ANTH 101 - Winter 2020: Culture, Gender, and Identity

This essay examines the complex interplay of culture, gender, and identity from an anthropological perspective. It begins by defining identity and gender identity, highlighting the significance of cultural and societal influences on gender roles and expectations. The essay explores how gender is constructed through socialization, cultural norms, and gender schemas, referencing Erikson's theory of identity development and its relevance to understanding gender. It analyzes the impact of culture on gender identity, including how gender roles vary across different societies and evolve over time. The essay also discusses the influence of socio-political and economic factors on gender, drawing examples from Indigenous Canadian culture and immigrant communities. The essay concludes by summarizing the key points, reiterating the cultural specificity of gender and the division of labor within societies. The author emphasizes that gender is understood as characteristics and behavioral patterns with which culture connects with being a member of one or other of the genders, and the division of labor is not intensely noticeable, but then again it is manifested in relations to the diffusely distinct overall classifications of public and private or domestic and outside.

Running head: ANTHROPOLOGY- CULTURE, GENDER, AND IDENTITY
ANTHROPOLOGY- CULTURE, GENDER, AND IDENTITY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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ANTHROPOLOGY- CULTURE, GENDER, AND IDENTITY
Introduction
Identity is a complex subject area which comprises of a range of varied issues. In
order to develop identity, people must primarily obtain a sense of differentiating between
their identities and the identities of others as distinct and conscious presences. Identity is
referring to the unchanging as well as consistent sense of an individual and his or her position
in the society (Lagaert et al., 2017). An imperative aspect which establishes a part of the
identity is known as gender identity that explains the understanding of one as a male, female
or transgender. This idea is embedded in social concepts or gender rather than in biological
composition. According to Plaks et al. (2016), gender is explained as a social concept of sex.
While on the other hand, sex is understood as an individual's biological position that is
typically categorised as male, female or intersex. In addition, gender is understood as the
characteristics as well as behavioural patterns with which culture links with being an
associate of one or other of the genders (Lagaert et al., 2017). The thesis statement is "Gender
normative explains the behaviour pattern which is culturally expected from gender. Or else
behaviour which is seemed to be not culturally suitable is called gender nonconformity."
Body
In order to determine gender, social as well as cultural insights of male and female
individualities as well as roles should be taken into explanation. There is substantial, yet not
complete connection between female sex as well as feminine gender and male sexual
category and masculine gender. According to Seiffge-Krenke et al. (2018), gender is
understood through a procedure of socialization and by means of the cultural characteristics
of the specific society concerned. As per studies of Hesmondhalgh and Baker (2015), many
cultures, boys are encouraged to engage in the activities which are considered to exhibit male
individualities by means of the toys which are given to them such as guns for boys and for
girls, dolls or other to crockery sets. It is seen that children obtain idea of their gender

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characteristics from birth. They acquire ways in which they should perform to be perceived
by others and either as masculine or feminine. All through their life, these ideas are
strengthened by parents, educators, peers in addition to their culture and society.
In addition, gender schemas are linked to psychological associations which relate to
specific behavioural patterns to either gender (Çelik & Ergün, 2016). The subjects have been
tolerably theorized in order to structure standards for individuals to assess them in order to
understand if they have made adequate representations of their gender. As a result, several
studies have shed light on the “maladaptive” understanding of sex typing and in which ways
these support in confining behaviours and conducts of individuals. As per Erikson’s self-
identity theory identity is seen as an important organizing principal that develops
continuously all through the life of individuals (Syed & Fish, 2018). Identity delivers a sense
of endurance within the self as well as in association with others that is self-sameness. It also
provides a structure to distinguish between self and others to gather individuality that permits
the individual to function independently from other individuals in the society. Furthermore,
Erikson’s theory of identity particularly concentrated on adolescents’ development. As per
studies, children belonging to diverse ethnic, socioeconomic groups transpire owning diverse
notions regarding their essential meaning of being a ‘boy’ or a ‘girl’ and consequently the
degree to which they recognize with either of them differs based on the adaptive or
maladaptive characteristic of masculinity or femininity (Rogers, 2018). Thus, it is possible
that the degree of obedience to gender standards be at variance in terms of the ethnic,
socioeconomic sections with which the child has associations, indicating the robust impact of
culture on gender identity. On the other hand, despite of influencing behaviours “acceptable”
for men as well as women, behavioural patterns of men as well as women also undergo
cultural implications. These influences tend to extent across home as well as family and also
to workplaces and societies. Hesmondhalgh and Baker (2015) have noted that the division of

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labour in numerous cultures result in the attribution of explicit tasks as the “appropriate” ones
for a male or a female. In the view of Wood and Eagly (2015), even though there are
differences, nonetheless major consistencies related to reduced degree of independence,
restricted decision-making controls are profuse across cultures in every societies.
Furthermore, the activities of women are ranged over numerous divisions of society in terms
of production and reproduction. For instance, their role in biological reproduction as well as
the nurturing of babies is undeniable. By drawing relevance to these aspects, it is noted that
responsibilities and the labor division do not connect explicitly to the sexual category of the
persons concerned and are thus not typical to one sexual characteristic from one culture to
another, but are culture specific. As a result gender is culture specific (Schneider et al., 2016).
According to Hesmondhalgh and Baker (2015), gender not only tends to differ from one
culture to another but also show a discrepancy within principles over time. Hence, culture is
not fixed but be likely to evolve. With the increasing levels of complexities within the
society, the roles performed by men and women are not simply determined by cultural
aspects, but also by socio-political and economic factors. Anderson (2016) in his study has
mentioned culture and related gender identities in the Indigenous culture of Canada. Similar
to any culture, the Indigenous communities of Canada recognize the role of gender in the
society and the variations of socially acceptable behaviour are also alike paralleled to other
western societies. Several practices restrict women such as supervising activities related to
meeting and storytelling and only women are in charge of cooking and nurturing children.
Thus, in this situation, the labor division in the culture is chiefly destructively tilted towards
women and women have less privileges as the other tribes.
Furthermore, there can be witnessed connections between gender identities and the
characteristics of immigrants and by ways in which these individualities develop as a driver
for the racialized settlers to enforce their ethnic and cultural authority over dominant groups.

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Jourian (2015) has cited the example of Filipinos, where chastity of women is detained with
high respect and this rise of Filipina chastity strengthens male power. As a consequence,
women are submissive with this moral dominance and therefore tend to encounter many
limitations on their self-sufficiency and decision making. Furthermore, in majority of the
immigrant cultures, the women’s ethical as well as sexual allegiances are linked with their
gender characteristics. Additionally, any alterations in the female behavioural pattern or
conduct are understood as a sign of ethical decline and “ethnic suicide” (Bonvillain, 2020).
The cultural realms of North America as well as Western Europe establish their
diverse considerations of sex–gender and sexuality systems in terms of an established
overlapping dichotomous pairs such as masculine and feminine besides homosexual
(forbidden) and heterosexual (permitted). This hypothesis at that juncture limits and leads to
the considerations of sexual behaviour, sexualized behaviours in addition to their relation
with companionable characteristics of social and cultural life. According to Wood and Eagly
(2015), in majority of the culture extent, the division of labor is not intensely noticeable, but
then again it is manifested in relations to the diffusely distinct overall classifications of public
as well as private or domestic and outside. It is viewed to the degree to which, the household
realm is demarcated as womanly cosmos and thus is linked to facets of maternity, childcare
and wife characters and thus turns out to be partly sexualized. The outcome is known as a
cultural restriction on the extensiveness of character and position difference exposed to men.
As a result, men who show decent domestic management and involved parents are frequently
supposed to be ominously womanlike. Likewise, to the degree that the “outside realm” is
seen as male space as well as is linked with surpassing in non-domestic tasks along with
financial support roles tends to become partially sexualized (Hesmondhalgh & Baker, 2015).
In consequence, it gives rises to limitations on the extensiveness of role as well as status
difference which are exposed to women. Similarly, women who are decent income recipients

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or highly skilled specialists are commonly comprehended as upsettingly masculine. Thus, it is
certain that there are cultures external to the confines of the Western society which are
conventionally structured as per the difference on the bipolar subject. Furthermore, it is
important to note that every culture shows certain discrepancy between the positions of
women as well as men. The vital point is that the western link with role pre-eminence with
damaged as well as unsuitable sexuality.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded, gender is understood as the characteristics as well as
behavioural patterns with which culture connections with being a member of one or other of
the genders. In majority of the culture extent, the division of labor is not intensely noticeable,
but then again it is manifested in relations to the diffusely distinct overall classifications of
public and private or domestic and outside. Several practices restrict women such as
supervising activities related to meeting and storytelling and only women are in charge of
cooking and nurturing children. Thus, in this situation, the labor division in the culture is
chiefly destructively tilted towards women and women have less privileges as the other
tribes.

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References
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