The purpose of this study is to find out from a didactic perspective, how traditional gender roles emerge in the classroom and the conceptions of traditional gender roles. This is explored from a student’s perspective. The theoretical frame of this study is gender system, which consists of the principles of separation and hierarchy. The survey is conducted in two classes in third grade. This study answers following questions: How do traditional gender roles appear in the classroom from a student´s perspective? Which conception exist about traditional gender roles from a student's perspective? The study is based on observations and interviews, which is analysed of the gender system theory and the theoretical concept traditional gender roles. The results of this study show that the students' behavior in the classroom and their thinking are mostly based on the traditional gender roles, which is characterized mostly by the principles of separation and hierarchy.  However, some situations and statements show a change, in which the principles of separation and hierarchy are questioned. The individual situations reflect that the transfer of the gender contract is minimized from one generation to another.

This essay discusses how women in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (1925) are portrayed in different ways. During this time between the world wars, progressive women walked the streets of New York. These ‘New Women’ wore short dresses, cut their hair, smoked and drank in public, and showed interest in politics and education. The New Woman is portrayed in different versions in the female characters Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson. These characters are also representations of the patriarchal idea of women as ‘good girls’ and ‘bad girls’, depending on how well they adapt to and fit into the traditional gender roles. Through a discussion of how Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle are portrayed as ‘good’ and ‘bad’, the essay shows how the ‘bad girls’ in the novel are punished by patriarchy by being described unfavorably by the narrator or by suffering socially in a society with patriarchal values. / Den här uppsatsen diskuterar hur kvinnorna i F. Scott Fitzgeralds verk Den store Gatsby (1925) skildras på olika sätt. USA började förändras under mellankrigstiden, bland annat började en kvinnorörelse som resulterade i en ”ny typ av kvinna”. Kvinnorna började bära korta klänningar, klippte håret, drack och rökte offentligt samt intresserade sig för utbildning och politik. Den här nya kvinnan skildras på olika vis i de kvinnliga huvudkaraktärerna Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker och Myrtle Wilson. Men dessa karaktärer fungerar även som representationer av den patriarkala idén om att kvinnor är uppdelade i två kategorier: ’duktig flicka’ och ’dålig flicka’ beroende på hur väl de följer de traditionella könsrollerna. Genom att diskutera hur Daisy, Jordan och Myrtle är porträtterade som ’duktiga’ och ’dåliga’ visar uppsatsen hur de ’dåliga’ blir bestraffade av patriarkatet genom att bli ofördelaktigt beskrivna av berättaren eller bestraffade socialt i ett samhälle som genomsyras av patriarkala värderingar.

This essay focuses on the pictures in mathematics books for elementary school. The purpose was to see if images in mathematics books for elementary school show traditional gender roles. The aim of the essay has been broken down into following research questions: Vilka färger förknippar de olika matematikböckerna till pojkar/män respektive flickor/kvinnor? How many times were girls/women and boys/men illustrated in the mathematics books? What behavior is associated with masculinity and femininity? Which colours are associated with boys/men and girls/women in the mathematics books? I used a semiotic image analysis method to study the pictures presented in the mathematics books. The theories in this essay were used to see how society makes girls become girls and boys become boys and in what ways the genders are portrayed in relation to each other. In addition, the theories include the question of whether a specific colour is given to a specific gender? The analysis evidently confirmed that the images in the mathematics books demonstrated traditional gender roles. There was evident proof that the behavior of both boys/men and girls/women showed distinct features of the traditional gender roles. However, boys/men were more likely to stay in their traditional gender roles in terms of the colours of their clothes than the girls/women did.

Preventivmedel för kvinnor innefattar en betydande andel biverkningar. Hittills har män inte upplevt några allvarliga biverkningar av de testade preventivmedlen för män, trots detta är det biverkningarna som stoppat preventivmedel för män från att lanseras på marknaden. I denna studie argumenteras för att en möjlig förklaring till detta ligger i skilda riskuppfattningar om preventivmedel för män och kvinnor. Studien undersöker riskuppfattningar om preventivmedel samt hur individers egenskaper kan påverka denna riskuppfattning. Studien analyserar hur altruism, riskbenägenhet, föreställningar om könsroller och kön påverkar riskuppfattningar om preventivmedel för män respektive för kvinnor. För att undersöka detta utfördes en enkätundersökning bland 413 studenter vid Linköpings universitet. Respondenterna fick uppge sina uppfattningar om risker kring preventivmedel för antingen män eller kvinnor, samt förhålla sig till påståenden och besvara frågor om altruism, riskbenägenhet och könsroller. Vilka preventivmedel (för män eller kvinnor) en respondent tillfrågades att beakta bestämdes slumpmässigt. Datamaterialet analyserades sedan med hjälp av linjär regressionsanalys. Resultaten visar att respondenterna uppfattar biverkningarna från preventivmedel som värre för kvinnor än för män, där riskbenägenheten hos respondenterna spelade störst roll i deras riskuppfattning. Risksökande och mer altruistiska individer upplever riskerna som större medan den föreställningar om könsroller hade en liten påverkan på resultatet. Avslutningsvis visar resultaten en viss könsbias och den största skillnaden mellan könen är att män som är mindre altruistiska ser mindre risker med preventivmedel medan kvinnor som är mer altruistiska ser mer risker med preventivmedel. / Contraception for women entail a considerable amount of side effects. Even though men so far have not experience serious side effects from the tested contraceptive for men. These side effects have proven to inhibit the availability of male contraception on the market. In this study argumentation is made that one possible explanation for this dwells in a difference in risk perception between contraception for men versus for women, were side effects for contraception for men is preceded as more severe. The aim of this study is to evaluate four traits in individuals which arguably is affecting this risk perception, these are traditional views of gender roles, altruism, risk attitude and a difference in perceptions between genders. To test this, a survey with 413 respondents was conducted at Linköping University. The respondents had to report their perceptions about risks regarding contraception for either men or women, as well as respond to statements about altruism, risk attitudes and traditional gender roles. It was randomized what kind of contraception (for men or for women) the respondents answered. The data material was analyzed through linear regressions. The results show that the respondents, both the women and the men, perceive side effects for contraceptive for women as more severe were their risk attitude have the biggest effect on their risk perception. Furthermore, individuals who are more altruistic and risk seeking perceive larger risks with contraception while the individuals view on traditional gender roles have negligible effect on the respondent’s risk perception. A gender bias dwells in the respondents answer and the biggest difference between the genders is that men who are less altruistic see less risks with contraception while women who are more altruistic see more risks with contraception.

This dissertation is a study of Palestinian women’s roles following the First Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which began in 1987. This study considers whether Palestinian women found greater participation in their social life outside of the home during the challenges of the Intifada. In Palestinian society, traditional family roles and the various interpretations of Islamic teachings about to the family have severely restricted the role of women in society, and these limitations have served to increase the desire of these women for greater participation outside of the home. This dissertation will focus on how religious forces, in addition to education and political participation, have influenced the roles available to Palestinian women. In addition, it will focus on whether family roles changed during the First Intifada and whether any of these changes has a lasting impact. An examination of the history and social back ground of Palestinian society, Muslim, and Arabic culture will help demonstrate the impact of religion, education, and political participation, on Palestinian women roles after the First Intifada, during the years 1987-1992. The study was conducted by a team from Brigham Young University (BYU) during 1994-1995. The BYU team included professors Bruce Chadwick, Brain Barber, Tim Heaton, Camille Fronk, and Ray Huntington. The intent of study was to understand the family life of Palestinians. The study focused on marriage, family size, gender roles, education of women, marriage between relatives, and location of residence after marriage. Questionnaires were obtained from approximately 7,000 ninth grade students and from both their parents. The youth and parent questionnaires were developed by the team and then translated into Arabic by Palestinian translators. The Arabic questions were reviewed by several Palestinians who recommended some minor corrections. Before distributing the survey, BYU team pre-tested the questionnaires with a sample of youth and adults living in East Jerusalem. Questionnaires were printed by a Palestinian business in the West Bank. The survey team then distributed the surveys in 64 secondary schools in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which were operated by the United Nation Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The research team was pleasantly surprised by the number of parents who returned the questionnaires. Completed surveys were returned by 92 to 97 percent of students (n=6, 923), by 85 to 94 percent of the fathers (n= 6, 253), and by 84 to 90 percent of their mothers (n=6,024). A ball-point pen was given to each student and a calculator to each head teacher as gifts for their cooperation in distributing, completing, and collecting the questionnaires. To express appreciation to the schools who participated, the research team presented a report of the data school officials. A structural equation model was used to predict the effects of education, religion, and political participation on family roles. Figure 2 shows the predicted model with B- coefficients. The previous results suggest little change is family roles in Palestine. Thus, given this lack of change in family roles, the model had little to predict and it is not surprising that only 2% of the variance was explained (CFI= .874, χ2 = 80.5, and df=6). Overall, the final model suggests that education, religion, and political participation had a limited impact on women seeking changes in family roles. As expected, higher levels of religiosity defined by stronger commitment to Islam were significantly associated with lower likelihood of women seeking change in family roles (β-coefficient= -.059, p-value= .009). On the other hand, increases in women’s level of education (β-coefficient= .114, p-value <.001) and higher levels of political participation defined by participation and involvement in the Intifada (β-coefficient=.065, p-value < .001) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of women seeking change in the family roles. It is also unsurprising that education was the strongest predictive factor. Research indicates that as education increases, women seek change in their familial roles. On the other hand, it is surprising to find only a weak relationship between women’s involvement in the Intifada and a desire for change in family roles.

This essay argues that the patriarchy is pervasive throughout George Orwell’s novella Animal Farm. By providing examples of narrative events and character actions, the essay aims to make evident the ways in which the patriarchy is represented throughout the novella. The concept of patriarchy is defined, and characters and events that take place within the narrative of Animal Farm are analyzed through the lens of traditional gender roles and toxic masculinity. Both male and female characters are included to present the ways in which society in Animal Farm is patriarchal and the essay argues that the presence of the patriarchy pervades the narrative. The presence of patriarchal structures can be seen throughout the narrative, including characters, character’s actions and how events are portrayed. To conclude, discussing the novella from a feminist theoretical perspective is good for understanding the work in a way that is different from most other analyses in academia and this essay argues that the patriarchy indeed is present throughout the narrative of Animal Farm.

This essay concerns Purple Hibiscus and Kambili's emotional development, and explores how violence, submission and emotional dependence along with a traditional feminine gender role can hinder acknowledgement of trauma. I propose that Kambili is encouraged to take on a culturally expected feminine gender role, and her submissive disposition is discussed and connected to her constant search for a father figure. The notion of personal and collective postcolonial trauma is explained and applied to contextualise her inability to question either her father or the political situation in Nigeria. I read Kambili's change as negative and aim to show that she has internalised patriarchal structures. Her change is contrasted to the change in her brother Jaja, to show how and why they develop in different directions. Traditional gender roles are discussed from a rather general perspective, but also in a context that concern masculinity, violence and power relations.

<p>C-paper Abstract</p><p>Title: Fluidity and Solidity in Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping</p><p>Author: Linda Lindqvist</p><p>The purpose of this essay is to show that fluidity and solidity constitute a central tension on all levels in Housekeeping, and how this tension leads to a choice of either a fluid or a solid lifestyle and view of the world. I focus on fluidity and solidity in gender roles, in memories, in dreams, in nature, and in different perceptions of reality. By taking a closer look at Ruth’s first-person narration (seeing fluidity as not resisting deformation, while solidity resists deformation), we find that the characters in Housekeeping have fluid and solid traits, but that there is no reality that allows mixed manifestations of these. This results in repression of either fluidity or solidity, which creates tension and feelings of loss. Ruth chooses a fluid lifestyle, thus her memories and dreams become mixed with her present, and this also leads her to become a transient, outside gender roles and traditional small town society. Transience in this novel questions all distinctions conventionally made between dream and reality; male and female. In conclusion, this essay highlights how tension between fluidity and solidity is generated on all levels in Housekeeping, and how this leads to either fluid or solid lifestyles since the characters follow a cultural code that dictates a choice between them.</p>

Suzanne Collin’s trilogy The Hunger Games has become an international bestseller, and tells the story about Katniss Everdeen, a young citizen of District 12 in Panem. The object of this essay is to demonstrate that nurturing, being a warrior and pursuing beauty are the most idealized behaviors in The Hunger Games trilogy. By analyzing these behaviors from a gender perspective, based on the standpoint of Western society, I demonstrate how nurturing and pursuing beauty are feminine behaviors, and being a warrior is a masculine behavior. Furthermore, I outline how the characters’ behavior reflects their upbringings or the circumstances they are in. I conclude by considering what the popularity of Collins’s series indicates about contemporary perceptions of these behaviors, that are traditionally deemed as feminine or masculine in Western society. The result of the analysis indicates that the characters are being rewarded for both feminine and masculine behaviors. However, the characters showing a combination of both feminine and masculine traits gain more than the characters that possess either feminine or masculine qualities only. The contemporary views on femininity and masculinity are changing in Western society, and The Hunger Games trilogy gives us an indication about today’s view on the gendered behaviors in this essay.

The purpose with this study has been to study constructions of traditional gender norms and gender roles that appear during interactions between the children as well as between the children and the teachers in preschool. The study is based on two central questions, which are: How to construct and repeat traditional gender differences and stereotype expectations in the pedagogues' speech, actions and interactions with the children, as well as how to construct and repeat traditional gender differences and stereotype expectations in the children's speech, actions and interactions with each other. Observation is the main research method for this study. We have made observations in two different preschools. One is a municipal preschool located in an ethnically diverse area and the other is privately owned and located in a more ethnically homogeneous area. To analyze and get a deeper understanding of the collective material and the knowledge gathered from the observations, the socio-cultural perspective and the social constructivist perspective as well as central concepts around gender, masculinity and norms have been used. Previous research in this field has been used to put the study into perspective and discuss the results. The results of this study show that traditional gender differences are maintained and strengthened, but also counteracted and transformed in the interaction of children and teachers and in the interaction of children with each other at these two preschools. This happens in both children's and teachers' actions, ways to talk and use the language with different gendered words, but also in children's relation to the materials and environment in preschool. The results show it is more acceptable that girls tend to counteract and transform traditional gender differences than boys. The teachers counteract and transform traditional gender differences more with girls than with boys. The study shows that it is most often girls who counteract and transform traditional gender differences in preschool. The masculine is not always over the feminine in all situations. Hegemony and dominance are created in special situations. In some situations, the feminine is over the masculine. Role-playing is a situation that can be seen as a girls`arena, where the girls have the power and dominance over the boys.