Masculinity, Language, and Culture
In my Opinion Masculinity is socially constructed process influences by many factors, this process starts even before we are born. When we were in our mother’s stomach we had our dad, family members and friends talking to us, and from the moment they found out we were going to be either a girls or a boy, they began to talk to us accordingly. From the moment we are born people talk to us according to our gender, if it’s a girl, they talk more gently and buy everything of color pink, if it’s a boy, a different tone of voice is used and everything is color Blue. As we begin to grow they continue to reinforce our gender in many ways, for example if a boy falls on the ground a parent would typically say “that didn’t even hurt, you are a tough boy, boys don’t cry� and if a girl falls a parent would say “are you okay sweetie�. Things like this help develop our masculinity and femininity as we grow older, because we begin to create standard rules on how we need to be.
The reason why men have a higher preference for sports then women is because before women were not allowed to play most sports, it has not been long since women started playing. It will take some time for women to become more familiar with sports and its set of regulations. Women in elder generations don’t like sports because they didn’t grow up playing any. An example of this is my mom, she does not like me playing soccer; she says is a sport for men because it’s too violent. Of course I don’t agree with it and if I have kids some day I will encourage them to play whether they are girls or boys. I am sure this is the case with many people, a few generations later women will be more familiar with Sports.
Comments
I think that today people’s activities are influenced less on gender roles and more so on interests. It would be hard to argue that the main reason why men have a higher preference for sports than women is because of the length of time sports were played. In freshman level biology classes you learn that males, by nature, are more aggressive and competitive than women, also their bodies are built for more physical activities. In turn, they participate in activities that tend to fulfill theses interests. That is not to say that women aren’t competitive, but biologically men are more physically competitive. Making the assumption that women, and older women, dislike sports may just be making generalizations. I know many women, even elderly, that enjoy going to various sporting events, even boxing. Personal interests are just that, personal. Although I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to treat little boys differently than little girls, I do think it would be wrong to prohibit them in taking part in activities that interest them.
Posted by: Patrick S | February 25, 2007 1:13 PM
nathalie.
This is a very interresting topic for me because apart for the Gym at school I never participate in any kind of sport. it is even hard for me to exercices since no one force me to do it any longer even when I see the weigth of the age resting upon my one slender figure I still encourage my self to rest on the coutch and watch a movie then going to the gym. I do not agree on some of the reason give by the twoo persones above. first that we are thaugt of our gender since we are in our mother's stomch. And that our choice of activities are influenced more with our interrest then our gender. Thought ther is still argument on the child state of minde when he/she is born it is still beleiv ed that babies are born ok. I beileve it is Freud that saide that(I'm going to do a literal translation here , bare with me)a child in naturaly goog but it is the society that strays him( or corupts him?). any wayit is a fact tha society plays a big role in our live, starting with the family satting.Gender role are defined before we are born and are inforced after our birth, it not just about the pink colors be cause in other countries like where I'm form kids were any colors and they all werebaby cloths( you know the ones that are not dress or shirts) but still in my culture women knows that they are not to question men position, gender enequality is as strong as in a moderate islamic countries. This just to say that baby are not coder in the women womb but they tend as they start having some intelligence to copy what their same sex do. I have tree children and I do not recall my son how is 10 today aver tried my makeup, but my two year old daugther tries every thing of mine that include loviing my husband more then I. As she des not want to share him with me she still want to wear my shoes, earings and...Soker is the commin sport in my country at a yunger age we all play it in the street, field or whatever we find an open space but as soon as we realizes it is not a women's sport we all drope it. The Sad story is in my country many women don't play sport because she will grow a mascular figure so I don't feel the need to exerce or play sport even though I know it is goo for my health. You can not separate gender role from people'sinterest because people's interest are influced by gender role. Oh! and women are as competitive as men, when they want to...Late just face it,we go to more hadrship then men do, helo, giving birth, caring a child for nine months and above all taking care of the familly. What else is left for men to do than tease( who is stronger then who, who can get more girls than who...) each other on their free time from work?
Posted by: Nathalie Buhendwa | February 27, 2007 3:29 PM
Nathalie.
I forgot the questions.
1. how do you thing gender based education can be avoided?
2. Apart for the feminist movement, that stand strongly agaisnt gender inequality can we as people stop cathegorizing people or stop suporting the masculin culture?or gender differencies?
Posted by: Nathalie Buhendwa | February 27, 2007 3:36 PM