Functionalist and Social Constructional Perspectives on Gender Divide

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the functionalist and social constructionist perspectives on gender divide. It begins by introducing the sociological aspects of society, focusing on the binary division of gender and sexuality, and the influence of social structures. The discussion explores the functionalist approach, highlighting the role of family and social assessment tools in shaping gender roles. It examines the works of Durkheim, Spencer, Parsons, and Merton, contrasting their views on societal integration and structural processes. The essay further delves into macro and micro issues, focusing on the family as a primary unit in functionalism and how Parsons' action theory and Merton's middle-range theory contribute to understanding gender constructs. The essay also analyzes how social construction, media, and institutional conditioning influence gender roles and sexuality, using examples from media to illustrate these concepts. The conclusion summarizes the key arguments, emphasizing the interplay between functionalist and social constructionist perspectives in shaping societal views on gender and sexuality.

Running Head: FUNCTIONALIST AND SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
OF GENDER DIVIDE
Functionalist and Social Constructional perspective of Gender Divide
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:
Table of Contents

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Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Marco-issues through Action and Middle-Range Theories.......................................................3
Social construction and Structural Functionalism......................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
A sociological aspect to the working of our society invokes in us the curiosity to
understand the working of the psychological ability and the social adherence on which it is
carried out. However, one can notice the binary division in almost every aspect of the society
which leads us to the learning form on which we as a race conform to, and the dichotomy of
binary division comes into existence. It was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
that society and the way it is formed and the older forms instead of being decomposed are
merged into them were considered by sociologists as the science of the social structure of the
society. The approach of the study of sociology in scientific term to find a coercive result
started with Weber and Marx. Their approach was based on the changing working of the
society, and the changing relationship between the factors influencing and the influenced was
based on the functionality which was adapted. The division of the society based on gender
and the understanding of the difference between gender and sexuality could be seen in the
process of the formation when the world of women was fighting for radical rights of voting
and equality in pay with Beauvoir’s work, The Second Sex. The thesis statement of the paper
follows the assessment of the working of gender and sexuality and the functional division
based on the biases and how it depends mostly on social construction. The paper will also
show the practical application of functionalist theory in the social structure of society.
Discussion
The perspective of functionalism can be seen as the approach where the social
structure and the division on which the working is based on can be understood with the help
of social assessment tools. These tools act as the major contributors, which leads to the
formation of the normative working that is laid and accepted in the society as the standard
definition. The functionalism aspect of theory to evaluate the social structure can be seen to
be dependent on the actions which define it, such as the adherence of the family as the basic

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tenet of the society. Therefore, the working of a family forms a spiral web in which other
social elements gets involved in forming the structure on which social life and the context of
gender and sexuality can be studied. It can be read and understood with the help of a
comparative study between the works of Durkheim, Spencer to that of the later perspectives
of Parson and Merton who were all considered to be scholars who established the theory of
structural functionalism (Lumen 2020). However, the theory of former and the later scholars
differed hugely based on their view of the society and its integration and the structural
process. While Durkheim and Spencer considered society as an integrated system as similar
to that of the human anatomy where each part of the body function accordingly in order for
the whole body to work without fail; the approach of Parson was derived from the
functionalist aspect. However, there was a gap in the approach as Parson saw that there was a
massive data gap in the studies and argument of functionalism, and it was mainly pointed out
in the ignorance of the motives (Cornwell et al. 2016 pp. 1). The social structure on which the
society functioned was considered as a primary form. However, Parson pointed the gap in the
literature on which the arguments are based showing that the social structure is not inherent
but is made coherent to display it as the intentional way in which things should be
interconnected (Gintis 2016 pp. 6). The paper will show how the different theories and
approaches rising from structural functionalism is demonstrated by the division of the society
and the how those structural forms make up for the contribution which forms the construct of
gender and sexuality in the society.
Marco-issues through Action and Middle-Range Theories
The gender construct that one usually observes in the societal emerges from the
primary tenant on which functionalism is based, that is the family. The family is considered
to be the primary level through which functionalists evaluated the social structure of the
society. It represents a micro-level in which social life on the society can be observed. Here

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again, we see how Parson’s action theory comes to life as the macro issue among the
functionalists constitutes the micro issues which go unnoticed. When it comes to
functionalism, Durkheim shows that the working and responsibilities of each member of the
family are divided in the way that it maintains stability and equilibrium in the nuclear society.
However, Parson’s action theory dictates that the equilibrium of the collective society can be
achieved only if the division of responsibilities is not based on the biases. It can again be
verified with the help of Merton’s middle-range theory which measures the extent of the
impact of the social structure on the social life and the way it is created to benefit the society
or has been set according to a generalized system (Crothers, Bornmann and Haunschild 2020
pp. 5). The behavioural pattern and the social responsibilities which are enforced with the
help of the social structure is micro factors through which the role of gender and sexuality is
set as the normative way in which the genders are confined in their roles. Here, one can
understand the reflection of social construction with the help of middle-range theory which
associates any theory and shows how the re-evaluation brings about a truth that a single role
in the social construct is composed of multiple ones when the associated impacts are noticed
(Kaidesoja 2019 pp. 1470).
The associated impacts which are revealed when the family as the factor of structural
functionalism is seen under the microscope of gender and sexuality. The gender role
associated with the female part of the family is considered to work diligently with the social
representation of them as nurturer and caretaker. The associated role which emerges here
when seen under social construction is the intentional suppression of women and the
liberation of men by looking retaining children in the school to perform daily duties which
are not considered to be contributing enough to be paid. Although, the work is not given the
worth that it gets paid but then the bias and judgment when it comes to women who do not
adhere to the role which has been set as fitting for her gender is shown to be harsh where her

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sexuality is questioned (Ormerod 2019 pp. 4). The second layer of the family under the social
construction depends on the practice of sexuality. The repetition of the sexual behaviour from
both of them is considered to be the driving factor of the family where the men in the family
are constrained with the standard of living upto keep the marriage life by repeating the sexual
behavior. It is one of the most significant measures through which one can witness the
application both the theories through every day experiences.
Social construction and Structural Functionalism
The daily experiences where the division of gender and sexuality is used as the
conditioning method and the involvement of one or the other institution is noticed. When it
comes to the division of the role and responsibilities among the gender, it is implemented and
attained with the careful use of organizational conditioning in which family plays a
significant role. The family construct, which is shown and depicted in the television series,
advertisement as well as that of movies, depicts the roles and responsibilities as specifically
divided according to the gender (Lindsey 2015 pp. 145). The print media in the fashion
industry shows the adherence to this institutionalization in their portrayal and their writings
about the genders. The most important and recent example which was demonstrated in the
interview of one the largest movie franchise and with two of the biggest stars in the year 2019
with Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Junior (RDJ). The press conference was before
the release of the movie and was meant for the promotion. Due to being a continuation of the
first part, this movie was bound to be a huge success and both the actors attending the
conference belonged to the original five of the Avengers. Nevertheless, when the conference
started, RDJ was asked questions which were intellectual and showed the reporters focus on
his style of acting and the growth of the character (Superhero News 2019). However, when it
came of Johansson, she was asked lucrative questions on her outfit. The episode shows the
conditioned working of the mind, which made the reporter’s stance to be different in regards

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to their view of the two actors. The sexual representation, which is one of the basic tenets
through which social construction could be assessed reflects here with the difference in
treatment of two equally successful and invested actors.
The social construction around the sexual representation, which is based on the
normative standard, which is the heterosexual standing of the genders is promoted and shown
an affinity towards individual who adheres to these normative roles. It is also seen in the
various recent media coverage on schools and universities restricting the clothing styles of
their females with claims that they tend to distract the male students from their studies
(Sharp, Tiggemann and Mattiske 2014 pp. 484). It can be seen under the social construction
of sexual orientation and body image which has been embedded in them through the portrayal
of female gender in a particular type of clothes to be regarded as that denoting to their status
in the society. Clothing style becomes the source for the society to associate and categorize
women to the different sections of the society. The sexual portrayal in the Bond movies of the
damsel in dress were always the ones who wore more makeup than necessary, but their
clothing was exposable (Geist, Reynolds and Gaytán 2017). It was related to like women who
needed help and were the centre of attention for their body image. The image of the women
who are inclined towards studies and are not promiscuous or bear the intention of drawing the
attention of men away from the important matter of science and society are shown covered in
a way which does not flatter their body structure. It can be seen in one of the biggest and the
most successful television series, The Big Bang theory. The character and the image portrayal
of the two leads of the show Penny and Amy, where Amy is shown to be leading a careless
life and taking advantage of Leonard’s good-natured approach towards her (Bednarek 2012
pp. 211). Her character is defined by the way she dresses up, which is envied by Amy on
several occasion and her lifestyle of having to have attracted a various male partner
throughout her life. Whereas, Amy the Neuroscientist is dressed completely from head to toe

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in a style which serves as a way to serve the purpose of clothing simply. Her dresses do not
flatter her body type neither did she put on any makeup until she was introduced to Penny
(Bednarek, M., 2012 pp.201). The sexual orientation and the body image conformity is
conditioned into society with the means of media, which has become one of the biggest
weapons in the hand of the social construction of the society.
The understanding of sexual orientation is not limited to the media conditioning; it is
also achieved through one of the contributing tenets which structural-functionalism
demonstrate in the form of educational education ((Sharp, Tiggemann and Mattiske 2014 pp.
487). To understand this better, one has to go back to the definition of the society according
to Durkheim where each part of the society works according to the expected set of norms for
the society to gain equilibrium. The educational institutions can be seen as the system which
is constructed and ruled by the governing body to produce individuals who will adhere to the
set norms and standards to make sure that their intentional plan and the structure which they
want to accomplish is brought into realization (Potts et al. 2016 pp.168). The educational
organizations, when evaluated under Merton’s middle-range theory, it can be observed that
the role of these organization is not simply limited to the construction of the perspectives and
the conditioning about the gender construct (Baltaru and Soysal 2018 pp. 223). However, it is
also seen as the place where the sexuality and the importance of its practice are witnessed to
be most and is generally considered as the place to be finding an ideal mate. Another
significant role which is played by these organization is the clear demarcation of the roles
which is expected from the two genders. The children are kept away from their homes, giving
the parents to complete their familial duties which were not possible in the presence of the
children.
The involvement of children and the process of retaining the away from the comfort
of homes can also be considered as the condition of their minds. This conditioning prepares

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them for the later part of their lives where they are expected to work for different sectors
enabling the people in power and strengthening them financially. Educational conditioning in
recent times has been seen to involve another major factor in them that is the understanding
of religion more popularly known as world views (Fahrudin and Hastjarjo 2018 pp. 7). The
study of world views has been a recent addition to the category of education. It is seen to be
used to introduce individuals in society with other religion and culture which they might
encounter in their lives due to being forced to travel and live in another geographical location.
It has also been noticed that religion and culture have become one of the driving forces of
society, and due to this, they are most of the time used in the negative. For example, in the
case of the US, people are volatile towards people and fail to accept them and sometimes
even see them at a good level. It is the result of vigorous conditioning that has led the society
to be volatile and even violent in their approach towards the LGBTQ community (Vogler, S.,
2016 pp. 861). The social life which is considered as the standard definition of the White
society falls in the category of heterosexual conformity and anyone disregarding it is seen to
be in violation and is treated with indifference in the society. It is not limited to the first
world countries, in fact in case of third world countries; the conditioning is even more
stringent making them more closed to understanding or developing an affinity towards others
which has been seen as the source of violent outbreaks and loss of life in the past.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the role gender and sexuality in the society is fixed as per the
conditioned state of the society which has been applied in order to get them to form the social
construct which can be driven in accordance to the motive of the driving force of the
governing bodies. It can be noticed in the constant structural change which comes in society
with the change of governing bodies. Two of the most significant example are that of New
Zealand and the US, where the two leading bodies are governed by different genders. Jacinda

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who is not only a female Prime Minister but is also proving as an efficient leader irrespective
of the gender constrictions of having to bear a child while holding the office in comparison to
Donald Trump’s inefficiency of denying the risk of Coronavirus until the pandemic broke the
record of casualties in the country.

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