GEE 15 GENDER AND SOCIETY

Structured Learning Activity

Name: Ma. Carla C. Cachuela Schedule: MW 10:00-11:30 AM

Course: BSN-2A Date: 01/03/2021

Instruction: Discuss the following thoroughly.

1.     What were the DO’s and DONT’s (specifically concerning your sex) imposed
by the following to you?

a.     Family
 I am raised in a traditional family with my other two sisters and I am
expected to be soft-spoken and diligent just like my eldest sister. In this
family, they already set it their goal to produce nurses which they find to be
the most deliberate and levelheaded career for a woman in a third-world
country. Moreover, they are very particular in supporting us to succeed in
our careers and becoming respected career women by redirecting us away
from a risky lifestyle. In their view, anything that threatens our chances of
having a successful future such as romantic relationships, skimpy clothing,
and parties are greatly discriminated and deemed unnecessary unless with
a proper consent from the head of the family.
b.     School
 My family has a great influence on me when I chose my path in school as
well as in my career. I enrolled in nursing school not only because it was
my calling but because it was also seen as a ‘female’ occupation in the
general public, as to why it attracts the majority of the female population in
the Philippines. In the past, I also opened up in furthering my education in
sports because I used to be in the varsity for futsal women. However, the
sports curriculum and scholarships for women are mostly nonexistent or
discriminated (unlike for men) in our region.
c.     Media
 In this technological period, I am a consumer of media information and
ideas. As a female, I am affected on how the media portray and sexualize
women. To be specific, I am influenced by how women are perceived and
expected to be superficially beautiful as to western standards. Most of the
time, chubby women such as myself are disfavored for our appearance
and weight. This resulted to my obsession in dieting and exercise which
led me to my weight loss in the present. Despite of conforming to the
social standards of beauty set for women, the changing views of the media
will forever be changing. Hence, it would be best to change into a better
version of yourself rather than a version molded by the media.
d.     Peer group
 In my peer group, females are expected to look and behave femininely. This
would include dressing up, using cosmetics, and being active in academics.
In addition, socializing with the opposite sex could mean romantic
endeavors or consideration of possible love interests. Despite this, I still
managed to form meaningful friendships with the opposite sex without any
amorous intent. However, as a woman we are still viewed as physically
inferior to men and are unintentionally pampered and protected by our male
friends. We are often advised by our male friends to avoid exciting and risky
activities such as drinking, partying, and going out late at night without a
chaperone.
e.     Religion
 According to the Roman Catholic scriptures, a woman should act in the
image that is pleasant to God. This means that a woman should be meek,
feminine, soft spoken, and kind. Hence, a woman is required to act with
virtue while restraining from acting provocatively like worldly women who
are said to have no standard or rule in behavior. In addition to this, women
are expected to be a Godly wife and become submissive to their husbands.
In my case, not conforming to catholic beliefs had affected my relationship
with my family. Not so long ago when I crossed and questioned the
practices of my grandparents’ religiosity, I was consciously ostracized and
discriminated for being a worldly woman. That is how influential religion is to
the society and how they shape the perception of a woman and a man. In
entirety, the most influential aspect of religion to gender roles is by setting a
standard of dress codes, sense of conduct, and social status that hinders
women and men to be on the same parity.

2.     What are the problems you encountered as you follow/deviate from the rules
imposed?
 According to my experience, deviating from imposed gender roles can
affect a person’s personal development. These expectations have forced
me to conform at some point because of immense shame. Also, it is very
hard to change and neglect one’s standpoint for the sake of conformity to
society’s expectations. In my case, this forced change resulted to a variety
of internal conflicts that eventually resulted to my unhappiness due to the
suppression of my emotions. On a worse note, this can even make a
person depress, anxious, and isolated.