Discuss the relationship between gender roles and ethnicity. Use two different ethnic groups to explain this relationship.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A gender role is a set of norms or expectations that define how people of one gender ought to behave. These norms and expectations are culturally defined and hence, gender roles are a product of culture. This implies that, although all gender roles themselves are universal, the exact content of these roles varies from one culture to the next, from one ethnic group to another, and from one social class to another. For example, among traditional Latinos, boys have more freedom, are encouraged in sexual exploits, and are not expected to share in household work. Girls, on the other hand, are expected to be passive, obedient, and to stay at home. These traditional gender roles are related to the concepts of machismo and marianismo found in Latino culture. Another example can be drawn from the African American culture which emphasizes the collective over the individual. As such, mother-child bonds continue to be extremely important in the structure of African American society, and a lot of honor is accorded to motherhood. This effectively defines the female gender role.