The Gender Discrimination

1. Introduction
2. Definition of Masculinity
3. Masculinity as it is socially defined
4. Society as a whole reinforces masculinity in a child
5. Masculinity being reinforced by the female
6. Male feel insult to be labelled a female in our society
7. In the later stage of a boy’s life the process of secondary socialization
8. Society has determined that men must be superior in all respects
9. Double standards of the society in gender role socialization.
10. Genetics vs. socialization
11. Genetics plays a vital role in the formation of male masculinity
12. Biological instincts as underlying cause of masculinity.
13. Conclusion

Masculinity is a topic that has been debated in our society extensively, through research as well as in in informal settings. Many wonder what it means to be masculine, and if we can really assign a definition to such a subjective term. After all, shouldn’t one’s own perception be the determinant of what constitutes masculinity? This self-construction would be the ideal in our society, but unfortunately it represented a false belief. Masculinity has certain characteristics assigned to it by our culture. In this essay we will explore the many facets of masculinity and demonstrate how certain beliefs pertaining it are perpetuated in our society. Many of the contradiction between society’s assigned definition of masculinity and the expectation that males will somehow learn how to act contrary to that assigned learned meaning will be uncovered.

Men are primarily and secondarily socialized into believing certain characteristics are definitive in determining their manliness and masculinity. These characteristics range from not crying when they get hurt to being and playing violently. The socialization of masculinity in our society beings as early as the first stages of infancy. A child’s burgeoning sense of self or self-concept is a result of the multitude of ideas, attitudes, behaviour and beliefs to which he is exposed. From the outset, of a boy life he is socialized into the beliefs that he should be tough,. Often when boys get hurt scrape their knee or come whimpering to their mother or father the fated words, “little boys don’t cry issue forth. Children internalize parental messages regarding gender at an early age, with awareness of adult sex role differences being found in two-year old children. One study found that children at two and a half years of age use gender stereotypes in negotiating their world and are likely to generalize gender stereotypes to a variety of activities, objects, and occupations. This legitimization teaches males that boy and men are not allowed to cry. There also exists the belief that boys are often required to do ‘men’s work’ outside of the home such as mowing the lawn, cleaning the cars, etc., and not ‘sissy women’s work’ such as cooking and cleaning, etc. Other factor help to perpetuate certain standards expected of men and boys.

The violence boy’s witness on television further legitimates this belief. Katz explains advertising imagery equates masculinity with violence. For boys this means aggression is instrumental in that it enables them to establish their masculinity. Lee Bowker researched the influence advertisements have on youth. He asserts that toy advertisements featuring only boys depict aggressive behaviour generally results in positive consequences more often than negative. Bowker also looked at commercials with boys that contain references to domination. The results of all the commercials indicate that 68.6% of the commercials positioned toward boys contain indicates of verbal and aggression. There was no cross gender display of aggressive behavior. Interestingly, not one single-sex commercial featuring girl shows any act of aggression. This reaches helps explain that it is not just the reinforcement of close caretakers o the child the legitimate masculinity but society as a whole using the television as a symbol of society and its desire.

Another example of how this can be reinforced even by women who may or may not be trying to promulgate such a belief is with an experience of a growing up boy: when I would get a cut or a bruise, I would muster up all the strength I had to not cry, I feared that if I wouldn’t be worthy of being a tough kid. On one occasion I had a server cut in my knee that required several stitches. When I look at the wound after rolling up my first inclination was to break out crying. However, at that moment my teacher told me what a brave boy I was and how amazed she was that I was not crying. She probably did not realize that she was sending a message to me that if I cried I would not be tough enough, and therefore I would not become a real man.

Is this all that society want in men? Do they want simple-minded hunks of musculature that are tough? It is no longer sufficient for men to just be tough physically. They must also demonstrate competence intellectually spiritually and emotionally. This argument is not to say that being physically fit and healthy is a negative characteristics, but rather it is only trying to point out that what society is defining as the ideal is later revoked by that same society, or at the very least discarded and seen as secondary to the truly important mental prowess, sensitivity and intelligence.

This is where the double standard becomes evident. William Pollack, a Harvard clinical psychologist, talks about how males have been put in a gender straightjackets that leads to anger despair an often violence. Pollack states “we ask them to take a whole range of feelings and emotions and put those behind a mask. We tell them they have to stand on their own two feet and we shame them if they show any emotion.’’ Pollack says that boys are shame them if phobic and “some will kill to avoid shame’’. It appears that the standard defined by society allows men to express their emotion only through anger. With such strict conflicting expectations a male often doesn’t know how to act. Rigid stereotypes have been emphasized to them from an early age of what it means to really be a man. However, men are often criticized for being one dimensional in their behaviour and emotions.

They are expected by society to be sensitive and show their emotions. “Men are so insensitive!’’ are they? Why do women think men are so insensitive? Do they realize that insensitivity is what men have been taught their whole lives? Realistically, men are in a no win situation. If they don’t show their emotions, they are berated for being detached from the essence of what really constitutes a human being. On the other hand, if a male decides to expose his emotions, he is labeled as a “sissy’’ and not viewed as equal to other males who demonstrate move valor and bravery.

Why do we choose blue for boys and red for girls? Why do we have girls take dance and boys play hockey? There is no genetic difference as to why women would do laundry and a man would now the lawn. This is a result of externalization. But are males more prone to toughness and masculinity than women? Could it be said that genetics play a factor in what is so often considered to be a socially defined aspect of male masculinity? In general, males are much more aggressive than females. Biologists and anthropologists would propose that this is because humans have evolved from a polygamous society males competed hard to procreate, and females work to raise and support the young. These roles demanded aggression in males, and promoted rules such as hierarchy, competitions and dominance.

A theory promulgated by David buss takes into consideration the social side of aggression while maintaining that biological instincts are the underlying cause. He suggests in his book the evolution of desire that the existence of large numbers of men who cannot attract a mate my increase sexual aggression and rape.

He states that “violence is often the recourse of people who lack resources that would otherwise elicit voluntary compliance with their wishes.’’ Rape occurs more often by men who lack the status and resources that women want in mates.

Is there a double standard in masculinity? It is apparent through my arguments that society expects men to be both ‘tough’ and gentle’ while some might argue that genetics, instincts and their animalistic nature for men to act more tough than gentle. The paradox is evident, the source ambiguous. Regardless, masculinity is an unrealistic exception of men.