INTRODUCTION
- GENDER
The term gender and sex are sometimes used synonymously but both term have different meaning. Gender is developed in the process of socialization. Gender means multi-faceted socially, psychologically and culturally constructed characteristics, roles, behaviors, expressions and identities related with being a male and female, as well as associations with one another. It has an effect in the way people see and perceive themselves. Gender identification is a continuum process that can change over time; it is neither static nor binary (girl/woman, boy/man). Gender is so profoundly deep-rooted in our traditions, our activities, our opinions, and our aspirations that it seems natural to a person. Neither we are born with gender attributes nor we possess them because we belong to a particular sex. It is something we do or related to something we perform as the same is told by the society or the community where a person lives[1]. Society has created certain norms; behavior and it expects people to behave and act in that manner. Gender is something which one expresses by the way of speaking, dressing, walking, behaving and while interacting with others. Every person has a dual binary version of themselves: an external societal and public gender identity and an interior personal sexual identity. Post- natal experiences shape one’s gender distinctiveness and awareness of how that individual is perceived in front of public. It arises from observing society’s norms and expectations in general, as well as comparing oneself to others. Gender may not at all times match with the biological sex of a person. There may not reconciliation between the sexual identity and gender i.e. There may be genitals of one sex in the body (male) and brain and the essence of the other (female). Gender is very personal in nature and comes naturally to oneself.
The below lays down a few examples of fundamental gender characteristics which are embedded in a child from an early age, he or she is expected to behave in that manner and if he or she doesn’t behave in that manner that person is termed as strange or queer.
- Men are recognized as fathers and women are recognized as
- Blue colour stands for Boys and Pink colour stands for
- Men are supposed to be bread earners and decision makers while women do the house work and nurture the family.
- Men earn more whereas women earn There is a pay gap.
- Men work as technicians, mechanics, electricians, drivers whereas women work as nurses, air hostesses, weavers, knitters, school teachers.
- Boys play with automobiles and super heroes whereas girls play with dolls.
Gender features and qualities are different for both the sex, for example, the roles male and female undertake and the beliefs put on each individual, differ greatly amongst societal groups and transform with time. However, because gender traits are socially constructed, they can be changed in ways that improve a society’s fairness and justification.
[1] Eckert, Penelope, McConnell Ginet and Sally. Language and Gender. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press