Bornstein :: essays research papers

Although Bornstein argues that gender is entirely socially constructed I find it hard to consider that he is completely correct. I do agree that gender is influenced by the world we are natural into. I understand that from birth we are partially programmed by our society to proceed something, but I do not agree that this is the determining cistron in what we become as people. I feel that its only a small part of our modern society (known as traditions) that are engagement to fit us in a certain category. Furthermore, Id like to believe that most of todays society is helping us express our own individuality.I am not a stranger to social construction. I was born to a very strict Roman Catholic Italian family. My grandad worked construction 50 hours a week while my grand sire tended septette children. My own return was not even allowed to attend college because they believed that "girls werent supposed to go to college". Inequality and gender difference was very visible. Do to social construction, my mother grew up believing that there were certain jobs for men and certain jobs for women. ironically it was the changing society of the late 60s and early 70s that gave my mother the motivation to oppugn tradition. I feel that in this situation its not society in general that constructs gender but simply ignorance through tradition. In my mothers mooring it wasnt society at all but merely her families strict handed-down values that tried construct her into the "traditional women" figure.Even though umteen years have past since my mother has grown up and lots has changed traditional values still play a part in how gender difference is created in society. In my own life my family has influenced my views on gender dramatically. When I was girlish I would listen to my grandfather trudge (in that myopic traditionally old fashioned tone so common of an older generation) about the inadequacy of women drivers and the annoyances of having women in the workplace. As a young person his views were very impressionable and if I hadnt been corrected by my mother I may of easily carried these beliefs into adulthood. In another situation, if there was ever any mention of eating a microwave meal in front of my grandmother she would immediately begin a rant about how she used to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for seven children, herself, and my grandfather frequent of the week with no exceptions.