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Social Construction of Gender Explained

The document discusses the concept of social constructionism, which posits that realities, including gender, are shaped by social conditions rather than inherent truths. It questions the significance of gender as a category and explores how it functions within society, emphasizing the need to move beyond binary definitions of male and female. The approach encourages examining the complexities and intersections of various identities rather than adhering to traditional essentialist views.

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Ardi Rosadi
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8 views1 page

Social Construction of Gender Explained

The document discusses the concept of social constructionism, which posits that realities, including gender, are shaped by social conditions rather than inherent truths. It questions the significance of gender as a category and explores how it functions within society, emphasizing the need to move beyond binary definitions of male and female. The approach encourages examining the complexities and intersections of various identities rather than adhering to traditional essentialist views.

Uploaded by

Ardi Rosadi
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

chapter I

The social construction of gender was born from the general school of thought entitled social
constructionism. Social constructionism proposes that everything that is “known” or seen as
“reality” lies partly, if not entirely, in social conditions. Saying that something is socially
constructed does not diminish the power of the concept. Take, for example, money. Money is a
socially constructed reality. Paper money has no value regardless of the value an individual
places on it. The dollar is only worth as much as Americans ascribe to it. Note that the dollar
only works in its own currency market; it has no value in regions that do not use the dollar.
Nevertheless, the dollar is very strong in its own domain.

These basic theories of social constructionism can be applied to every study problem related to
human life, including gender. Is gender an important category or a social construct? If it is a
social construct, how does it function? Who benefits from the way gender is constructed? A
social constructionist view of gender looks beyond categories and examines the intersection of
multiple identities and the blurring of boundaries between essentialist categories. This is
especially true of the categories of men and women, which are usually seen as binary and
opposite. Social constructionism seeks to blur the binary and confuse these two categories,
which are often considered essential.

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