Cultural Gender Role Norms

[Page 414]In cultures across the world, men and women often espouse different roles professionally and personally. Oftentimes, these roles are dictated by social norms that force individuals to take on specific, socially acceptable positions due to their gender. Social norms are unwritten standards and rules that drive social behavior through different forms of social reinforcement or punishment. Gender role norms are derived from social norms. They are shaped by the particular time period experienced, as well as a society’s culture and its specific needs. Gender norms are often defined as culturally bound expectations of each gender’s proper characteristics and behaviors, and they provide more specific directions and restrictions with regard to how men and women should act and perform in society. Gender norms function when ...