Gender roles

Sociologists describe gender roles as learned patterns of behavior that a society expects of men and women. In other words, what we know as masculinity is a set of qualities that we expect to find in a typical man and femininity a set of qualities we expect to find in a typical woman. Increasingly we are becoming aware that there may not be only one typical package of qualities that make up being female or male. Some sociologists prefer to speak of the “performance of gender” since more and more men and women are performing roles once considered the domain of the other gender. · In what ways do you “do gender appropriately" according to the social norms described in the chapter? (make sure you reference parts of the chapters where gender role socialization and male/female gender behavior expectations are discussed). · In what ways do you violate traditional gender norms? · Discuss how following and violating social expectations of gender make you feel and how others react to them.