Gender, among other aspects of social life, is identified differently between societies. Every society has a different view of gender identity and gender roles. Different societies have different views on what is right and what is wrong in their daily lives. These differences are clearer when societies/cultures are more diverse from each other. Different in terms of religion, beliefs, culture, values, etc. In this article we use North America and the Middle East to understand these differences. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Gender identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male or female (both or neither). This concept is intimately related to the concept of gender role, which is defined as the outward manifestation of personality that reflects gender identity. Gender identity, in almost all cases, is self-identified, as a result of a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic or environmental factors. Gender roles, on the other hand, manifest themselves within society through observable factors such as behavior and appearance. For example, if a person considers himself or herself to be male and feels more comfortable referring to his or her personal gender in masculine terms, then his or her gender identity is masculine. However, his gender role is only masculine if he demonstrates typically masculine characteristics in behavior, dress, and/or mannerisms. Gender role in society means the way we are expected to act, speak, dress, dress and behave based on our assigned sex. For example, girls and women are expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and polite. Men are generally expected to be strong, passive and bold. Every society, ethnic group, and culture has gender role expectations, but they can be very different from group to group. For example, North American culture has very different views on gender roles than that of the Middle East. Similarly, gender role expectations can also change over time in the same society. For example, in the United States pink was considered a masculine color while blue was considered feminine. Therefore, gender identity and roles vary from different parts of the world and the determining factor of this is religion. Religion forms the basis for any culture which then adopts cultural norms according to the religion. Gender roles around the world have changed throughout history. Gender roles in North American families have evolved from a traditional single-earner family in which the husband is responsible for the family income while the wife worked at home and cared for the children, to a dual-earner family in which both spouses work for generate income. While many people argue that it was a sexist structure, others believe that it is simply a division of labor or a social system in which a particular segment of the population performs one type of work and another segment performs another. Similar to North America before the mid-19th century, the Middle East still has social norms regarding gender identity and gender roles. Most families rely on a single income, usually from the husband, while women are expected to take care of the children and the home. But recently there has been a change in this ideology, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Women are given more freedom than before to be equal to men and work in their professional fields rather than at home. ArabiaSaudi recently granted women in the kingdom the right to drive, which is a huge stepping stone for women in the area. The ban on women driving was an internationally recognized symbol of unequal status. Along with the ability to drive came new rights and freedoms such as the ability to join the army, work in the intelligence services and attend sporting events and concerts. Religious elders are also pushing to introduce the non-compulsory wearing of Abaya (religious garment). Across the Middle East, countries have improved women's rights since the early 2000s. Practices such as "gender quotas," where parties are required to nominate a minimum percentage of women as candidates for office, are used to increase the representation of women in politics by enabling them to have a stronger voice in society and politics. Religion is a very important part of any culture. It is the building block of a society and the social norms that people follow. Religion, religious practices and beliefs in North America and the Middle East are very different from each other. While both religions may have given preference to a more patriarchal society (Christianity: man is created in the image of God), the main determinant of society and social norms is how people perceive the message of their religion. For example, in the 18th century, women in North America were believed to be the property of their husbands. Everything they earned belonged to their husbands and women were expected to be submissive to their husbands as they were seen as a source of sin (Eve). While in Islam, women are expected to cover themselves in front of men outside their family, which imposed difficulties when it came to working through which cultural norms prohibited women from working outside the home as it was a society dominated by men. The main reason why the ideology of equal rights for women arose in the Middle East much later than in North America is because the population of the Middle East is more traditionalist and religious than the North American population. People in the Middle East are traditionally more strict in practicing the Islamic religion. Although Islam itself does not deny women work, but as a restriction on the impossibility of interacting with men outside the family, it was easier for women to stay at home, which later led to them becoming part of the culture that became was inculcated in the people that women are not allowed to work outside. This shows that even though religion is a fundamental element of culture, culture still has a greater impact than religion when it comes to social norms. Whereas the population of North America is not that religious when it comes to religious traditions and practices or ideologies that have enabled cultural change allowing women to enter the workforce before the Middle East. For example, a poll conducted in 2009 by Gallup, Inc. stated that there is a huge difference between the percentage of the population of North America and the Middle East who believe religion is an important part of their daily lives. The data supports that for more religious countries, gaining equal rights for women has been more difficult due to the culture that a strong religious society creates where there is little or no room for flexibility in religious/cultural norms. Likewise, people in the Middle East face the same problem when it comes to gender identity and sexual preferences. The Koran tells the story of the people of Lut (prophet of the Islamic religion) who weredestroyed by the wrath of God because he engaged in lustful carnal acts between men. Since Muslims believe that the Quran is the word of God, mainly due to their inflexibility towards religious ideologies and also due to the fact that there is no central governing authority for the Islamic religion, people perceive the Quran in the way who understand it best. Only recently did the Muftis, a Muslim legal expert with the power to rule on religious matters, begin to investigate to study it more thoroughly and try to understand if the text is really against the LGBTQ community. A growing number of Islamic scholars, especially in the West, have begun to re-examine Islamic teachings on same-sex relationships and consider whether blanket condemnation of LGBTQ people is a misinterpretation. There are also growing opportunities for alternative solutions to meaningful worship and community. Many Islamic cultures have begun to accept transgender men and women. In fact, the idea of ​​a man or woman identifying as a member of the opposite sex is more likely to be accepted than that of a man or woman expressing sexual desire for someone of their own gender. However, the difference in acceptance of gender identity and gender role assignment depends strongly on religion, but even more so on culture. Culture strongly influences cultural norms and beliefs even when some of them may contradict religion. Although there are many differences between how the two cultures, North America and the Middle East, approach the notion of gender identity and gender roles. Although they have many differences, there are also some similarities between them. First of all, both cultures/societies are making a transition from a patriarchal society to an egalitarian society. Even though North America is far ahead of the Middle East in terms of gender roles/women's equality, it is still not where it should be. For example, a 2015 study suggested that corporate America has made almost no progress in improving the representation of women. Women are underrepresented at all levels, and women of color are the most underrepresented group of all, lagging behind white men, men of color, and white women. For this reason, women are also in the minority in leadership positions. Only about 1 in 5 women make it to the top, while others remain in lower positions throughout their careers. While many believe we have moved away from traditional ideologies of women as homemakers, there are women who are leaving work to focus on family. Even if women are allowed to work, there is a social and cultural awareness that, if necessary, women will leave work for the family rather than men. Likewise, women in the Middle East suffer from the same discrimination. The World Economic Forum estimates that the wage gap between men and women in the Middle East is between 20 and 40%. Women are unable to get promoted to higher positions due to the large number of male counterparts. These discriminations in both cultures are similar in that it seems that even though they have accepted that women have power, they still do not believe that they are equal to men. It is clear that there is still a cultural prejudice about who is best suited to work in the workforce and, if necessary, who should leave work and take care of/focus on family. Another similarity that the two cultures share is the transition of both cultures. they are transforming a patriarchal society into an egalitarian one. Even if we're not there yet.