Sociolinguistic

Language and Gender:

INTRODUCTION

Since the dawn of civilization mankind was using a language in order to communicate and this is major way of distinguishing human being and animals. As language is a mode of communication, there are different words in every language for certain things and these words differ in their meaning.

The question that arises is, do gender have any difference in use of language? People always confuse in understanding the difference of sex and gender. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand and know how to differentiate sex and gender. The term gender itself is a very broad concept and it is difficult to separate sex and gender.

 According to (Eckert & McConell-Ginet, 2003) sex is a biological classification mainly based on reproductive potential and the social elaboration of biological sex is gender. Infect gender is the part of the image that creates and portray by teaching and learning behaviours from the social context.  This article is mainly focuses in the context of Maldivian on the research questions based on language and gender, centralizing on how certain qualities are referred more as a feature of men than woman or it is contrariwise.

METHOD

In this study as a primary source I took randomly five men and women in two different age group 20 – 29(1) and 30 – 39( 2). Some of them were highly educated and also are in responsible positions.

The data collection was carried out through a questionnaire and respondents were asked to identify their view based on gender qualities such as masculine, somewhat masculine, neutral, feminine or somewhat feminine features of chosen seventeen different qualities for the research. Respondents answer indicate how well each item describes them on the gender qualities. Number of respondent’s views are supposed to measure the respondent’s degree of gender based quality.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Throughout the years, the different ways of using languages by men and woman has been widely studied and discussed subject in sociolinguistic. Instead of discussing gender similarities, the differences like how they dress up, think, behave and speak are more often discussed. Gender roles creates people behaviours, way of living, perspectives and responsibilities in the culture and society (Holt & Eliss, 2008). Whereas individual’s roles are define as race, age and social class, and it also influences on behaviour of people and how they interact with one another. (Lindsey, 1994).

According to (Schmader, 2000) characteristics attribute to male or female is based on gender and it is determined by how they identify masculine and feminine characteristics. People may consider themselves “as more or less masculine or feminine” (West & Zimmerma, 1987) thus, this benchmarks influences on their attitudes towards stereotyped tasks.

In the past, people believed that man and woman have huge different in terms of language. Due to certain reasons this beliefs has been changing in times and now people understand that sex is not a reason of these differences. According to (Lupetow, Lori Garovich-Szabo, & Margaret, 2001) certain features like decisiveness, competitiveness, ambitious, more confident, assertive and strong personality are masculine qualities and it is more in men than woman.  On the other hand, women have more feminine features like gentle, sensitive, sympathetic, helpful, nurturing and affectionate. Masculine and feminine features are qualities that human being have and these two features are separates from one another. According to Pennell and Ogilvie (Pennell, 1995) the masculine roles are always related with greater power rather than Feminine roles.

Table: 1

	Male 20-30					Male- 30-40
QUALITIES	Masculine	Somewhat Masculine	Neutral	Somewhat Feminine	Feminine	Masculine	Somewhat Masculine	Neutral	Somewhat Feminine	Feminine
Willing to take risk	60%	20%	20%	0%	0%	80%	20%	0%	0%	0%
Loves Children	20%	60%	60%	0%	20%	0%	20%	80%	0%	0%
Has leadership abilities	60%	20%	20%	0%	0%	60%	20%	20%	0%	0%
Shy	0%	20%	40%	20%	20%	0%	0%	40%	20%	40%
Strong personality	20%	40%	40%	0%	0%	40%	20%	40%	0%	0%
Sensitive to the needs of others	40%	0%	40%	0%	20%	0%	40%	60%	0%	0%
Defends own beliefs	20%	20%	60%	0%	0%	0%	60%	40%	0%	0%
Gentle	20%	40%	20%	20%	0%	40%	20%	40%	0%	0%
Independent	80%	0%	20%	0%	0%	0%	40%	60%	0%	0%
Compassionate	20%	0%	20%	20%	40%	0%	20%	80%	0%	0%
Willing to Improvise	40%	60%	0%	0%	0%	20%	20%	60%	0%	0%
Affectionate	0%	0%	80%	0%	20%	0%	20%	20%	40%	20%
Aggressive	60%	20%	0%	0%	20%	0%	20%	80%	0%	0%
Sympathetic	20%	0%	60%	0%	20%	0%	0%	80%	20%	0%
Assertive	60%	20%	0%	20%	0%	20%	80%	0%	0%	0%
Understanding	20%	20%	40%	20%	0%	0%	0%	80%	20%	0%
Conscientious (Dutiful/responsible)	20%	40%	40%	0%	0%	20%	20%	60%	0%	0%

Table: 2

	Female 20-30					Female- 30-40
QUALITIES	Masculine	Somewhat Masculine	Neutral	Somewhat Feminine	Feminine	Masculine	Somewhat Masculine	Neutral	Somewhat Feminine	Feminine
Willing to take risk	0%	20%	80%	0%	0%	0%	0%	80%	20%	0%
Loves Children	0%	40%	60%	0%	0%	0%	0%	40%	40%	20%
Has leadership abilities	0%	0%	40%	40%	20%	0%	60%	40%	0%	0%
Shy	0%	20%	80%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	20%	80%
Strong personality	0%	0%	20%	20%	60%	20%	0%	60%	20%	0%
Sensitive to the needs of others	20%	0%	60%	20%	0%	0%	0%	0%	40%	60%
Defends own beliefs	0%	0%	40%	20%	40%	20%	40%	20%	20%	0%
Gentle	0%	40%	60%	0%	0%	0%	20%	0%	60%	20%
Independent	0%	20%	0%	40%	40%	0%	20%	80%	0%	0%
Compassionate	40%	40%	20%	0%	0%	0%	20%	40%	20%	20%
Willing to Improvise	0%	20%	40%	20%	20%	0%	0%	20%	80%	0%
Affectionate	0%	0%	20%	40%	40%	0%	20%	40%	20%	20%
Aggressive	40%	60%	0%	0%	0%	20%	20%	40%	20%	0%
Sympathetic	0%	0%	20%	60%	20%	0%	20%	0%	20%	60%
Assertive	0%	40%	60%	0%	0%	20%	20%	40%	20%	0%
Understanding	0%	0%	80%	20%	0%	20%	0%	80%	0%	0%
Conscientious (Dutiful/responsible)	0%	20%	60%	0%	20%	0%	40%	60%	0%	0%

This study shows a great change of masculine and feminine features among two female’s age group over the two generations. For example, in female age group 2 (Table: 2) consider that defending own beliefs as a masculine or somewhat masculine characteristic, no one in this group think of it as a feminine feature. On the other hand 40 percent from age group 1 indicate this as a feminine feature and another 40 percent think it as a neutral. The interesting thing is no one in this group thinks it as either masculine or feminine.  The observation leads on same trends on other features like leadership qualities, independent and strong personality such as in group 1, three respondent’s out of five believes strong personality as somewhat feminine feature and nearly forty percent thinks leadership qualities and independent too are somewhat feminine qualities. These significant changes are mainly shown in age group 1 than the age group 2, and it lead us in understanding of the Maldivian females from younger generation are adapting more masculine features than females from older generations.

However, sixty percent (3 out of five) male respondents at the age group 1 (Table: 1) says that the willingness to take risk is a Masculine feature and eighty percent (4 out of five) age group 2 agrees the same. Whereas eighty percent of females in both age group thinks that willing to take risk is neutral. The research indicates that most people agrees, both females and males equally possess qualities like being responsible, dutiful  loving children and understanding, this also shows that most Maldivian believes features like being shy, sympathetic  and gentle as more feminine characteristics. In both gender, most number of older group respondent’s, believes that being compassionate is a neutral quality. Nevertheless, almost in all age group has a contradiction on willingness of improvising quality. More males in younger generation think this feature is somewhat masculine and eighty percent of older females believes this as somewhat feminine. On other hand, most number of young females and older males refers this as a neutral quality. Similarly, there is somewhat difference regarding the assertiveness and affectionate.

In addition, this research shows that compare to Maldivian women more men are holding in traditional roles and it is eventually changing in younger generation. As (Burnet et al, 1995) mentioned, this study shows that, the individual respondents who possess more masculine features are much respected by other Maldivians. The position they belongs in certain fields and the educational background might be reasons behind it. Likewise, it shows a gradual difference in gender roles of younger generation in Maldives. It may be because of the exposure to world, educational opportunities, migration, increasing of working women, equal rights and many other more reasons.

Apart from the actual research, when same questionnaire was given randomly to some individuals from different ages (under 13, 13-19, and above 40) indicates that both gender in above 40 believes most features like willing to take risk, strong personality  and confidence  are either masculine or somewhat masculine features. Whereas almost all higher secondary students believes these characteristics are more neutral in this era. These students believes that gender difference should be eliminated in the society and they also think these days they have not seen any particular difference among women and men in any context. In addition these students (even boys, 3 out of five) justified by saying that the girls are much better language learners, also they agrees that girls are more courageous, straightforward, determined and mostly brave.

Furthermore, according to the educational level it shows a significant changes like post graduates and graduates in both gender consider most of these qualities as neutral while the less educated people’s point of views are different. They often choose these qualities as either feminine or masculine. Similarly same trend leads among junior secondary and higher secondary students.

Conclusion

The above study showed how the men and women in a modern society in Maldives determined the gender qualities. Based on the analysis of respondents and a language theorist (Butler, 1993) it can be considered that certain gender qualities are not born with human beings rather it is uprooted and adapted from the family, society and the culture they belong. These society and cultural believes influences on human nature, attitude, how they act and even their way of thinking.  

Gender role in the society are not always same, infect it keeps on changing according to the context and the activity, therefore the muscularity and femininity of a person is shaped, depending on the role and the activity they were assign with in  that particular time.

Even though this analysis shows a significant changes among Maldivians younger and elder generations view on sexism and gender roles, since this study is extremely small in compare to Maldivian population and as participants are not selected in different parts of the country, the findings on this study may not be very accurate.  Therefore, to find out a better result I strongly recommended to investigate and study this matter further on larger number of samples as there is much to learn about gender criticism in Maldives.

    

References

Eckert, P., & McConell-Ginet, S. (2003). Language and Gender. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Holt, C. L., & Eliss, J. B. (2008). Assessing the current validity of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. . Sex Roles, 39: :929-.

Lindsey, L. L. (1994). Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective 2nd ed. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ .

Lupetow, L., Lori Garovich-Szabo, & Margaret, B. (2001). Social Change and The Persistence of Sex Typing: 1974-1997. Social Forces, 80, 1-35.

Pennell, G. E. (1995). You and me as she and he: The meaning of gender-related concepts in other- and self-perception. Sex Roles, 36: 29-57.

Schmader, T. (2000). Gender identification mo derates stereotype threat effects on women’s math performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38,194-201.

West, C., & Zimmerma, D. (1987). Doing gender. Gender and Society, 1,125-151.