Roy opens up the piece, Making
Societies, with a short anecdote about a baby born with ambiguous genitals
that were given up for adoption because the prospect of a child being normal without
gender seemed inconceivable. The distinction
between “gender” and “sex” is clearly differentiated to avoid confusion. “Sex” refers to one’s biological anatomy,
whereas “gender” is a social and historical construction with various traits
attributed to the particular groups. This
concrete difference is imperative for understanding gender roles in society,
where lay audiences often believe that sex determines dominance, a nurturing personality..etc. It has been challenging for society to
acknowledge gender as a historical construction because visible differences
between men and women are apparent.
However, both men and women dress to cover up genitals and there are
occasions when discerning someone’s sex is ambiguous. This leads into Roy’s questions: Why does sex
refer to one’s identity rather than other qualities? Why
are one’s genitals so important for socialization? In our current society, only male and female
genders (dichotomous) are seen as “normal”.
That is why gender is very much engrained into our social
behaviors. Girls are brought up to look
a particular way, play with certain toys, and behave in a way differently from
boys. Even at young ages, parents
reinforce that women are supposed to be “emotional, understanding, expressive, and
natural” and “masculinity mean being objective, rational, nonemotional, and
able to play a specific role without getting too wrapped up personally”. Although we can see it changing in society,
women are almost always perceived as better caregivers and men are seen as the
working leaders. This is evident when
women receive less pay than men for performing the same job.
I have experienced stereotypical
gender roles within my church setting.
In my life, I have always been encouraged to obtain an education and
strive to be on par with men. My church
friends; however, have alternative views and many of the girls’ goal in the
life is to marry a respectable church man, have babies, and work in the home
tending to both the husband’s and children’s every whim. I understand that this is strongly reinforced
in biblical contexts (Ephesians 5:22, “Wives submit yourselves to your own
husbands as you do the Lord”). The
religious aspects of gender roles are still very much prevalent in today’s
society; it is not only an idea of the past.
When I speak with some of my friends, they do not see anything oppressive
about this type of lifestyle. Yet, many
see it as the only option available..something that they are inevitably
destined to live. This reminds me of the
Clorox commercial that reinforces gender roles of women doing the housework as
opposed to men. It shows hundreds of
years of women doing the laundry, with only one or two men helping out. The second Clorox commercial proceeds a step
further having only women as the laundry detergent customers and the scientists
being 99% men. Even the test subject
dummy playing sports is obviously male according to his clothing. The advertisement placing
men in science and women in housework is the epitome of socially and
historically constructed gender roles.
I have included an AXE commercial
that shows the objectification of women, men’s dominance, and it a prime
example of “sex selling” with the phrase, “SPRAY MORE, GET MORE”.
The concept of “sex selling” is
seen everywhere in the media. Scantily
clad women are all over films, advertisements, and the music industry. They are seen as sexual objects and men are encouraged
to assert their sexual dominance over them. Is it possible for these views to change as women are obtaining more powerful positions in society?
I also found an interesting video from a TED talk that discusses gender roles
and how they are changing.
“Perhaps the most obvious characteristic of the Anglo-European category is that gender is dichotomous”, which leaves absolutely no room for babies born with genitalia of both sexes, or people who ‘choose’ to change their sexes 112. Gender also assigns us definite roles, depending on the society we live in, which sometimes begins to feel restrictive especially when one gender is more dominant than the other. I can relate to Kira’s explanation of some of her friends who are content and even look forward to their ‘housewife’ duties in their future. I do know a woman however who does not have much of a choice in practicing the medical degree she has attained. Instead, she is expected to find a husband and create a home for him. In this way, many expectations are ingrained into us that we feel obliged to feel, however most of the time people do not even question these expectations.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the Clorox commercial shows how normal it is for women to do the laundry. What is even more interesting to me is that all the dummies soiled in the lab are masculine. The women shake their heads in disbelief, almost in amazement how clumsy and dirty the males become. This reaffirms that women are clean, neat, but also that their stains are not as grungy as the males. The men or boys get dirt on their clothes, and the women clean it up. After all, who else is going to clean those dirty shirts, and soccer gear? The women are not there for their own benefit but rather to make sure, that in the real world their families— they already have themselves covered—are spick and span.
In addition to this, women are also objectified. As seen in the Axe commercial, scantily women are marketing tool and that becomes their only function in this commercial. They are to bear their bodies (because sex definitely sells) and yet they have nothing to do with the product being sold, (unless aggressively chasing after the male on the beach has become a survival goal). Objectification further cements that power dynamic between men and women, mainly because of the gender roles assigned to them.
The concept of Man vs. Women was long introduced to me before I even reached puberty in my home country of Ghana. Growing up I was taught to behave and dress a certain way because that was expected of me. A woman or female in my culture has the duties of cleaning the house, cooking for you husband, getting pregnant and taking care of the children. Basically they expect a female to be submissive toward her husband. I lived according to these rules and regulations but once I got into the United States, I started to find myself and I realized that I cannot live my life just performing the female role because that is expected of me. I do what I want to do and even do things that individuals of the opposite sex does. I refuse to be put into a category and have my actions laid out for me as though I have no right or choice. Man and Women, Male and Females are all the same excerpt some difference so society has no right to put me a "box" and expect some things from me. I am a person and will do what I please. But in these modern days roles have began to revise. I see more men on commercials doing female roles, such as changing diapers, cooking,etc. In a way I am proud that society has woken up and is changing.
ReplyDeleteKira asks, "why are one’s genitals so important for socialization" and the answer to that question is simple. Sex is one of the only biologically discernible categories that humans can use to classify one another. The science indicates that even beyond genitalia and hormones there are clear differences between males and females - particularly in brain chemistry. However, it is possible that these differences stem from socialization and not biology.
ReplyDeleteI have always supported gender equality, however, I am uncertain of where I stand on gender roles. I am sure a lot of people take issue with gendered roles like doing the laundry. I think that the Clorox commercial isn't as bad as we are making it out to be. In most households that I have encountered the wife does the laundry of the family - particularly the children. Even if the man does his own rarely will he do the laundry of his children. Put simply, Clorox is targeting it's advertising to the market who consumers their product. Women do most of the laundry as well as do most of the shopping for laundry detergent. In this way gender roles are self-perpetuating. Once they reach critical mass they can prove very difficult to stop.
One area where I believe third wave feminists have overstepped their boundaries is with regards to women in the domestic sphere. As with the church example above, some women simply make it their life goal to be a good wife and homemaker. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with that aspiration. However, many feminists criticize this lifestyle saying that these "complacent" women have been brainwashed and refuse to live up to their potential. Humans should be free to pursue their goals - be it climbing the corporate ladder or raising a family.
I really appreciate this blog post Kira! You made some great points. When you talked about your church friends and their ultimate goals in life being to marry, have children and live as a stay at home mom, Ephesians 5:22 immediately popped in my head, as well as a few others. After looking at a few other verses about being submissive, I came across this one: In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives (Peter 3:1-2). In their defense, this reveals that there is an immediate reward for doing so; it really might be what they were inevitably destined to do. And for some women, that’s enough. But for others, it is not.
ReplyDeleteI hope that even if gender roles are so engrained in our minds (people in society as a whole), we can realize that we as women still have a choice. If a woman truly wishes to be a submissive housewife, it should be because she WANTS it, not because it is SUPPOSED to be that way. I am with Millicent all the way, when she said “I cannot live my life just performing the female role because that is expected of me; I refuse to be put into a category and have my actions laid out for me as though I have no right or choice.”