Gender Differences throughout History Essay examples

Through investigations of writers as diverse as Silvia Federici, and Angela Davis, Maria Mies, and Sharon Hays, Judith Butler, and Steven Gregory we have come to understand that confronting the categorization of gender differences is a complex and nuanced project. Whether one is an ontologist, exploring the metaphysical nature of gender differences (that may or may not lead down the road of essentialism) or a phenomenologist exploring how exactly it is that one â€Å"does† gender—to the extent that there even exists a concept called gender—one must employ a varied and multipartite approach. Writers such as Federici, Mies, and Davis sketched out a framework of the history of gender roles for us. From what Federici calls a time of primitive†¦show more content†¦Joan Scott, whose essay Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis appears just a few years prior to Kerber’s, demonstrates that by drawing from other diverse disciplines (anthropology, cultural studies, economics, literary criticism) historians can show how knowledge, power, and indeed identity can be shaped by the category of gender. Echoing other poststructuralists of the time, Scott tells us that gender is, in point of fact, part of a larger system of relationships, and it links together the forces of ideology, normative behavior, political action, and identity formation. Scott breaks with tradition and suggests that gender is defined in relation to other cultural and ideological forms and not tied to any biological origins, or mired in the rubric of sexual roles; that it is in effect, not about some essential attributes but about its social function within an historical period. In their engaging study On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough, economists Alberto Alesina, Paola Giuliano, and Nathan Nunn â€Å"test the hypothesis that traditional agricultural practices influenced the historical gender division of labor and the evolution and persistence of gender norms.† What they found was that in those societies that employed the use of ploughs for agriculture, women are less likely work outside the home, be elected to electedShow MoreRelatedGender Differences In A Market With Relative Performance Feedback Analysis1014 Words   |  5 PagesWozniak, David. Gender Differences in a Market with Relative Performance Feedback: Professional Tennis Players. Journal of Economic Behavior Organization, vol. 83, no. 1, June 2012, pp. 158-171. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2011.06.020. â€Å"Gender differences in a market with relative performance feedback: Professional tennis players† by David Wozniak makes the argument that with new research and analytics, women tend to be less competitive than men, shown through professional tennis playersRead MoreGender Roles And Gender Inequality1262 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history, there has always been the role of both the male and the female in society. As time passed and civilization progressed, the question of the role of the women has also changed. Men and women in society have had many differences, which included things such as gender roles, gender inequality, inequality in the workforce, and sex discrimination. Also, the questions of what it takes to be a man or to be a woman is very important. For many different cultures, gender differences are extremelyRead MoreGender Differences Are The Dominant Sex1304 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history gender differences are have thought to start evolving ear ly on in a child’s life. Through the process of socialization not only underneath the parent’s care, but through experiences with other children and adults children start to develop a sense of gender identity and how they should behave based on their scientifically determined sex. Gender is defined by how one performs a given role and the characteristics they display that determines whether they fulfill a male or female roleRead MoreGender History : Women And Women1602 Words   |  7 PagesGender history focuses on the fundamental idea of what it means to be defined as a man or woman in history. Gender historians are concerned with the different changes that occur within a society, during a particular period of time in regards to the perceived differences between women and men. Also, they are concerned with the impact of gender on various historically important events. Gender history developed because traditional historiography excluded women from ‘universalâ⠂¬â„¢ and ‘general’ historyRead MoreLiving In 21St Century United States, Being A Much More1042 Words   |  5 PagesLiving in 21st century United States, being a  much more liberal  and inclusive environment (generally speaking) than prior decades, gender â€Å"roles† and their normalities are being severely questioned and challenged. Americans have defined and established gender stereotypes that have become a critical part of how we look at gender roles and create biases about each gender. Stereotypes assume people who belong to a group will appear, behave, look, speak or sound like others from that group. The valuesRead MoreAmerican History : The Eyes Of A Woman1171 Words   |  5 Pagesthought of how gender shapes our world today, let alone early America. In high school history classes, the history we studied always seemed to revolve around men and women were never really discussed. I had the notion that women just took a back seat throughout histor y, when in reality, they played an integral part in shaping early America. The role of gender transformed our country throughout the centuries. When we place women at the center of our analysis of early America, we see history from a fullerRead MoreThe Complete Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi1552 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi the idea of inequality is introduced through several examples. Marjane Satrapi uses the title to comment on inequality in all aspects of Marjane’s life, including gender, religious, economic, and racial status. Although there are several forms of inequality that the title attempts to highlight within the story, it focuses primarily on the issues of gender inequality by comparing the issues that Marjane faces due to her gender and comparing itRead MoreThe Feminist Theory Of Women930 Words   |  4 PagesAcross the world, people of all different cultures struggle dealing with and understanding the nature of g ender. By definition the â€Å"Feminist theory is one of the major sociological theories which analyzes the status of women and men in society with the purpose of using that knowledge to better women’s lives† (Crossman n.d.). Throughout history, women have fought to become equal, to have the same rights as men. Although the power that women are allowed to have has greatly improved over time. At oneRead MoreThe Differences Between Men And Women1180 Words   |  5 Pages(What is the differences between men and women?) Man and women were made is the beginning of time. The reason why, we will never know, but throughout history these two beings have been compared through every aspects of life. Men are the dominate creatures, controlling the earth, while women are the nurturers. The obvious differences between men and women have been capitalized and fought over throughout humankind’s history. Many of the people in the world have strong opinions on both genders and whatRead MoreSexism969 Words   |  4 PagesSince the beginning of history, sexism has always been a prominent barrier between sexes. The notion that women are not on the same level as men has always been in existence. We see that even during the book of exodus this belief stems from the creation of Eve, through a rib of Adam. From scripture, Eve s roll was to be considered as a servant and a temptress, the sole reason why Adam ate the apple. Consequently Eve is blamed as being the reason mankind is not living in a