How do gender roles affect expression of emotions? It is not new that gender roles have played a major role in curbing the freedom of expression around the world. Gender roles have caused people to act, behave, and even express emotions in a particular way, and not doing so results in people being ridiculed and […]
How do gender roles affect expression of emotions?
It is not new that gender roles have played a major role in curbing the freedom of expression around the world. Gender roles have caused people to act, behave, and even express emotions in a particular way, and not doing so results in people being ridiculed and bullied.
In general, women are observed to be more expressive, while men tend to suppress their emotions, because of the gender norm that states that men should be tough. During stressful situations, women are able to express themselves and vent their feelings easily, while men tend to indulge in aggressive behaviour and substance abuse to cope with the unexpressed emotional turmoil that they feel inside.
Furthermore, it is acceptable for men to express their sexual emotions, whereas women doing the same are looked down upon, along with being shamed for the act. Likewise, gender roles discourage women from showing emotions of aggression, anger, and boldness which seem to be reserved exclusively for men. Though studies show that biological factors play a role in how men and women process and express emotions differently (which results in behavioral differences), that does not affect how they feel the various emotions.
The impact of gender roles is so deep that men bear the onus of the same in terms of mental and physical health. Since men are conditioned to be tough and independent, it prevents them from asking for help if they feel depressed or suicidal. This is reflected by world statistics that say that it is men who are more likely to commit suicide when compared to women. When it comes to physical health, men tend to have higher cortisol and blood pressure levels in emotionally stressing situations, which can again be traced back to gender roles that specify that men should behave in a particular way.
To conclude, it can be said that societal factors, cultural values, and gender roles play a major role in the way the genders are raised to feel and behave, and people find it easier to express emotions in the way they are expected to. Since the ideas are instilled from a very young age, even as the children grow, the gender roles set in deeply and affect the way people express emotions.
