Gender and Society: Overview

[Page 772]Gender is a social construct that is introduced to an individual from the instant that a person is born. When parents and family members first meet a baby, one of the first questions that family members and friends ask is whether or not the child is a boy or a girl. From that moment on, gender influences the ways in which the individual is treated in society—ranging from how parents teach, dress, or discipline the child to the types of chores, responsibilities, or expectations that family members may have of the child. Children and adolescents learn how they are supposed to behave or speak, what activities they should be interested in, or even who they are supposed to date or be attracted to. As ...