cultural and media influences on gender roles - Evaluations

Evaluations of cultural Influences: Cultural similarities- The evidence for how cultural differences how’s how culture influences gender roles, but there is evidence to show that biology is at least important. For example, Social role theory argues that the biologically based physical differences between men and women allow them to perform certain tasks more efficiently. Childbearing and nursing of infants mean that women are well placed to care for young children but are less able to take on roles, which requires extended absence from home, such as commuting to work. Men's greater speed and upper-body strength facilitates their efficient performance of tasks that require intense bursts of energy and strength. SRT also suggested, in societies where strength is not required for occupational roles outside the home and/or societies where there is alternative care for children, gender roles will be more similar between men and worn sniff psychological differences are reduced- still a biological account.

Criticisms of Mead (and cross-cultural research)- A problem of cross-culture research is that the indigenous populated could tell the researchers what they wanted to hear thus making the data invalid. The Samoans even admitted that they had painted a false portrayal of their behavior whilst being observed.…