Gender and Family Life

Gender is a fascinating thing.  This last week in Family Relations we discussed the differences and similarities of Gender and common behaviors that associate themselves with the male and female genders.  I feel one of the most important principles I learned this week is how to correctly define the words Feminine and Masculine.  These are the basic definitions that social scientists give these to words:

Feminine: Individuals who display expressive traits

• warm
• caring
• sensitive
• nurturing
• enable people to establish good interpersonal relationships

Masculine: Individuals who display instrumental traits

• aggressive
• competitive
• self confident
• logical
• enable people to achieve goals 

In Marriage and Family:  The Quest for Intimacy, Lauer says, "At first, it seems reasonable to assume that masculine and feminine are the two extremes of one dimension.  That is, the more masculine you are, the less feminine and vice versa.  But social scientists agree that masculinity and femininity are not opposites that exclude each other.  Instead of a continuum, with masculine at one end and feminine at the other, gender-role orientation must be understood as two-dimensional."