<\/strong>. Social constructionism is one of the key theories sociologists use to put gender into historical and cultural focus. Social constructionism\u00a0is a social theory about how meaning is created through social interaction \u2013 through the things we do and say with other people.\u00a0This theory shows that gender\u00a0it is not a fixed or innate fact, but instead it varies across time and place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Gender norms<\/strong>\u00a0(the socially acceptable ways of acting out gender) are learned from birth through childhood socialisation. We learn what is expected of our gender from what our parents teach us, as well as what we pick up at school, through religious or cultural teachings, in the media, and various other social institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Gender is the structure of social relations that centres on the reproductive arena,<\/strong> and the set of practices (governed by this structure) that bring reproductive distinctions between bodies into social processes. To put it informally, gender concerns the way human society deals with human bodies, and the many consequences of that \u201cdeal\u201d in our personal lives and our collective fate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Take for example the\u00a0<strong>gender pay gap<\/strong>. Men in general are paid better than women; they enjoy more sexual and social freedom; and they have other benefits that women do not by virtue of their gender.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Family_is_the_first_agent_of_socialization\"><\/span><span style=\"background-color: #ffffff; font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Family is the first agent of socialization.<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">There is considerable evidence that parents socialize sons and daughters differently.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">However, differential socialization typically results in greater privileges afforded to sons.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">For instance, boys are allowed more autonomy and independence at an earlier age than daughters. They may be given fewer restrictions on appropriate clothing, dating habits, or curfew.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Sons are also often free from performing domestic duties such as cleaning or cooking and other household tasks that are considered feminine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Daughters are limited by their expectation to be passive and nurturing, generally obedient, and to assume many of the domestic responsibilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>Even when parents set gender equality as a goal,<\/strong> there may be underlying <strong>indications of inequality.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>For example,<\/strong> boys may be asked to take out the garbage or perform other tasks that require strength or toughness, while girls may be asked to fold laundry or perform duties that require neatness and care. It has been found that fathers are firmer in their expectations for gender conformity than are mothers, and their expectations are stronger for sons than they are for daughters (Kimmel 2000).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">This is true in many types of activities, including preference for toys, play styles, discipline, chores, and personal achievements. As a result, boys tend to be particularly attuned to their father\u2019s disapproval when engaging in an activity that might be considered feminine, like dancing or singing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">The reinforcement of gender roles and stereotypes continues once a child reaches school age. Until very recently, schools were rather explicit in their efforts to stratify boys and girls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><strong>The first step toward stratification was segregation. Girls were encouraged to take home economics or humanities courses and boys to take math and science<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><span class=\"amp-wp-ead8d03 amp-wp-ead8d03\" style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><span class=\"amp-wp-303d451\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;\">To Read more topics like Sociology of Gender: Sociological Perspective<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"amp-wp-303d451\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;\">in Public Posts, visit:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?amp=1\">www.triumphias.com\/blogs<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Read_more_Blogs\"><\/span><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\">Read more Blogs:<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"FZ2U8KDGMm\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/new-prespective-in-poverty-analysis\/\">New Prespective in Poverty Analysis | Sociology Optional Coaching | Vikash Ranjan Classes | Triumph IAS | UPSC Sociology Optional<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; 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&#8212; TriumphIAS\" src=\"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/cyber-slavery-a-new-form-of-slavery\/embed\/#?secret=4C75A3O1Il#?secret=YrvoscDBee\" data-secret=\"YrvoscDBee\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sociology of Gender: Sociological Perspective (Relevant for Sociology Optional\u00a0 UPSC) &nbsp; The\u00a0sociology of gender\u00a0examines how society\u00a0influences our understandings and perception<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1033,114,1030,1029,1028,1032,1026,115,116,1034,1027,1031],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-optional-sociology","category-sociology-optional","category-sociology-civils","category-sociology-ias","category-sociology-mains","category-sociology-mains-ias","category-sociology-optional-sociology-optional","category-sociology-optional-paper-i","category-sociology-optional-paper-ii","category-sociology-scoring-optional","category-sociology-upsc","category-sociology-upsc-mains"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12349"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25977,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12349\/revisions\/25977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}