AlGhanim1

FahadAlGhanim
Professor.CorriDitch
SIEnglish113A
6December2015
GenderConstructioninWesternSociety
Themajorityofpeopledonotunderstandthedifferencebetweenthedefinitionsof
genderandsex.Sexisbiologicalanddependentonchromosomes.Butgender,like
culture,asJudithLorberstates,isahumanproductionthatdependsoneveryone
constantly(19).Evenyoungchildrenseemtohaveimpressionsaboutgender,butAaron
Devorassertstheyonlygraduallycometounderstandthemeaningofgenderinthesame
wayastheadultsoftheirsocietydo(36).BothLorbersNighttoHisDay:TheSocial
ConstructionofGender,andDevorsBecomingMembersofSociety:TheSocial
MeaningsofGenderexplainindetailtheproblemswithinwesternsocietiesregarding
gender.Lorberdiscussesgenderrolesasasociallyconstructednorm;Devoragreesbut
acknowledgesparentalmessagingasjustasstronganinfluenceongenderidentity.
SexandgenderaretwodifferentconceptsLorberandDevorconcurthattheyare
related,thatanatomyplaysapartingenderconstructionbutisnotthedeterminingfactor.
Devorpointsoutthatyoungschoolagechildrenseemtohavethemostflexibleviewson
sexandgender.Hecitesastudyinwhichkidswereaskedtoidentifythegendersof
anatomicallycorrectdolls.Eightythreepercentofthemreliedmoreonfeatureslike
clothingstyleandhairlengthforgenderidentification,ratherthanthedollssex
characteristics(37).Babiesareassignedasexatbirth,andthenmostparentsdressthem

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upaccordinglyineitherblueorpink.Asexcategorybecomesagenderstatusthrough
naming,dress,andtheuseofothergendermarkers(Lorber20);however,thereisnon
conformitywithinthesocialsystem.
Gendernonconformistsdressandbehavedifferentlythanexpectedbecausethey
feeltheirbiologicalsexmaynotmatchupwiththesociallyacceptedgendergrouping.
Inwesternculture,childrenbornmalearegroupedintoamasculinegender;littlegirlsare
groupedinwiththefeminine.Tosomedegree,kidsabsorbthesekindofsocietalvalues
automaticallyandstarttosettleintoagenderedsenseofselfasearlyaseighteen
months(Devor35).Bytheageoftwo,childrenusuallyunderstandthattheyare
membersofagendergroupingandcancorrectlyidentifyothermembersintheir
gender[but]generally,itisnotuntilchildrenarefivetosevenyearsoldthatthey
becomeconvincedthattheyarepermanentmembersoftheirgendergrouping(Devor
3536).Thisisthestageatwhichchildrenmaybeginvoluntarilyoptingoutofthat
grouping,orbecomingawarethattheydonotfitin.Theimportanceofayoungpersons
identificationwiththeiruniquegendercannotbeunderstated,asthisperiodleadingto
youngadulthoodisahighlyaninfluentialtime;Genderidentityisoneofthemost
centralportionsof[their]developingsenseofself(Devor38).Lorberexplainsgender
identitiesthatdonotconformtosociallyconstructednormsindetail.Widelyaccepted
gendersinwesternsocietyaremasculineandfeminine,butthisdoesnotdependon
thesexwithwhichonewasborn.Apersonmaychoosetorejecttheirgendergrouping
andbecomeeithertransvestite(apersonwhodressesinoppositegenderclothes)[or]
transsexual(apersonwhohassexchangesurgery)(20).Suchindividualsunderstand

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thatappearancesmatterandmakeconsciouschoicesinregardstohowtheydress,speak,
andwalk,dependingonhowtheywantotherstoperceivethem.
ThisisaconceptIwasnotfamiliarwithwhenImovedtotheUnitedStatessix
monthsagofromKuwait,whereIwasbornandraised.Inmyhomecountry,thereexists
agenderbinary,astandardofmaleandfemalebywhicheverypersonisjudged.Wedo
nothavethechoiceofgoingoutsidethetraditionalgenderidentitiesofourIslamic
society.Therefore,Iwasnotexposedtotheideasoftransvestismortranssexualismuntil
movingwest.ItwasquiteashockwhenonHalloweenIsawagroupofmenandwomen
whohadswappedclothing.Iwasconfusedwhyanyonewoulddothisbutfiguredthey
werejustbadcostumes.ItdoesnotmakesensetomeasaKuwaitimanwhyanyone
wouldmakethischoicepermanently,todress,behaveoractliketheoppositegenderor
sex.EventhoughIacceptthewayotherpeoplewanttolive,itissuchadifferentwayof
thinkingthanthewayIwasraisedthatitwilltaketimeformetogetusedto.

Idoacknowledgethatinmynativecountry,gendernonconformistsarelooked

downuponandjudgedaslessrespectablethanthosewhofitin,andevenwithinthe
sexualduality,womenareconsideredsecondarytomen.Thisisbecauseofaninherently
androcentric,orpatriarchalculture(Devor40).AccordingtobothLorberandDevor,
genderinequalityisanhistoricalfactandhaslegitimatesocialfunctions.Although
AmericanthinkingaroundthismaybeaheadoftheMiddleEasts,Lorbercontendsthat
thesocialorderasweknowitinwesternsocietiesis[still]organizedaroundracial
ethnic,class,andgenderinequality(30).Womencertainlyhavemorerightsandliberties
thantheyusedto,butitisundeniablethatmaleshavemoresocialpower.Devorexpands

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onthisfactwithempiricaldata:researchshowsthatdominantpersonsofeithergender
tendtouseinfluencetacticsandverbalstylesusuallyassociatedwithmenand
masculinity,whilesubordinatepersonsofeithergendertendtousethoseconsideredtobe
provenanceofmen(39).HillaryClinton,forexample,isinherpositionasthefirst
femaledemocraticpresidentialcandidatebecauseofhermasculine(stronger,ormore
dominant)attributes.Inotherwords,shecanholdcourtwithmenbybehavinglikethem.
Butsheiscriticizedforherlackoffemininity;peoplesometimescalledevenciteher
butchormanlyqualitiesasreasonsagainstvotingforher.
Childrenpickupongenderedsocialactsfromthepeoplearoundthem,andDevor
pointsoutthatfirstamongthemistheprimarycaregiver(s);thus,parentingstylehasa
strongeffect.Thebodypostures,physicalgestures,attitudes,dressandspeechpatternsof
influentialadultsareoftenmimickedbykids(Devor4142).Inahistoricallypatriarchal
society,menarethebreadwinnersandwomenarethechildbearersandhomemakers.
Thefeministmovementprovedthatbothmenandwomenarecapableofthesametasks,
though(Devor40;Lorber26).AsLorberhighlights,genderedroleschangetoday
fathersaretakingcareoflittlechildren,girls,andboysarewearingunisexclothingand
gettingthesameeducation,womenandmenareworkingatthesamejobs(21).She
assertsthatgenderlinesseemtoblurringbetweenthemasculineandthefeminine,
perhapsproducingmoregenderflexibility.Thiscanbereinforced,arguesDevor,with
goodparenting.
Genderisdependentontheprimarysocialmessagesindividualsabsorbfromday
oneoflife,saysDevorandLorber.Althoughgenderdefinitionsmaybefixedina

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dualisticsystem,therearemorecrossoversbetweenthem.However,wearealongway
frombeinggenderless,orinventinganewway.Lorbermentionsthatsomesocietieshave
athirdgender(inadditiontomenandwomen),calledbedrachesorhijrasorxaniths,
whoarebothmaleandfemale(22).Thatwouldtakesomeseriousgettingusedto.

WorksCited
Devor,Aaron."BecomingMembersofSociety:TheSocialMeaningofGender."2014.
ComposingGender:ABedfordSpotlightReader.ByRachelGronerandJohnF.
O'Hara.Boston:Bedford/St.Martin's,2014.3544.Print.
Lorber,Judith.""NighttoHisDay":TheSocialConstructionofGender."2014.
ComposingGender:ABedfordSpotlightReader.ByRachelGronerandJohnF.
O'Hara.Boston:Bedford/St.Martin's,2014.1934.Print.