Gender Differences and Gender Stereotypes from a...

Gender Differences and Gender Stereotypes from a Psychological Perspective Gender Differences and Gender Stereotypes Gender differences and gender stereotypes are fascinating in that one must sift through the theories, assumptions and inevitable confusion to distinguish the reality from the assumption. Men and women are obviously different, especially inherently, but how? And why? And which differences are more individualized than generalized? Even more interesting is to observe how the differences between men and women have evolved, especially over the past 30 years- since the sexual revolution. A generous amount of research has been done since then, and this research is continually updated as men and women evolve themselves.†¦show more content†¦The difference in the degree of aggression between the two genders seems much more obvious in people’s youth. Young boys are known to fight a lot, but there aggression seems to fade as they mature. There have been many studies involving gender differences in aggressive behavior. What causes this behavior? Is it environmental or inbor n? Some believe that aggression is caused by nature, while others believe that it is caused by nurture. Those who argue that aggression is caused by the nature theory argue that the level of aggressiveness differs in the two sexes because of the difference in the level of sex hormone, testosterone. In rebuttal, the nurture side argues that aggressiveness is largely caused by the social structure in which we live. This team believes that as soon as a child recognizes his/her gender, he/she becomes either passive or aggressive, thinking that that is what they are expected to be. Such behavior is encouraged by the media, the parents whom they follow, and other important factors in their lives. In an effort to prove whether the aggressiveness of gender is caused by nature or nurture, some information has been collected. However, even with the data it is hard to come to a conclusion. Self-confidence is another major issue, concerning genders. Psychologists say that women have less self-confidence than men do. When a male student and a female studentShow MoreRelatedGender Roles : Gender And Gender1587 Words   |  7 PagesMany people don’t know the difference between gender and sex. Sex is anatomical and biological. Gender role can be defined as a person’s inner sense of how a male or female should feel and behave. Culture and society are two important factors in relation to this particular topic. This implies that various societies and cultures may produce children and later fully grown men and women who may have diverse perspectives of a man or a woman’s place or role in the world around them; this is often determinedRead MoreExploring the Formation of â€Å"Perspective Fixedness† Through Established Theories1100 Words   |  5 PagesExploring the Formation of â€Å"Perspective Fixedness† Through Established Theories The ability to take different and varying perspectives in any given situation is a strength and often seen as an indicator of intelligence or at least, competence. This fluidity of perspective is a prominent part of many entrance tests for gifted children in schools (McGlonn-Nelson, 2005). 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Most likely, females were given a baby doll, and males, an action figure of some sort. From early childhood all the way to late adulthood, Americans are taught the differences between a man and a woman by these small gestures. The theory and concepts surrounding gender vary by culture, but as AmericansRead MoreThe Theory Of Equality And Gender Roles1176 Words   |  5 PagesThe world one lives in it happens to grasp that all humans are designed as equals. This is far-off from reality based on how this society is operating. The principle o f equality does not imply that everyone is the same, nevertheless that everyone should be treated as equals unless special circumstances apply. When it comes to the two sexes, everything that comes in its bounds is either biased intentionally or unintentionally, either way it continues. 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Many perspectives on sexuality use biology and physiology as the basisRead MoreShould Children Be Exposed From Gender Roles?973 Words   |  4 PagesShould Children Be Exposed To Gender Roles? In modern day America there is an ongoing disagreement between people of all ages about the topic of gender roles in children. According to Barrie Thorne and Zella Luria, the word gender is used to refer to â€Å"cultural and social phenomena- divisions of labor, activity, and identity which are associated with but not fully determined by biological sex† (Sexuality and Gender in Children’s Daily Worlds). Whether or not young males should be able to play withRead MoreLiving In 21St Century United States, Being A Much More1042 Words   |  5 Pagesliberal  and inclusive environment (generally speaking) than prior decades, gender â€Å"roles† and their normalities are being severely questioned and challenged. 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China †Geert Hofstede Free Essays

4/22/13 China – Geert Hofstede THE HOFSTEDE CENTRE (index. php) GET CERTIFIED Select a Country United States in Intercultural Management and (/certification- Culture by Organisational courses. html) in comparison with the below China THE HOFSTEDE CENTRE (thehofstede-centre. We will write a custom essay sample on China – Geert Hofstede or any similar topic only for you Order Now html) 118 80 91 GEERT HOFSTEDE (geerthofstede. html) NATIONAL CULTURE (nationalculture. html) 66 DIMENSIONS (dimensions. html) 62 30 46 29 40 COUNTRIES (countries. html) APPLICATIONS (applications. html) 20 COURSES (interculturalmanagement-courses. html) PDI IDV China MAS UAI LTO United States ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE (organisational-culture. tml) EVENTS AND COURSES (eventscourses. html) FAQ (faq. html) What about China? If we explore the Chinese culture through the lens of the 5-D Model, we can get a good overview of the deep drivers of Chinese culture relative to other world cultures. Power distance This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. At 80 China sits in the higher rankings of PDI – i. e. a society that believes that inequalities amongst people are acceptable. The subordinate-superior relationship tends to be polarized and there is no defense against power abuse by superiors. Individuals are influenced by formal authority and sanctions and are in general optimistic about people’s capacity for leadership and initiative. People should not have aspirations beyond their rank. Contact Imprint (contact. html) (imprint. html) Individualism The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people? s self-image is defined in terms of â€Å"I† or â€Å"We†. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty. At a score of 20 China is a highly collectivist culture where people act in the interests of the group and not necessarily of themselves. In-group considerations affect hiring and promotions with closer in-groups (such as family) are getting preferential treatment. Employee commitment to the organization (but not necessarily to the people in the organization) is low. Whereas relationships with colleagues are cooperative for in-groups they are cold or even hostile to out-groups. Personal relationships prevail over task and company. Masculinity / Femininity geert-hofstede. com/china. html 1/2 4/22/13 China – Geert Hofstede A high score (masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner / best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organisational behaviour. A low score (feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. A feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what you do (feminine). At 66 China is a masculine society –success oriented and driven. The need to ensure success can be exemplified by the fact that many Chinese will sacrifice family and leisure priorities to work. Service people (such as hairdressers) will provide services until very late at night. Leisure time is not so important. The migrated farmer workers will leave their families behind in faraway places in order to obtain better work and pay in the cities. Another example is that Chinese students care very much about their exam scores and ranking as this is the main criteria to achieve success or not. Uncertainty avoidance The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the UAI score. At 30 China has a low score on uncertainty avoidance. Truth may be relative though in the immediate social circles there is concern for Truth with a capital T and rules (but not necessarily laws) abound. None the less, adherence to laws and rules may be flexible to suit the actual situation and pragmatism is a fact of life. The Chinese are comfortable with ambiguity; the Chinese language is full of ambiguous meanings that can be difficult for Western people to follow. Chinese are adaptable and entrepreneurial. At the time of writing the majority (70% -80%) of Chinese businesses tend to be small to medium sized and family owned. Long term orientation The long term orientation dimension is closely related to the teachings of Confucius and can be interpreted as dealing with society’s search for virtue, the extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future-oriented perspective rather than a conventional historical short-term point of view. With a score of 118 China is a highly long term oriented society in which persistence and perseverance are normal. Relationships are ordered by status and the order is observed. Nice people are thrifty and sparing with resources and investment tends to be in long term projects such as real estate. Traditions can be adapted to suit new conditions. Chinese people recognize that government is by men rather than as in the Low LTO countries by an external influence such as God or the law. Thinking ways focus on the full or no confidence, contrasting with low LTO countries that think in probabilistic ways. geert-hofstede. com/china. html 2/2 How to cite China – Geert Hofstede, Papers

Pretty Woman Vs. Pillow Talk Essay Example For Students

Pretty Woman Vs. Pillow Talk Essay The marriage plot has been quite prominent in the film industry over the past few decades. The plot that is characterized by its lead woman getting the lead man and vice versa, has contributed to such movie blockbusters as Pretty Woman and the classic film, Pillow Talk. While both films can be classifies as containing marriage plots, the films share other similarities as well. However, in regards to the marriage plot, Pretty Woman follows the pattern much more fluently and precisely that does Pillow Talk. Both Julia Roberts and Doris Days characters, Vivian and Jan, respectively, are strong women in their films. They both contain quite a few characteristics such as boldness, confidence, and intelligence that make them very attractive and desirable to their male counterparts. While their professions are quite opposite, the women are similar in their personalities. Jan is an interior designer and her history with men is not troublesome or lacking, but like Vivian, the prostitute, she f inds that men are sometimes after only one thing. I noticed that both women are extremely confident when it comes to dealing with men; they both know what they want and what the are looking for in a male companion. The men in these two movies are quite similar as well. Both Rock Hudson and Richard Gere play two powerful men who are popular with the ladies. Although Hudsons career, a musician, is not typically powerful it does contain benefits and certain contacts that could be considered powerful. These two men both start out with the women practically chasing them. Vivian is paid to be Edwards (Gere) beck and call girl, and does so willingly not just for the money, but because she is also mesmerized by his coyness, charm and good looks. Jan is attracted to Rex (Hudson) because he is also shy and coy and very handsome as well. Both women are interested in their counterparts for the particular reason that they are not men they typically meet. These men are respectful and somewhat quiet and shy. Each plot takes a turn towards the end of the movie when the women leave them, each for different reasons. Ironically and typical of the marriage plot, it then become the man chasing the woman. He is to p rove his worthiness to her and to dismiss her conclusion that he, in fact, is like all other men they have encountered. According to Radner, a key element of the marriage plot is that the woman is of lower status than the male and she is practically the chosen one in his eyes. The woman then finds validation of (her) uniqueness and importance by being singled out among all other women by this man (Radner 57). This is certainly true in Pretty Woman, for Vivian is definitely not the norm for Edward. He has before chosen women that can be regarded as classy and in the upper social class. Ironically, although he does indeed choose Vivian, the prostitute, it is only after he has transformed her taste from streetwalker trashy to Rodeo Drive classy. As for Pillow Talk, Jan is already of such a class that can be deemed very respectable. Hudson, as well, is of the same class and we can tell this merely by the fact that they share the same friends and acquaintances. So, it is this detail that I question that Pillow Talk can be entirely categorized as a marriage plot. While both movies share another marriage plo t characteristic, which is that the heroine contributes to the goodness of the hero. She teaches, in essence, him to feel for others and to take their feelings and emotions into consideration. Jan reforms Rex by showing him what love truly is and to mot be a playboy and Vivian does the same to Edward which is shown in his corporate endeavors. Also essential to the marriage plot is the male gaze. It is so prominent in both films that it is hard to miss. It seems that every time either Gere or Hudson would eye up the heroine, the music was played accordingly or the lighting was following his eyes to their target. What comes to mind when I think of the male gaze and Pillow Talk is the scene in the ballroom/bar when Jan first meets Rex. Right when he first realizes that the beautiful woman on the dance floor is also his adversary on his party line, he makes the comment, So thats what the other side of her looks like. He is obviously pleased and the music of the ballroom smoothly follows his eyes.The male gaze is also a staple with Gere in Pretty Woman. Often throughout the movie he eyes up Vivian with a stare that shows his hidden intentions and his desire for her. It is perhaps most obvious to me when Vivian is talking to the jockey at the polo game. Edwards look towards her show is jealousy, his desire and yet it also shows his approval of her. The male gaze is prominent in both movies and it is also quite important. The heroes both feel they are men to be reckoned with and that he has not found a woman that could equal his mentality or status. What their eyes begin to focus on is the woman that they never expected to be attracted. There are so many emotions, feelings and words in the male gaze and I think that is what makes it so important in these films. These men are captivated by their heroines because they are so opposite of them. The way the heroes look at these women is seemingly full of passion and attraction. The male gaze, alone, is charming to the aud ience but it is the mood of the scene that makes it more important. The lighting, music, and overall dialog help to make the gaze more enchanting. The hero, to me, also plays a huge role in the male gaze. I dont feel that someone like Jim Carrey could pull off the gaze in a romantic comedy. Gere and Hudson are attractive yet mysterious men that, when they gaze, they either look hard with intensity or they kind of put their head to the side and gaze longingly. Either way, the look is something that is particular to each man and makes it more believable and personable. While both movies include the standard marriage plot, they do not leave the audience feeling as though theyve experienced de-ja vu. Each film has original ideas and characters that make the marriage plot successful. Whereas the films are quite similar in some aspects, their differences make them better. However unoriginal the marriage plot actually is, these movies make the staple story line inventive and unique. WORKS CITEDCollins, Jim and Ava and Hilary Radner. Film Theory Goes to the Movies. New York: Routledge, 1993.