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Masculinityandfemininityascategories
andconstructspresentineverydaylife
Anintroduction
Thesubjectofthismonographrelatestostereotypesofmasculinity
andfemininity.Itsaimisanattempttodescribethephenomenaofmas-
culinityandfemininityandtheroletheycanplayinselectedcontexts
ofeverydaylife.Bothmasculinityandfemininityareimportantbio-
logical,socialandculturalcategoriesandconstructs.Theypossessan
individualandcollectivemeaning.Inaself-perceptionprocess,women
andmendescribeanddefinethemselvesinacontextoffemininityand
masculinity.Womendesiretoperceivethemselvesas“feminine”,and
menas“masculine”.
Moreover,peopleperceiveothersinthecontextoffemininityand
masculinity.Parentsandteachers,partnersandspouses,superiorsand
subordinates,allofthemwanttoseegirlsandwomenas“feminine”
andboysandmenas“masculine”.Metaphoricallyspeaking,accord-
ingtoSandraBem,inmutualperceptionofourselvesandsurrounding
world,bothmenandwomenputon“genderlenses”.Infact,theentire
biological,psychologicalandsocio-culturalrealityissaturatedwithgen-
derelement.Humans,aswellasmostoflivingorganisms,possesssex.
Gendermanifestsitselfineachpersonasanimportantdimensionofthe
one’sownidentityasasubjectivebeliefabouttheirownfemininity
andmasculinity.
Femininityandmasculinityasimportantcategoriesarepresentin
oureverydaylife.Inourlanguageandsocialcognitionweusepseudo-
gendercategoriesnotonlyforhumansbutalsoforthings.Chocolates
andsweetsare“feminine”,steakandporkhockare“masculine”,vod-
kais“masculine”aswell,whereasliqueursare“feminine”.Handbags
are“feminine”,andmachinegunsare“masculine”.Activitieswhich
weperformarealsomarkedbygenderreference.Baby-sittingisper-