Assignment 4: Doing Gender & Sexuality

Assignment 4: Doing Gender & Sexuality

1) What does Cherlin mean when he argues that gender differences are built into the system i.e. "society." Give an example from the text of how gender is systematic.

When Cherlin argues that gender differences are built into the system he actually means that we were all raised to believe certain stereotypes about men and women.  In our society, men are supposed to be masculine and strong while women supposed to be just the opposite of that.  A perfect example of how gender is systematic can be found in Chapter 3 where Cherlin talks about how little boys learn that a real man never cries.  Even as a young child, a boy is pressured by the society not to be seen crying because.  Because of this, a little boy will grow up to be a man who does not show his emotions as much as he should.

2) Give an example of "doing gender" from your own life. Had you ever thought about this idea before?

Almost all of us had been “doing gender” at least at some point in our lives and I am no exception.  When I worked at a school with kids ages 3 to 5, I found myself “doing gender” all the time.  One time, I saw a boy and a girl fighting over a toy.  I tried talking to those two children and told the boy he should give the doll to the girl because boys do not play with dolls.  I was a little surprised with myself that I would say something like this because I was raised in a home where my siblings and I always shared toys and there was no “boy toy” or “girl toy” only toys. 

3) From chapters 3 & 6 in the Cherlin text: define sexual identity in your own words. You may paraphrase/summarize Cherlin, but do not directly copy his words.

In Chapters 3 and 6 Charlin stated that sexual identity is a term used to describe people that identify themselves as a heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual because of certain behaviors and attitutes.

4) Next give one reason why social constructionists argue that sexual identity or gender are socially constructed.

Social constructionists argue that sexual identity or genders are socially constructed.  They believe that once we were born, we are assigned to be either man or a woman and the society believes we should stick to those assigned genders.  Our society begins to teach us how to play a role of the assigned gender roles from the day we were born.  Girls will wear pink and play with dolls while boys will prefer blue color and play with cars. 

5) Last, why is it difficult to find accurate data on sexuality as a researcher? If you were asked to participate in a study on sexuality would you answer truthfully? Would you participate at all? What kinds of things would you want to hear from the researcher about how your privacy would be protected if you did participate?

Finding accurate data on sexuality can be challenging because many people are scared to admit if they are attracted to the same sex.  If I were to participate in a study on sexuality I would have no problem answering all the questions if the answers were totally anonymous.  However, if I did have something I did not want others to know, I would ask the researchers if the data collected is anonymous.  As researchers, they should make sure that they respect my request.