P2 Question from Student: Stereotype vs Social Construction

Image via Wikipedia

A student sent me an excellent question:

I am doing my power point on masculinity and discovered that our book doesn’t give a clear definition of masculinity.  Our book does give society’s opinions about it, which is what I have been basing my explanation of the photos on.

I don’t however want to be stereotypical.  So, I guess I am having trouble explaining why a certain picture is masculine without stereotyping the man or boy in it.
Example: I show a picture of a boy playing with a toy that looks like a piece of construction equipment.  I point out that the boy is wearing blue, and that the toy is geared to a boy because it is also blue and that the majority of construction workers today are men.
Example: I also show a man teaching his grandson how to throw a football.  I explain that by teaching him football, (a male sport) he is demonstrating masculinity.  I also say that because he is fathering the boy he is demonstrating masculine traits as well.

My answer:

There’s a very fine line between a stereotype and a social construction.

A stereotype is based on an assumption about the nature of that group (men/women, working class, etc).

Examples would be: Men are physical; working class people are lazy (like the teenager in the video on Monday who called his mother “lazy” when she walks 10 miles to get to work!), etc.

A social construction is an image that is promoted by society, and might be based on some observable situation (social fact).  It does not claim that the thing observed is due to the nature of the group.

The agents of socialization are the people who pass along the social construction. The old fashioned picture on this page, taken from an old magazine, shows that men should be confident and strong, while women will be timid and in need of coaxing to try something as adventurous as swimming. The magazine is part of the media, one of the agents of socialization.

(Image of man teaching grandson to play football):
Stereotype: Men are strong and physical, so they play sports.
Sociological: Sports are traditionally associated with men and their greater musculature, so family members are more likely to make sure a young boy knows how to play sports than they are a young girl.

(Image of boy playing with construction equipment):
Stereotype: Boys have a natural fascination with equipment, especially big earth moving equipment. Therefore this is a boy’s toy.
Sociological: Construction work is a predominantly male field, and it is associated with men because of their greater height and physical strength. Young boys are given toys that prepare them for the kind of role society expects them to play, as seen by this young boy playing with a model earth-mover.