Masulinty and its depependance upon femininity

It is a widely accepted notion that social context and setting is very dependent upon gender. However, the converse is what appears to be true. Sex is biological and static, however gender is a social construct that is almost entirely dependent upon the social context in which it is placed. Contrary to what is often believed, gender is an idea that society constructs and students learn at a very early age. Once gender roles are learned, it can be incredibly damaging to act out of these roles because peer criticism as well as sheer belittlement will likely ensue. In Learning Silence by Peggy Orenstein, and Pascoe’s Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, this reality that gender is dependent upon social context is discussed. More specifically, male masculinity and its dependency on femininity, or in any case, a lack of masculinity.

Masculinity’s need for femininity has been a concept that I have witnessed in my own experiences; for example: gender-based spaces. I believe the most prominent example of this in my own life takes place in weight room here at UW-Whitewater. As a particularly male dominated space, it is very easy to feel intimidated. Most of the men present will either make girls who are also there for the same purpose as them feel as if they are in the way, or perhaps worse, they will be very intrusive and assume that their assistance is required. Both of these aspects are a factor in male masculinity’s need for femininity. For one, a feminine, female-identifying person such as myself partaking in the same activities that are often thought of as “manly” takes away the sacredness that such an activity only “belongs” to men. Moreover, my own independence as a woman, especially in a male-dominated z...

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...younger children. My aspirations are to be an elementary or middle school special education teacher and then a school psychologist, so I know how important it is for me to not compromise who I am or what I do to fit with the male gaze, so that I can set an example for the students I work with. Additionally, as a school psychologist, it seems likely that I will be counseling students who are struggling for an identity, or perhaps those who realize they don’t fit the body that they were born in, or even those who discover that they don’t identify with either of the binary genders. These students will need to understand that they exist for reasons far beyond reassuring the identity of someone else. This is a problem that needs to be addressed, and as teachers, we can do so by teaching our students to be comfortable with who they are, no matter who they choose to be.