Cultural Influences on Gender Roles

Question 1

What is culture?

Answer 1

The ideas, customs and social behaviours of a particular group of people or society

Question 2

Outline Mead’s study

Answer 2

• Margaret Mead conducted an ethnographic study
• She lived among the tribes in Papua New Guinea

Question 3

Describe Mead’s finding

Answer 3

• Arapesh Tribe: both men and women were ‘feminine’. They were expressive, caring and co-operative. Both took to the bed when the female was pregnant so they were both said to ‘bear a child.’
• Mundugumour Tribe: both sexes were ‘masculine’, assertive, arrogant and fierce. Both didn’t like childcare so many put the baby out the way in a dark place
• Tchambuli Tribe: gender roles were reversed compared to western society. Females took care of trade and were independent while men sat around gossiping and were considered incapable of making decisions

Question 4

What did Mead conclude?

Answer 4

• There may not be a direct biological relationship between sex and gender (gender roles depend on culture)
• In later work, Mead accepted she underestimated the universal nature of many gender typical behaviour. She then argued that the extent to which innate behaviours are expressed are the result of cultural factors

Question 5

Give evaluation for Mead’s study (validity)

Answer 5

• Mead exaggerated the differences between tribes. She did find that men were more aggressive in the tribes, but this wasn’t reported in all
• Mead’s presence within the tribes may have impacted resulting in demand characteristics
• Studying different languages in different countries can make communication difficult, so interpretation may be inaccurate
• Therefore, Mead’s study is flawed and may not provide strong, valid evidence for cultural influences on gender roles

Question 6

Give evaluation for cultural influences on gender influences (there are universal features in gender roles - research against)

Answer 6

• Buss did a survey in 37 countries where people rated the importance of certain traits of a potential mate
• Males rated good looks and youth as a good indicator of her health and ability to be a mother and chastity was important due to wanting faithfulness. While women rated financial prospects and dependability.
• This supports that there are cross-cultural similarities in gender roles as many men and women instinctively seek similar traits in a partner

Question 7

Give evaluation for cultural influences on gender roles (research support)

Answer 7

• Hofstede argues that in industrialised cultures, the changing status and expectations of women are due to their increasingly active role in the workplace and away from the domestic sphere. This has led to a breakdown of traditional stereotypes in industrial societies. In traditional societies women still occupy the role of house-maker due to social, cultural pressures
• This suggests that gender roles are determined by cultural context