The interviews that you completed in Week 3 pr

x. Have you traveled internationally, and what do you think about gender roles in cross-cultural settings?

Demographic Information of Interview Participants

Participant #1.

The first participant selected is a 25 years old male who belongs to a minority class in India. India is a country where people are divided into four categories, and they are being treated based on their class status. The participant belongs to Vaishyas, which ranks third in the class hierarchy. He is a 25 years old male but still fails to secure suitable employment because he is being judged based on his race/class and social status at the workplace. The participant belongs to the Hindu religion and worships several gods differently. His beliefs toward religion and its teachings were strong.

He was answering everything clearly without any difficulty and hesitation. The participant was contacted through call, and the interview was conducted on call without any fault or problem because the participant had decided the time. The purpose of the interview and his role has been explained to him to record his consent and to make him comfortable during the interview. The nature of the question asked during the interview was also made clear to him to make a clear decision about his participation. Disclosing this information to the participant was important because everyone could not answer gender-related questions easily.

Participant #2.

The second participant selected for the interview is a 41-year-old female who has remained an active employee at a famous business organization. She is from New York and racially and ethnically belongs to minorities. During the first talk with her, it was evident that she would respond actively in this interview because she had a lot to say. She is an African American but still competent and confident about his existence. She said there were a lot of challenges that confronted his way to being successful, but despite all obstacles, she became the woman of her dreams.

She belongs to a middle-class family, which was itself a challenge. Their parents' shortage of resources and limitations has taught her much about life. She wanted to share everything with me so that I could understand that Gender and race are some irreplaceable implications and hurdles in one's life. She is forty years old but still unmarried because, according to her, marriage also imposes limitations on one's identity and personality. This is why she prefers to stay single and pursue her goals in life.

The interview timing was decided with her, and the interview was conducted in a restaurant where I invited her for coffee. I've estimated that she's easy and open to asking anything about her personality, Gender, sex, race, class and ethnicity; that's why more provoking questions have been asked from her to collect information about gender and race impact personality. The purpose of the interview and her role have been explained to her to record consent and make her comfortable during the interview. She was happy after hearing the interview topic and said no one cares about these things in our lives, and we cannot expect anything from people around us.

Participant #3.

The third participant is a 56 years old male who belongs to the white race in America. He is the supervisor at a famous retail company and earns high wages and social benefits because of his employment position and racial/ethnic status. He is a nice human being as he cooperates to conduct an interview and tries his best to give accurate and logically acceptable answers to every question. He has been married and enjoying a happy married life for 25 years. As he belongs to an upper-class family thus, he has a lot of opportunities to explore, and there are no limitations that could restrict his activities and engagements.

The first talk with him on call implies a different impression about his personality, but when I met him for an interview, it was a nice experience. One apparent in his communication and body language was his feeling of superiority while talking about his Gender, racial, and ethnic status compared to his peers in the workplace and community. Although he was a nice man, his views about Gender and race were biased, and he considered people from minority races do not deserve equal respect and status. The purpose of the interview and his role has been explained to him to record his consent and to make him comfortable during the interview. After observing his attitude and perception toward racial and gender differences, it was necessary to disclose this information to him so that he could give honest answers to every question. However, he was feeling easy while talking about race and Gender, but still, it was necessary to disclose the purpose of the interview and what questions would be asked to make him mentally prepare for it.

Summary of Responses to Questions

Responses to questions differ because the three participants are from different age groups and cultural settings. Every participant answered questions honestly, observed by their expressions and body language during the interview. It was observed that each participant had faced gender discrimination and labelling in one or the other way. Responses by each of the three participants are summarized below;

Participant #1.

The interview with the first participant was conducted on a phone call, and the duration of the interview was two hours. The participant decided the time of the interview because he wanted to provide detailed answers to every question. He was a 25-year-old Indian male who had suffered a lot throughout his life because of social divisions in India. Upon asking the first question that fits well in his situation, does ethnicity affect your personality? He replied, a lot. In India, religion and race are minor factors that affect an individual, but ethnic identity is a significant factor that challenges the well-being of individuals. He further states that since childhood, we have experienced negative behaviors that help us perceive our position and status in society and affect overall personality development. He further adds that when you have defined limitations, and everyone makes you aware of those limitations before making any decision, this will limit your thinking and discourage making a significant change. Answer a second and third question about Gender and race; he responds that I don't think these two factors affect employment status because the male is the dominant gender identity in our society, and race is not the most significant factor. The only factor that affects my success in life is ethnicity. He says that this ethnicity discriminates against our access to opportunities and advantages at the workplace and in society. About the seventh question, do gender or sex identities create difficulties for you in any social institution? The answer was clearly no. in all the questions that probe about challenges posed by Gender, he said no, which means he is not facing discrimination and stereotypes because of gender identity but because of his minor social status. He is a male, and in India, males are dominant over females in all social settings. Males, whether from major or minor races, dominate in society, but this is an ethnicity that challenges the existence of males in the social world. Have you ever experienced harassment at the workplace? He responded yes, but the harassment was about to place me on a lower organizational level compared to my qualification and skills. He further adds that people lack experience and are less educated than him but are placed in respectable employment positions because they ethnically belong to the upper class and are considered respectful.

Throughout the interview, the participant's tone was clear, and he was active in answering all the questions. To answer every question, he used his religion as a reference that shows his association with religious teachings. He said their religion guides them to treat everyone equally, but these socially defined standards affect our lives negatively. Gender stereotypes around you affected your identity formation and self-esteem? He responds that gender stereotypes in our society challenge the growth and development of females because they are inferior and suffer under male dominance. He said, since childhood, we are raised as solid and resilient because we are males and do not fail in anything. This is what contributes to strengthening self-esteem and identity formation.

Participant #2.

A 41-year-old African American female was the second participant in the interview whose responses show how Gender and racial stereotypes challenge the existence of an individual in society. The interview duration with her was two and half hours at a nearby restaurant. The participant decided on the interview timing to give ample time to this interview because she had a lot to say about her experiences. In response to the first two questions about race and ethnicity, she replied that race and ethnicity are two critical factors that make or break one's future. She is from New York, and referring to her state; she is talking about the status of racially and ethnically minor people. She argues that she has experienced racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes since childhood that shaped her personality and identity. In response to the question, Do your parents guide you about socially defined gender roles or did you grow up neutrally? She replied yes. She further adds that she belongs to a middle-class family and her parents told her everything about gender roles and gender placements in our society. My mother guides me about the socially defined roles of males and females. She used to tell me that my passion for becoming an independent girl is not acceptable by society because here, females are supposed to stay at home and males go out to work. She said these instructions from parents and then the practical experience of gender roles and gender discrimination in society affected my personality and identity formation. But I didn't give up, she added. Have you ever experienced harassment at the workplace? Two times, she replied. According to the participant, she left his previous workplace because of an incompetent work environment and the discriminatory behaviour of management. Upon further asking, she revealed that she didn't face harassment but inequality at her current workplace. She added that as she is unmarried and manages her expenses, she is doing a job on lower wages and bearing work pressure without asking anything from the management. In answer to the last question, she replied she didn't travel to cross-cultural settings; therefore, she won't have any idea about gender roles.

Answers of this participant were detailed and authentic, which discloses the strictness of gender roles in our society and their effect on individual personalities and behaviors. The participant's body language said a lot about her experiences and the severeness of those experiences. While telling about her workplace and harassment experiences, she shivered and sweated, which shows how bad those experiences were and impacted her personality.

Participant #3.

A 56-year-old white American was the third participant in the interview. The interview duration of the third interview was one and a half hours. The participant decided the timing of the interview because of his busy routine; she managed to meet on Sunday. He responded to every question clearly and comfortably, and in the end, he remarked that he had a good experience with me. All the interview questions listed above ask something about ethnicity, Race or Gender. As he was a white American, we estimate that white Americans did not face such discrimination and stereotypes. It was interesting to ask those questions, and instead of saying no, he directly targets black Americans and says they are here to experience these discriminations. He adds that since childhood, our parents have taught us to stay independent and rule the rest of the people around us. About socially defined gender roles, he states that I believe these roles are justified, and both males and females should accept this distribution to keep the system stable and working. Upon asking the last question, he replied that I believe across the world, everyone is following the same gender role model. Still, countries, where advancement is hitting, are engaging females in office work, which will disturb the social system. The participant's body language was consistent and confident throughout the interview, which showed his superiority and a higher level of self-esteem.

All three interviews were conducted smoothly, and no significant issues happened. To avoid complications during interviews, the consent of participants has been collected to carry out interviews without any interference and delays.

Comparison and Connections

After collecting the responses of all the three participants, I compared those responses with mine to check the universality of perceptions and experiences. It was previously predicted that gender roles are the same in every society. Everyone believes that both males and females should stay active in their roles to avoid system disturbance. But the answers of participants 1 & 3 match my answers, while participant 2 differs in her perception of socially defined gender roles. She said, in our society, females are expected to follow their roles while males are the exception strictly. Apart from this, all the answers, matches and predictions come true. Gender roles, race and ethnicity are aspects that are being used to mistreat individuals in society. These aspects play a crucial role in defining the destination of individuals in society.

From this assignment, I’ve explored more about Gender, race, harassment, equality and ethnicity. These terminologies are essential in our lives, and the majority of people across the world are bearing the burden of these terminologies. Before this assignment, I wasn't aware of the importance of these concepts to understand and explore. I believe that analyzing these concepts would help look for solutions, and these problems would be solved. Gender discrimination, stereotypes, and harassment restrict equal growth opportunities for everyone, disturbing social peace and stability. We had theories and concepts in this class that addressed one or the other side of this issue.

Further research on these theories would help me understand more about Gender and its role in making or breaking individual personalities and identity formation. From this assignment, and after conducting a meeting with three participants, I've learned that all these terminologies are perceived differently, and everyone experiences them differently. It broadens my understanding and makes me curious to look for more about the course and concepts.