2.6 Conclusion
The social construction of culture is an important topic in sociology. This chapter has introduced some of the ways sociologists use the tools of sociology to explore and describe the social construction of gender. We began with the provocative idea that gender is not just an individual identity but also a process, a system of social stratification, and a social institution.
We also discovered that sexual variation differentiation in humans and other animals is not a strictly binary process. We also explored the difference between assigned gender and the dynamic processes of gender identity formation and expression.
While the other chapters in this textbook include a section that describes collective action for social change, this chapter is the exception because it describes groundbreaking theoretical work that informs the social activism you will encounter in the coming chapters.
Review of Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
- Discuss the social construction of gender from a sociological perspective
- Describe biological indicators of sexual difference.
- Discuss the gender identity formation process from a sociological perspective
- Differentiate between gender identity and gender expression
- Reflect on your personal experience of gender socialization
Questions for Discussion
- Why is it important to understand gender as a socially constructed process?
Answer: Social constructs are flexible and adaptable to the needs of society and are always subject to change and adaptation over time and across cultures. Understanding gender can help reduce anxiety around changing gender norms. - How can understanding the biology of sexual differentiation help people understand that the gender binary is socially constructed?
Answer: While it can be tempting to reduce reproductive biology to binary terms (i.e., either ovaries or testes), biological variation, an essential component in the evolution of all life, produces a spectrum of possible genetic, hormonal, and physical combinations. - Describe the relationship between sex assigned at birth and gender identity.
Answer: A growing body of research reveals that gender identity is not purely based just on socialization or biology but a combination of the two and also on individual preference. While many children develop a gender identity that aligns with their assigned gender, transgender and gender-nonconforming children as young as three display a preference for gender-nonconforming clothing and play and a tendency to self-socialize as a gender other than the one they were assigned. - How do people develop their gender expression?
Answer: Recalling theories of identity development, we can think of gender expression as beginning when people internalize their identity and are aware enough to present it externally to society through clothing, personal grooming, self-adornment, physical posture and gestures, and other elements of self-presentation. - (Critical self-reflection) What have you learned about your own experience of gender socialization?
Answer: Only you can answer this!
Real But Not True: Check-in
Let’s take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned in this chapter about socially constructed gender norms.
Tools of Sociology:
What specific examples of the tools of sociology have been discussed in this chapter?
- Sociological Imagination
- Research-based Evidence
- Social Theory
Socially Constructed:
- What examples of gender norms being imposed, enforced, reproduced, challenged, and changed have you discovered in this chapter?
Real in Consequence: Social Stigma
- What examples of real consequences for violating or conforming to socially constructed gender norms have you discovered in this chapter?
Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion
Open Content, Original
“Conclusion” by Nora Karena is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Real But Not True Puzzle Images” by Nora Karena and Katie Losier are licensed under CC BY 4.0
a group’s shared practices, values, beliefs, and norms. Culture encompasses a group’s way of life, from daily routines and everyday interactions to the most essential aspects of group members’ lives. It includes everything produced by a society, including social rules.
the meanings, attitudes, behaviors, norms, and roles that a society or culture ascribes to sexual differences (Adapted from Conerly et.al. 2021a).
a set of processes in which people are sorted, or layered, into ranked social categories based on factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and status.
a large-scale social arrangement that is stable and predictable, created and maintained to serve the needs of society (Bell 2013).
a process of coming to understand ourselves and differentiate ourselves in relation to our social world.
the gender we experience ourselves to be.
the way our gender identity is expressed outwardly through clothing, personal grooming, self-adornment, physical posture and gestures, and other elements of self-presentation.
the process of learning culture through social interactions.
a group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture (Conerly et al. 2021).
a limited system of gender classification in which gender can only be masculine or feminine. This way of thinking about gender is specific to certain cultures and is not culturally, historically, or biologically universal.
the assignment and classification of people as male, female, intersex, or another sex based on a combination of anatomy, hormones, and chromosomes.
a systematic approach that involves asking questions, identifying possible answers to your question, collecting, and evaluating evidence—not always in that order—before drawing logical, testable conclusions based on the best available evidence.
describes people who identify as a gender that is different from the gender they were assigned at birth.
the process by which people learn the norms, stereotypes, roles, and scripts related to gender through direct instruction or by exposure and internalization.
an awareness of the relationship between a person’s behavior, experience, and the wider culture that shapes the person’s choices and perceptions. (Mills 1959)