A fundamental principle within sociology is that everything is a social construct, a concept that exists not in objective reality but as a result of human interaction. It exists because humans agree that it exists. Gender, race, marriage, and families are socially constructed. For example, gender, the socially learned expectations and behaviors associated with being male or female, is a social construct as it varies from society to society and can change over time. Let’s think of gender in the context of history and analyze the variations and changes. Historically, in some cultures, women were the property of men. This is an extreme and awful form of gender stratification, the unequal access and distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between women and men. You may be saying, “That was hundreds of years ago.” You are correct, but this systemic inequality remains with us today in many cultures because of extreme patriarchal laws and norms. In “Closing the Gender Gap: The 10 Best and Worst Countries for Women,” Yemen, Pakistan, and Iraq top the list of worst countries concerning gender stratification. Even in the U.S., “Until 1968, A Married Texas Women Could Not Own Property or Start a Business Without Her Husband’s Permission.” Today, this law seems so archaic and unbelievable. At the time, it seemed “normal” because the gender norms, behaviors or traits that society attributes to a particular sex were socially learned and passed from generation to generation. Fortunately, women have gained wealth, power, and privilege in many countries, and positive systemic changes have occurred in laws and norms.
World religions are instrumental in socially constructing the concept of gender. A prime example, as an illustration, is gender roles, behaviors or traits that society attributes to a particular sex. The Catholic church does not allow women to be priests. This calling or vocation is reserved only for men. Women must opt for a vocation as a nun or serve as a lay contributor to their diocese, although there are 250 “Female ‘Priests’ Secretly Celebrating Mass” worldwide. These women risk excommunication from the Catholic Church.
The United Methodist Church is currently socially constructing the concepts of gender and sexuality, an individual’s experience and expression as a sexual being. This is evident in “United Methodist Lose 1,800 Churches in Split Over LGBT Stance.” Differences over same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT clergy have led to a split among members of churches. The Presbyterian church denomination went through an identical split a decade ago over gay clergy. At the same time (2012), Pope Benedict said that gay marriage was one of several threats to the traditional family that undermined “the future of humanity itself.” A statement such as this has a tremendous impact on the social construction of gender and sexuality, as there are over a billion Catholics around the globe.
In summary, there is a historical legacy of gender stratification and patriarchy that continues to contribute to the social construction of gender. Religion also weighs heavily on how we define gender and sexuality. In a hundred years, will some say, “The views surrounding these issues in 2023 seem so archaic and unbelievable today?”
