Final answer:
According to Kottak, gender roles are culturally assigned tasks and activities related to the sexes, learned through socialization and shaping societal expectations for behavior, responsibilities, and rights associated with males and females.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Kottak, gender roles refer to the tasks and activities a culture assigns to the sexes. Gender roles encompass a variety of societal expectations, including behaviors, relationships, responsibilities, and rights that are typically associated with males and females in any given culture. These roles are learned through the process of socialization, beginning from a very young age, and are deeply entrenched in societal values, beliefs, and attitudes.
For instance, societal norms may dictate that women predominantly fill roles in nurturing or care-related professions, whereas men may be more represented in professions associated with strength or dominance, such as law enforcement or the military. These expectations are reinforced by gender stereotyping, which often involves overgeneralizing the capabilities and interests of each gender, and can influence personal career choices and behaviors to align with these societal expectations, even if they do not necessarily reflect personal preferences.