Introduction
Gender is a constructed description of a woman or a man conceptualized on task, functions, and roles attributed to men and women in public or private life within the society. Therefore gender can not be described based on the sex of an individual or based on the biological nature of the individual in question. However, as a result of much anxiety about gender issues within the society, especially gender-based violence, and gender equality, I resorted to more research and study about the impact of women in the community, the social identities that shaped me into the woman I am today. Besides, I would also like to depict how my gender has influenced my religion, family life, sexuality, and culture.
Ways in Which Being a Woman Impacts My Everyday Life
For many years women in society have served different roles and have extended to those known to be men’s duties. Besides, women have served as helpmates and partners to men (Jacobson & Mustafa,2019). They have sacrificed their pleasure and ambitions, set morality standards, and relieved stress and strain. Therefore they have enhanced peace and order in the households. These complex works have enabled younger and middle-aged women to embrace their feminine nature, thereby impacting their lives through inculcating the value of self-worth and confidence. It has also enabled me to make decisions and have the ability to say no as an answer, and acknowledge that my physical appearance is a vital factor in furthering my movement for justice and liberation. In addition, this has enabled me to navigate the destructive force of eating disorders.
- Being a woman has also enabled me to learn and know my worth in my workplace and academia which has enhanced recognition of my talent. Being a woman has also enhanced the recognition of my personal needs in the public sector and enabled treatment with equality. The venture of most women in the leadership post has also impacted me towards managerial leadership of women and other sectors worth contesting. Furthermore, my gender has also enabled me to start prioritizing school and other related accomplishments by avoiding prejudice.
- Being a woman has also enabled me to interact with my family and friends reasonably. This is evidenced through having argumentative conversations in a non-violent manner, having clear boundaries on who and when to spend quality time with, recognizing how to perpetuate oppression, and lastly, being more supportive and less competitive with other women around me. Besides, being a woman has also enabled me to abide by the shine theory through having more nuanced and engaging conversations with people.
- Lastly, being a woman has also empowered me to help control trauma and violence by learning how to make choices on how to react in a situation of assault. I have learned this also through learning my early parental stage on teachings concerning consent and autonomy. Finally, being a woman has also empowered me with the capability to know my rights and the action to take against violations.
Being a Woman in Society and My Personal View
In ancient societies, women were considered a disadvantaged gender that had to battle the rules and conventions of men who dominated the governments, public life, and society (Swim, 2020). Besides, women were also considered to perform the daily house chores and were not expected in any political or men-related affairs. Apart from that, some societies considered women inferior beings who could not achieve any greatness, whereas other religions had powerful goddesses, such as the Isis in Egypt. Later, many women came to break the records by rising high to various societal positions. Today, in some societies, women are provided equal chances and measures as men, which is depicted by younger feminists claiming symbols rejected in the early generation about feminism.
As much as there is equality brought forth by the new generation between men and women, some communities still consider women as inferior beings, which is contrary to my perspective of being a woman. From my point of view, a woman upholds a crucial position in society, such as bridging the gap between younger members of society like children and men by being accommodative to the children’s problems. Women also help maintain peace and harmony within society and provide some new ideas beneficial to society members. Women also depict good and admirable skills of leadership in society. Therefore women should be granted the same opportunity as men to enhance equity and equality.
Conforming to the Societal Expectation of Femininity or Masculinity
In attempts to talk of gender inequality, women are always victims as we are subjected to various unfavorable conditions in the name of squaring issues and bringing peace. On the other hand, men have always been considered the beneficiaries of solutions to disputes of gender inequality in the recent past (Wynn, 2020). However, men also face similar challenges on some occasions, just like women. Therefore, it is advisable for both the genders to understand the need to cooperate on gender equality within the society. It is evidenced that for society to experience some progress, both the genders should cooperate to embrace gender equality and fight against gender-based violence and gender inequality.
Impact of Gender as a Social Construct in My Life
The social construction of gender is essential as it depicts how gender divides home based on the economic production, legitimacy, and those in authority. In America, gender is a social construct determinant as there is consideration of equality in performing duties between men and women. Being a woman seems to be of two dimensions as it has both positive and negative aspects. It is advantageous to be a woman because a woman is not subjected to heavy duties as per the man, but there is equality in salaries. On the contrary, it is disadvantageous because women mostly face violations and assaults from men. 95% of the victims of gender-based violence have been reported to be women who sometimes do sustain physical injuries. At the same time, some have faced brutality that has resulted in the deaths of women across the world.
Socializing Agents That Impacted My Thought on Gender
My primary thoughts on gender were initiated by some crucial socializing agents such as family, education, peer groups, and the media. The agency reinforcement is inculcated through the establishment and maintenance of gender-specific activities. The thoughts were also triggered by my religion and my work area, where I found myself working among men, and I was performing my duties well with much excellence. Over time, the continued exposure to those agents created a belief that I was acting spontaneously rather than following a contrasted social path as per the expectation of most in society. Therefore, it is advisable to apply the socializing agents to better understand the role of gender in society.
An Example of Personal Gender Influence
During my teenage years, our household duties were gender-oriented, where some duties were assigned to women and some to men by our parents. For instance, I was expected to do house chores like cleaning utensils, mopping the house, and preparing meals. On the other hand, my brother was expected to be doing farming tool repairs with my dad and helping in keeping a track record of the farm products. The protocol continued till I was through with my studies. However, when I got my job and relocated, I encountered problems undertaking duties initially assigned to my brother. This was because previously, I never had any experience doing other chores apart from those assigned to me.
Conclusion
In every social setting, gender aspects can be addressed from different angles. However, most of the aspects revolve around referring to gender as sexual-based behavior, which is contrary to the actualized concept of modern society. Currently, gender is termed as an ideology or the how one performs their duties; that is, men are expected to behave in a masculine aspect while women are expected to be feminine. However, women have depicted their ability to succeed in areas meant for men, such as leadership and politics. In addition, women have also depicted the capacity to become outstanding and fight for their rights. Therefore, all societies should unite in embracing gender equality and deviating from gender-based violence. Besides, in conjunction with governments, some organizations have derived ways to ensure gender equality and reduce gender-based violence.
References
Jacobson, D., & Mustafa, N. (2019). Social identity map: A reflexivity tool for practicing explicit positionality in critical qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1609406919870075.
Swim, J. K., Gillis, A. J., & Hamaty, K. J. (2020). Gender-bending and gender conformity: The social consequences of engaging in feminine and masculine pro-environmental behaviors. Sex Roles, 82(5), 363-385.
Wynn, A. T. (2020). Pathways toward change: Ideologies and gender equality in a Silicon Valley technology company. Gender & Society, 34(1), 106-130.