Gender as social construct

it is hard to concieve the thought that our genders are a concept that are in fact determined by society. however, to understand this concept we must first deiferntiate our "gender" and our "genetic gender", in other words what society expects us to act and look like because of our genetic gender, and our chromosomal configuration that classifies us as male or female. it is in fact our "gender" that is the social construct becuase from the moment we are born, society imposes upon boys the role ofr masculin rough hellraisers and on girls the role of feminine, submissive, princess. although in our present time there are many instances that suggest a change in the way society views and assigns these roles- the fact is that gender is a concrete mold in the factory of society that is not easily going to broken. the problem with social gender roles is that they are rigid and uninclusive; there is no middle ground for individuals that do not conform exactly to the characterisitcs of the social man or woman. another huge problem is that people in general tend to inerchange or even intertwine a persons social gender with their sexual orientation. these two major issues are what create major problems for women athletes because first of all they do not conform to what society dictates a women should be i.e dainty and soft. secondly, the association of social gender and sexuality is what leads to many female athletes being labled as lesbian and manly. however, this is a concept that is based soley on a construction that penalizes those who insist on breaking away from the imposed norms that set limits upon the capabilites of the human body and mind. women athletes have made strides not only on the part of womens equality but also on the part of advancing society as a whole and helping make society a more accepting and open place to people of all kinds.

kevin C. KIN 3381 sec 06