The Influence of Gender Roles - 700 Words

The Influence of Gender Roles â€Å"Girl† by Jamaica Kincaid is a short story contained in her collection of stories written in 1983,â€Å"At the Bottom of the River.† This story is about a mother giving advice to her daughter on how to survive and succeed in the society that they are living in at about 1950-1960. The story portrays a mother’s urgent repetitive voice to save her daughter from sexuality, by teaching her how to become a good woman in the society of Antigua, a British Island. The setting of â€Å"Girl† affects the relationship of the characters by the mother dictating a way of life to her daughter and reinforcing the gender roles in society. She reinforces the feminine gender roles by showing her daughter the†¦show more content†¦If her daughter becomes faced with this situation, she can take action immediately by using the medicine that her mother is teaching her how to make. The mother is so focused on teaching her daughter how to get rid of a child that she does not realize that her words and character is affecting the relationship between them. The setting of the story affects the relationship of the characters as well, because the mother, who is influenced by her own life experiences in Antigua, wants to dictate a way of life for her daughter. She also reinforces the gender roles of society as a means to protect her daughter from the dangers of sexuality. Kincaid, express this when the mother says, â€Å"On Sunday try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bet on becoming; don’t sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn’t speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give directions† (Shreve Niguyen, 2006, p. 183). The mother is not giving her daughter a reason why she should not sing benna or talk to the boys; rather, she only gives her daughter orders. The daughter only speaks twice in the story, which shows the power the mother has over her daughter in order to command her life. In one way or ano ther this affects their relationship because the daughter is never allowed to express her own feelings or be sincere to her mother. This lack of expression and confidence canShow MoreRelatedThe Influence Of Gender Roles1404 Words   |  6 Pages The Influence of Gender Role Stereotyping Shawn Berkley Santa Fe College Abstract Study on gender role stereotypes has shown that there are several negative effects of stereotyping. The study on how gender role stereotyping effects children is not as prevalent because most believe that it doesn’t matter, since children are just forming their stereotype so children do not care. However, some psychologists have done some research on it, and from their researchRead MoreParental Influence On Gender Roles1179 Words   |  5 PagesDevega English 120 – Fall 2017 October 8, 2017 Parental Influence on Gender Roles in Children A person s gender identity is a multi-faceted social construct that is defined as a person s sense of being male or female in various combinations; gender roles are then defined as behaviors learned by a person as appropriate to their gender, determined by the prevailing cultural norms. From the moment of birth when a parent hears their baby s gender an identity has begun to form. When we meet a new personRead MoreGender Roles And Their Influence On Society1833 Words   |  8 Pagespeople first attune to- are race, and especially gender† (p. 162). Gender is defined by Myers (2013) as â€Å"the characteristics that people associate with male and female† (p. 162). Gender roles are the public images of being male or female that a person presents to others. Culture is what is shared by a large group and transmitted across generations- ideas, attitudes, behaviors, and traditions (Myers, 2013). Although much of what is learned about gender comes from one’s culture we also learn much ofRead MoreThe Media And Society Influence On Gender Roles1116 Words   |  5 Pagesthe social world in which you live. The media and societies influence on gender roles Introduction Gender stereotypes are everywhere. ‘Both masculinities and femininities come into existence at specific times and places and are always subject to change.’ (Connell, 1995: 185 cited in Wharton, 2012: 6). The term gender is a ‘doing’ word. It is a constant, active process. A role, is the expected behaviour which is associated with a status. Roles are performed according to social norms, shared rules thatRead MoreChildren s Influence On Gender Roles1250 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Bandura and Mischel, â€Å"children learn gender roles in much the same way they learn other social behaviors: By watching the world around them and learning the outcomes of different actions. Thus, parents and others shape appropriate gender roles in children, and children learn what their culture considers appropriate behavior for males and females by simply watching how adults and peers act. Growing up, I was influenced by the â€Å"girly girl† gender stereotypes. My mother and sister are both veryRead MoreTelevision Shows Influence On Gender Roles Essay912 Words   |  4 Pagesour gender is up to us (Eckert and McConnell- Ginet). In the case of television shows, how characters perform their genders is up to the script writers. Media, specifically television shows, plays a sizable role in creating and enforcing gender norms because of its wide range of influence. Many popular television shows tend to exaggerate gender roles by making actors either overplay or underplay the gender that goes with their assigned sex. While the actions of the characters play a large role inRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Gender Roles1042 Words   |  5 PagesThe media is a well-known, influential aspect on gender roles that broadcast negative messages to society through television by the images that are mainstreamed, which has an effect on people’s thinking process. Televis ion brainwashes both men and women to believe they are not perfect, unless they have the body image of a celebrity. Though it is just a fantasy and not reality, â€Å"81% of 10 year girls are afraid of being fat, half of those girls believe they feel better about themselves when they wereRead MoreWomen s Influence On Gender Roles1427 Words   |  6 Pageshas lived out today, men have undoubtedly been glorified and held in high esteem for their accomplishments, character, and influence. Man has become a symbol of power, with masculinity becing associated with positive attributes such as strength, intelligence, and control. Femininity however, has been regarded as weak, superficial, and vacuous. Such an outlook on gender roles has resulted in an unequal power dynamic and an increasing deprecating view of the woman and her capabilities. Under representedRead MoreMedia s Influence On Gender And Gender Roles Essay962 Words   |  4 PagesOur world is surrounded by media. Media plays a n enormous role in affecting the way we perceive gender and gender roles. Media as well as communications are known to be the key elements of how people live their life in the modern age. The media can be a very inviting place, since it has so many things inside of it that appeals to people worldwide. At the same time, the media can be a cruel, judging and corrupt area that can be scary to involve yourself with. That being said, the mass media has hadRead MoreHow The Media Influences Gender Roles3905 Words   |  16 PagesHow the Media Influences Gender Roles in Adolescents AMST Research Writing Professor Liles 7 April 2015 I certify that I have followed the SJFC Academic Honesty Policy for writing papers Gabrielle Burns How the Media Influences Gender Roles in Adolescents One of today’s thriving issues is the strong gender gaps that exist in American society. Beginning at birth, the hospital assigns blue blankets to boys and pink blankets to girls because those are presumably colors that are