The Social Construction of Gender Roles Gender or sex roles are the expected patterns of behavior assumed to follow from a person’s sex. Gender roles are not natural. They are formed by and vary within society, culture, geographic location, politics and time. There is a strong relationship between the social construction of gender and compulsory heterosexuality. People are programmed into certain gender roles and social categories through socialization and interaction with others. Expectations about appropriate gender role characteristics and sexual behavior have evolved throughout history, especially for women. In the 1700’s and 1800’s, the men’s role included earning an income to support a family and working in the farms, while the female’s role included the responsibility to have and to care for children, running a household and assisting a husband in farm labor. Running a household and caring for children was considered a “full-time” job. Children were taught their roles when they were very young. Boys were shown how to farm and provide for their future families’ as they attended school. Girls learned how to do the household chores and received only the very basic education. They were taught how to be wives and mothers. By the end of the 1800’s, higher education began to become available for women.The Industrial era brought new developments for the sex roles. The male world expanded and men had the opportunity to take up new careers and the freedom to move around the country more conveniently. They were still the breadwinners and dominated the government, legal and medical agencies. Women’s roles during this time also changed but not as much as men’s. Their primary roles were still homemaker and child-care provider but some women entered the workforce in factories. They were paid considerably less than men and had the dual role of housewife. In 1920, women...
