The Construction of Gender

    

    After reading Judith Butler's article, Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory, I began thinking deeper into the idea of the social construction behind gender. Butler questions whether society has created the role of gender versus it being related to our natural bodies. Throughout this reading, I thought, to what extent is gender constructed?

    While taking this class, I have learned more about gender and how it is different from sex, and how the two came to play such an immense role in our every day lives. As I learn more and more about gender, I believe less and less about its necessity in our lives. Society has molded us to believe there are two genders, falling back on science to back up this idea. Meanwhile, according to The New York Times, “.. biologically speaking, there are many gradations running from female to male; along that spectrum lie at least five sexes -- perhaps even more. Medical investigators recognize the concept of the intersexual body.” With science disproving the existence of only two genders, it furthers my belief that gender is a creation of the society in which it exists. Butler agrees, stating "the body becomes its gender through a series of acts which are renewed, revised, and consolidated through time" (523). This idea that gender is something created by its population, is something I notice more and more every day. 

    I believe gender is a result of generations past and the stereotypes they imposed upon people in those times. In this article both Merleau-Ponty and Simone de Beauvoir agree that the body and the gender it is assigned are historic ideas, not natural species. When Beauvoir states that “one is not born, but rather becomes a woman”, it made me think about the implications that subside with being a woman in society (519). In present-day society, gender is not factual but instead based upon the actions a human expresses to the world. This can include how someone acts or dresses. For example, little girls have been expected for decades to grow up to be kind, welcoming, and subservient to men. Meanwhile, men are told they need to be strong, not show their emotions, and provide for their families. “Girls” are assigned the color pink, and given “girly” toys such as dolls and makeup. Concurrently, “boys” are given more “manly” toys, such as plastic guns and cars. 

    When reading this article, the one thing I thought about was the many aspects in which we would be better off if we didn’t assign certain tastes to a specific gender. For example, we often tell boys that being emotional is not allowed. Crying emasculates them and makes other men feel uncomfortable because expressing emotion is not prescribed to their social roles. Not so coincidentally, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has released information stating “In 2018, men died by suicide 3.56x more often than women. On average, there are 132 suicides per day.” Men are told they cannot express their emotions by society, resulting in the idea that suicide is their best option. Meanwhile, women have been told for centuries that they aren’t as “intelligent” as men, and can not successfully fulfill the same working positions in society as men can. While women and science have proved this idea to be untrue, women still continue making 82 cents to every dollar made by their male counterparts, for the same job. Our "two perfect genders" are suffering because of the predispositions imposed upon them by previous generations. It is our responsibility to change this. 

Bibliography: 

Fausto-sterling, Anne. “How Many Sexes Are There?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Mar. 1993, www.nytimes.com/1993/03/12/opinion/how-many-sexes-are-there.html.

“Suicide Statistics.” American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 29 July 2020, afsp.org/suicide-statistics/.