Some behaviors and roles are attributed to a specific gender in society since old age. Traditionally, men were expected to engage in tasks such as handling the financial issues in the family, providing, guiding, and making decisions on behalf of their families. On the other hand, women were expected to take care of children and do the house chores, for instance, cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning. However, I believe that the roles have changed over time due to women’s empowerment and modernization. The boundaries are no longer as pronounced as they used to be.
Most of my ideas regarding gender roles and behavioral patterns originate from the socialization process in society. Parental influence, for instance, plays a vital role in teaching a child the various roles he or she is expected to engage in based on his or her gender. Other socialization agents such as peer influence, social media, schools, gender identity, environmental and social factors also influence my conception of ideas on gender roles. Androgyny, which refers to the combination of both female and male features and it, also affects an individual’s conception of identity as they are unsure of the respective roles based on gender.
Masculinity and femininity mainly entail the attributes of men and women respectively. I believe that these terms vastly impact an individual’s perception of his or her identity. In my opinion, gender identity entails a person’s conception of him or herself, which closely links with gender roles. Therefore, if individuals consider themselves masculine or feminine, they assume the features and tasks that relate to their respective. As such, gender roles are the outwards illustrations of an individual’s gender identity.
Boundaries regarding gender roles were defined, unlike today’s world where women and men are free to assume the responsibilities they please. Some of the ideas that influence gender roles originate from the socialization process. The concepts of masculinity and femininity push people to assume the characteristics of a specific gender thus triggering gender identity.