Key Experiences in my Life, and how the Concepts of Social Construction of Gender, and Intersectionality Apply to These Experiences

Key Experiences in my Life, and how the Concepts of Social Construction of Gender, and Intersectionality Apply to These Experiences

Introduction

Society over the years has developed gender roles that have become the norm. Being either male or female comes with its specific role description that society deems as the requirement for that particular gender. People’s experiences are often aligned to these gender roles and constructions that surround the responsibilities conferred to them. Therefore, it is essential to try and relate life’s experiences to these gender concepts in a bid to try and demystify the myths and misconceptions that surround gender roles. This essay seeks to try and relate the life experiences that I had with the concepts of the social construction of gender and intersectionality. First, I will narrate the essential experiences that I have thus far had in life, especially those that relate to gender and its roles. Then, the two concepts will be discussed and explained before applying them to life experiences.

Essential life experiences that I have had

In my life, I have been able to go through different experiences that have shaped up my life to what it is. Through the experiences, I have been able to learn about how the community perceives different gender. One vital experience that I had was immediately I finished high school and was lucky to get admission to college. I was 19 at that time, which is ordinarily more than the required age of being called an adult, capable of making decisions in life. My parents were growing old. I am the last born in a family of 4, three girls and one boy who is me. Typically, I am the one who takes care of them since most of the time, I am home. My older siblings are all married. As a man, the expectations that my parents have in me are significant, and I experienced that first hand after I got admission to college.

My parents started viewing me differently, even though I was still a student. At the time, my dad had already retired, while mum was in her final year at work before she joins dad at home in retirement. Therefore, I was expected to play a significant role during their retirement, given that I am the only boy amongst the siblings. My parents started conferring me with specific tasks that should typically be assigned to the eldest sibling. My mum specifically started depending on me more in terms of family affairs, such as leadership. At one point, dad was seriously ill and had to be admitted to the hospital for almost a month. During that period, mum was persistently on my neck even though I was busy in school. My elder siblings were more or less involved in a few of the undertakings, such as visiting dad and some monetary support. Otherwise, all the other duties were delegated to me to showcase the role of men in society and the expectations that are associated with being a man.

Another experience that I had was when I completed my first degree in college. I was looking for a job in a top company in the country. I was qualified for the job but was not experienced enough as the job qualifications required. All I wanted was to try my luck in securing the job. Competing against top contenders, I knew it would be difficult to secure the job. I was lucky to be shortlisted among the other two contenders who were both females. One was a black woman who was the most qualified going by the CV that she produced. To my utter surprise, the other woman, who was a white native, was given the job despite being less qualified than the black lady. The qualifications that the white lady produced were way below what the black lady delivered, and the apparent reason for that was because the lady was black. That was the first experience I had with racism.

 

Two concepts that relate to the experience

Two gender concepts relate directly to the experience that I had with my parents. One of the concepts is the social construction of gender (Lorber, 2018, p. xx). This concept specifies the roles and expectations that the community has with being a member of a specific gender. This concept major on feminism and all the differences that gender roles bring. Different people interpret this concept differently. Some argue that the difference between the behavior of men and women is purely social conventions.

In contrast, others believe that the universal biological factors influence behavior. Gender roles, for example, are always centered around the issue of masculinity and femininity (“YouTube 1,” n.d.). Their gender will perceive that members of society. How women are perceived, and allocated responsibilities are different from their male counterparts. According to top sociologists such as Berkowitz, gender roles are an acceptance of social constructions by the people because at no point does a man have any superiority to a woman except for the perceived superiority that the society has about the different gender. Gender roles have meant that men enjoy more privileges and power as compared to women. Such levels of constructionism can be seen in any society. Artistic illustrations have been used to portray society as a system of stratification and hierarchy. For example, in the simulation’ walk like a man, talk like a woman, gender roles are well conceptualized, with strata being depicted between the roles of a man and those of a woman.

Another concept that elaborates gender is intersectionality (Crenshaw, n.d.). Intersectionality is a form of framework that explains how identifiers such as gender can be used in combination with other identifiers to form discriminatory practices. One of the main aims of this concept is to broaden the aspect of feminism that was meted upon the women in the middle class. Mainly, it deals with a combination of two identifiers to come up with discriminatory practices in society. For example, a black woman can face racist, discriminatory practices from potential employers due to the color of their skin (“YouTube 2,” n.d.). Also, a woman who belongs to the middle or lower class in society can be discriminated for top political positions in government because she is not financially stable to demand respect from her peers, regardless of her qualification for the job. Such discriminatory practices can a source of frustrations for anybody in society, but especially women who are victimized more. That is the reason why this concept was formed: to advocate for such malpractices on gender.

Application of the concepts on the experience I had

The two concepts relate to the two experiences I encountered. The first experience about how my parents relied on me more than my elder siblings because I was a man is a clear indication of the social construction of gender. That society has perceived gender roles. Men are expected to be in leadership positions in the family and society at large. The apparent breach of hierarchy in the family by my parents shows the perception that society has on masculinity.

The second experience of racism was a typical example of intersectionality. The black woman was highly qualified for the job that I would have been happy for her to secure the job than me. I was almost sure that she would trounce all of us for the job. Surprisingly, the white woman who was less qualified secured the job. I was even more qualified than her, but with less experience of working in such a job. That was a precise incidence of racism, coupled with discriminatory gender issues (“YouTube 3,” n.d.).

Conclusion

In conclusion, gender concepts such as intersectionality and social construction of gender are essential in depicting how society perceives members of a certain gender. Masculinity and femininity remain a significant issue that the community grapples with to date. Men are associated with positions of power and privilege, whereas women are associated with being helpers to men. Intersectionality is another major issue that needs to be addressed too. Social identifiers, such as gender and race are being used for discriminatory practices. I was able to witness this first hand when I applied for the job after completing my first degree. The black woman, who was more qualified than all of us, was not selected for the job. Instead, the white woman was chosen in her place, despite the obvious lesser qualifications that she had for the job, in a clear breach of professionalism. Therefore, society needs to find a way of balancing gender roles because there is no much difference between the two. Also, discriminatory practices such as racism and gender inequality have to be faced off. The best way to do so is to intensify the criminal justice system in dealing with such issues.