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Social role of Women and the difference with the social role of Men Gender roles refer to the

set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time. There are differences of opinion as to whether observed gender differences in behavior and personality characteristics are, at least in part, due to cultural or social factors, and therefore, the product of socialization experiences, or to what extent gender differences are due to biological and physiological differences. Views on gender-based differentiation in the workplace and in interpersonal relationships have often undergone profound changes as a result of feminist and economic influences, but there are still considerable differences in gender roles in almost all societies. It is also true that in times of necessity, such as during a war, women are permitted to perform functions which in "normal" times would be considered a male role, or vice versa. For example, in the world war-II women performed roles and jobs of which some would otherwise have been considered male jobs. Gender role theory posits that boys and girls learn the appropriate behavior and attitudes from the family and overall culture they grow up with, and so non-physical gender differences are a product of socialization. Social role theory:Social role theory proposes that the social structure is the underlying force for the gender differences. Social role theory proposes that the sex-differentiated behavior is driven by the division of labor between two sexes within a society. Division of labor creates gender roles, which in turn, lead to gendered social behavior. The physical specialization of the sexes is considered to be the distal cause of gender roles. Mens unique physical advantages in terms of body size and upper body strength provided them an edge over women in those social activities that demanded such physical attributes such as hunting, herding and warfare. On the other hand, womens capacity for child raising and understanding emotions is proposed to explain their limited involvement in other social activities. Such divided activity arrangement for the purpose of achieving activity-efficiency led to the division of labor between sexes as we see today. Social role theorists have explicitly stressed that the labor division is not narrowly defined as that between paid employment and domestic activities, rather, is conceptualized to include all activities performed within a society that are necessary for its existence and sustainability. The characteristics of the activities performed by men and women became people's perceptions and beliefs of the dispositional attributes of men or women themselves. Ultimately, people expect men and women who occupy certain position to behave according to these attributes.

These socially constructed gender roles are considered to be hierarchical and characterized as an unfair male-advantaged gender hierarchy. The activities men were involved in were often those that provided them with more access to or control of resources and decision making power, rendering men not only superior dispositional attributes, but also higher status and authority as society progressed. The particular pattern of the labor division within a certain society is a dynamic process and determined by its specific economical and cultural characteristics. For instance, in an industrial economy, the emphasis on physical strength in social activities becomes less compared with that in a less advanced economy. In a low birth rate society, women will be less confined to reproductive activities and thus more likely to be involved in a wide range of social activities. In summary, social role theory treats these differing distributions of women and men into roles as the primary origin of sex-differentiated social behavior, their impact on behavior is mediated by psychological and social processes (Eagly, 1997), including developmental and socialization processes, as well as by processes involved in social interaction (e.g., expectancy confirmation) and self-regulation (Eagly et al., 2004). Society Models:Let us take a look at two very different society models that explain the roles of women. Model A describes total separation of male and female roles, while Model B describes the complete dissolution of gender roles. Model A Gender-specific education; high professional qualification is important only for the man Model B Co-educative schools, same content of classes for girls and boys, same qualification for men and women. The workplace is not the For women, career is just as primary area of women; career important as for men; equal and professional advancement professional opportunities for is deemed unimportant for men and women are women necessary.

Education

Profession

Housework

Decision making

Housekeeping and child care are the primary functions of the woman; participation of the man in these functions is only partially wanted. In case of conflict, man has

All housework is done by both parties to the marriage in equal shares.

Neither partner dominates;

the last say, for example in choosing the place to live, choice of school for children, buying decisions Child care and education Woman takes care of the largest part of these functions; she educates children and cares for them in every way

solutions do not always follow the principle of finding a concerted decision; status quo is maintained if disagreement occurs Man and woman share these functions equally.

We know from history that Model A was the scenario observed some hundred years ago and before that as well. Some aspects of this model were present even a couple of decades ago. The 21st century saw a change in the social model. It is very clear that Model A is somewhere close to extinct, but Model B has not been completely adopted just yet either. We are in a phase that is almost in between these two models and mostly close to the model B. According to a sociology research, traditional feminine gender roles have become less relevant in Western society since industrialization started. For example, the clich that women do not follow a career is obsolete in many Western societies and some eastern societies as well. On the other hand, the media sometimes portrays women who adopt an extremely classical role as a subculture. Women take on many roles that were traditionally reserved for men, as well as behaviors and fashions, which may cause pressure on many men to be more masculine and thus confined within an even smaller gender role, while other men react against this pressure. For example, men's fashions have become more restrictive than in other eras, while women's fashions have become broader. One consequence of social unrest during the Vietnam War era was that men began to let their hair grow to a length that had previously (within recent history) been considered appropriate only for women. Somewhat earlier, women had begun to cut their hair to lengths previously considered appropriate only to men. In many other cases, the elements of convention or tradition seem to play a dominant role in deciding which occupations fit in with which gender roles. For example, in most regions of the world physicians have traditionally been men, and the few people who defy that expectation received a special job description: "woman doctor". Similarly, there are special terms like "male nurse", "woman lawyer", "lady barber", "male secretary," etc. But in the former Soviet Union countries, medical doctors are predominantly women, and in Germany and Taiwan it is very common for all of the barbers in a barber shop to be women. Also, throughout history, some jobs that have been typically male or female have switched genders. For example, clerical jobs used to be considered mens jobs, but when several women began filling men's job positions due to World War II, clerical jobs quickly became dominated by women. It became more feminized,

and women workers became known as "typewriters" or "secretaries". There are many other jobs that have switched gender roles. Many jobs are continually evolving as far as being dominated by women or men.

Islamic point of view God created men and women to build life together and to complete one another all lifelong. Hence, Islam opened the door to women to wade through all the fields of struggle in life side by side with men, supporting each other, helping, and completing one another. Moreover, Islam did not separate them in roles, the thing that is clearly shown in His saying {The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil.} (9:71). Once we understand that justice embraces everything positive in life, and that evil comprises everything negative in it, we will then realize that men and women are partners in building up life. And just like men are responsible of the society, women also are equally responsible of the society they live in. So, outside the framework of the specifically motherhood and fatherhood characteristics where they perform absolutely different functions, men and women have vast areas to conquer, building life shoulder to shoulder as human beings, equal in humanity. Accordingly, we can say that Islam had opened the door to women to enjoy life as a whole, in contrast to what some people may assume that it had tied them down in their characteristics as females. The saying that Islam ties the woman down to a homemaker role is a frequently heard reflection on the way things are, and this is why it is worth discussing. But before going into the depth of the subject, we should point out the presence of two kinds of rulings in Islam: The first kind is the binding rules that necessitate the person to do something or not to do it, and they are called the obligation and prohibition rules. And the second is the rules that urge the person to do something but do not compel him to doing it; or exactly the opposite, wishing him not to do something but at the same time do not prevent him from doing it, and they are called the preferable and the detested or the rules that allow the person the possibility of choosing whether to do or not to do and they are called the allowed. Well, does Islam oblige the woman to be a housewife before and after marriage? According to Islam, not a single person whether a father, a mother, a brother or any relative, is authorized to legitimately oblige the woman to manage domestic work in her parental house before marriage. So, housework is not imposed on women just like neither the father nor the mother has the legitimate right to oblige the boy to handle housework. Yes, she can take on this charge if she willingly volunteered to, out of the sense of responsibility towards the house that is taking care of her. And when the girl becomes a wife, the fact that she manages the domestic work in her house or does not, will also remain a voluntarily matter that is up to her to decide. The contract

of marriage does not bind women, from a legal aspect, to do housework, not even to rear her children and take care of them, unless the two married people worked on including the performance of these works in the marriage contract under special terms. But Islam does not consider that womens housework as one of the marriage contract articles, and it also does not require the women to carry out any kind of jobs outside home to support her family or to contribute in supporting it. On the basis of the marriage contract, man can demand nothing from his wife but the rights to the private marital relationship and all what is related to it. Anything other than that, such as arranging the household affairs and bringing the children up, would not be imposed on her. From this perspective, we can approach the issue of womens work in the house as womens finest contribution that completes mens finest contribution.

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