Understanding Gender in Everyday Life: Key Findings from Modern Sociology
Author(s): Dr. Ashu Ram
Publication #: 2507036
Date of Publication: 22.07.2025
Country: India
Pages: 1-8
Published In: Volume 11 Issue 4 July-2025
Abstract
This article considers the operation of gender in the ordinary routines of social life, drawing on contemporary sociological theory as well as recent empirical findings. It argues that, while many long standing gender norms remain stubbornly intact, there is, albeit uneven, movement toward greater equity. The discussion foregrounds the notion that gender is socially constructed, enacted, and continually reinforced through everyday practices ranging from household labour and workplace conduct to more subtle forms of public interaction. Special attention is devoted to the Indian context, where rapid economic modernisation coexists with deeply embedded patriarchal logics. Using, inter alia, data from the most recent American Time Use Survey and a broad international literature, the paper illustrates how divisions of domestic labour, wage disparities, and tacit behavioural expectations are reproduced, often without conscious intent. Intersectionality is adopted as a central analytic lens, enabling an exploration of how gender intersects with class, caste, and race to shape lived experience, particularly for those occupying multiply marginalised positions. A dedicated section examines the expanding visibility of gender diversity and the everyday challenges faced by transgender and non binary persons. Although legal reform, shifting cultural attitudes, and youth led social movements point to measurable progress, the paper concludes that substantive change will depend upon sustained attention to the micro social routines through which inequality is normalised. By mapping these quotidian patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how daily practices either perpetuate or contest gender hierarchy.
Keywords:  Gender; everyday life; social construction; gender roles; India; intersectionality; time use studies; gender equality; contemporary sociology; gender norms.
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