Masculinity and femininity are cultural products, so they are neither natural nor fundamental. However, men and women have different characteristics and qualities in terms of language speaking, and the difference is manifested by the list of vocabular...
Masculinity and femininity are cultural products, so they are neither natural nor fundamental. However, men and women have different characteristics and qualities in terms of language speaking, and the difference is manifested by the list of vocabulary associated with masculinity/femininity. This study analyzed examples of such vocabulary sampled from corpuses and classified them according to frequency for each object of description, and found imbalance in the distribution of vocabulary associated with masculinity and femininity. That is, in vocabulary associated with masculinity men held an absolute or competitive advantage, but in vocabulary associated with femininity, not only women but also various objects including men, neutral persons and materials held an advantage. That is, compared to masculinity-related vocabulary, femininity-related vocabulary emphasized 'gender' less.
This characteristic of vocabulary associated with femininity appeared also in the analysis of gender based difference in the meaning of word pairs. With regard to masculinity, men’s image marked with physical conditions such as height, physique and frame was described, and this image agreed with the masculine image in the early industrial society. This shows that vocabulary associated with masculinity reflects the masculine image settled as a fixed idea regardless of contemporary social changes. On the contrary, vocabulary associated with femininity revealed markedly the feminine image characterized by emphasis on outward appearance and immaturity. It described a woman as one who has to care about outward appearance in a passive attitude of waiting for being loved rather than loving actively.
In conclusion, examining the correlation between the meanings of vocabulary associated with masculinity and femininity and the distribution of the vocabulary according to gender, we found that the pragmatic meanings of the vocabulary were similar to the characteristics of men and women observed under traditional male dominant ideology. This shows that it is nothing but an ideal to think that people may have masculine or feminine qualities according to their need regardless of their biological sex, and that it is necessary to assume the attitude of practicing various implications about surrounding femininity and masculinity in daily life.