West and Zimmerman’s ‘Doing Gender’ article begins to suggest gender as being a performance rather than a social role or characteristic. We are said to perform our encultured norms and values of everyday life, these then give us the notion of masculine and feminine behaviour, which then produces ‘gender’. The ‘doing’ (performance) of gender supports the social frameworks of our society, installing also the divide between what it means to be male and what it means to be female. Whilst leading people to believe that this division is a natural occurrence.
This article aims to break down the traditional and stereotypical perceptions of gender. As these supposed differences which are placed upon us, are extremely damaging to our psychological
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as well as social wellbeing. West and Zimmerman's key supporting point to this given argument is ‘Doing gender involves a complex of socially guided perceptual, interactional, and micropolitical activities that cast particular pursuits as expressions of masculine and feminine "natures" (p. 126) this completely falsifies our learned perspective of ‘gender’ as being naturally occurring. It identifies the difference between the socially constructed ‘gender’ and the biologically assigned ‘sex’. A prime example of this was West and Zimmerman’s inclusion of Garfinkel's case study of Agnes (1967), ‘a transsexual raised as a boy who adopted a female identity at age 17 and underwent a sex reassignment operation several years later, demonstrates how gender is created through interaction and at the same time structures interaction’ (p. 131). Prior to her reassignment surgery, Agnes encountered the following challenges; passing the psychiatric assessment assuring she was female and live as a woman whilst concealing the fact she was actually biologically male. All the while we insist on labelling people as biologically male or female, we presuppose their adoption of the associated gendered behaviours. This essentially makes gender as predetermined by sex (Butler, 1999). In order to breakdown and understand Agnes’s case study, West and Zimmerman analyzed the contrast between sex, sex category and gender.
The doctors initial assignment of sex to a newborn is by anatomical possession of male or female genitalia. Sex categorisation follows in the exhibit of socially constructed identities to sex such as clothing, from the moment the newborn is assigned as being biologically male it is then reasserted by dressing the baby in blue clothing a hegemonic notion of masculinity. Gender stems from sex category and its relationship with it, living up to the conventions of your sex category - with the the accomplishment of what is taken to be one’s “natural” or “essential” nature (Goffman, 1977).
We are fed an assigned ideal to achieve, once achieved we are given a sense of belonging to our assigned gender. Shifting hegemonic notions of masculinity and femininity from natural and essential to interactional social attributes of society. West and Zimmerman argue that, as accountability features within social relationships, the achievement of gender is at one time interactional and institutional. Therefore, however challenging it may be, gender is subject to social
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change. West and Zimmerman give a sociological explanation of gender, one that depends upon the codes and conventions that govern everyday life. The act of ‘doing gender’ means to perform a set of social ideals and mannerisms which reflect the defining characteristics of that gender. A common expectation of a woman is simply to ‘act like a woman’ i.e. polite and caring. If I was to start publicly swearing and shouting it is likely to gain a more adverse reaction than if a man was to inhibit these behaviours, as it is a behaviour commonly associated as masculine anyway so it does not deviate from social norms and conventions. ‘Doing gender’ is something that is done overtime, constantly continuing and evolving, all whilst giving off the illusion of being innate to us. ‘One is not born a woman; but, rather becomes one’ (Beauvoir, 1953) gender is constructed. ‘Doing gender’ is only complicated further when it comes down to its interactions with sexuality. Butler coined a theory she labelled the ‘sex, gender, desire continuum’ (Butler, 1999) which suggests that we live in a society of heteronormativity. We are normalised through repeated representations of heterosexuality. Through heteronormativity we encounter regular interactions with male/female relationships e.g. movies. The appearance of heterosexuality is produced through emphatic and unambiguous indicators of one's sex, layered on in ever more conclusive fashion (Blythe, 1983 p.24). If a person wants to identify as a heterosexual woman they are to enact it, wearing feminine clothing such as dresses and acting ‘ladylike’ with polite mannerisms. These stereotypical depictions we place on gender then greatly influence on sexuality. If a woman was to wear masculine type clothing and act ‘unladylike’ then she is presumed be identifying herself as homosexual. In conclusion, ‘Doing gender’ in a sense is acting in a way which promotes assignment to one of the sex categories.
West and Zimmerman’s article is quite a heavy read, but I found it really interesting and a huge theoretical advancement within queer theory and general social science. However, it did lack an ideal method to be able to study the experience of ‘doing gender’ ‘it can be isolated and described by relatively straightforward sociological observation and informant self-report’ (Kitzinger 2008, 94). Nonetheless, its breakdown of ‘doing gender’ was admirable. It is a socially acquired practice, therefore it is actually impossible to avoid ‘doing gender’. We are given our assigned biological sex, our sex category is then enforced on us and is viewed as being ‘essential’, we can rebel against social expectations of gender, but we can never avoid ‘doing
gender’.
Aaron Devor’s essay “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender” describes how despite popular belief, gender and sex are not directly related and how social norms affect individual’s choice of gender. Devor‘s main argument is that gender is not determined by genitalia, but instead by the individual's own choices. Michael Kimmel’s essay “Masculinity as Homophobia” claims that gender equality is a positive thing for males and that social norms force men to act a certain way. Kimmel’s main argument is that men are always having to protect their masculinity in order to prevent themselves from appearing weak. Both authors present compelling arguments for both gender equality and for how social norms influence individuals’ gender choice. However, the two authors approach the same topic in different ways. Kimmel takes a more laid-back approach to the topic by using simple words and a conversational tone that relates to the casual gender sociologist. Devor writes a more sophisticated essay using complex terms and a more formal tone that relates to the serious sociologist that research gender studies.
In Devor’s article, “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the social Meanings of Gender” one can better understand how society has a big impact on how gender is perceived. Understanding
Judith Butler’s concept of gender being performative focuses on how it creates a sequence of effect or impression. Human have a consistent way of talking about their gender as if it were something that is simply a fact. People go about their lives following patterns that are interconnected with their male or female appearance. They get very settled in the expected behaviors and common attributes of male or female, without recognizing that gender is a social construction. It is difficult to wrap your head around the idea that gender is always changing and being reproduced because it is conversation that often goes unnoticed. Butler realizes that it will be a struggle to get people to grasp the idea that nobody actually is their gender and that
In this article, Shaw and Lee describe how the action of labels on being “feminine” or “masculine” affect society. Shaw and Lee describe how gender is, “the social organization of sexual difference” (124). In biology gender is what sex a person is and in culture gender is how a person should act and portray themselves. They mention how gender is what we were taught to do in our daily lives from a young age so that it can become natural(Shaw, Lee 126). They speak on the process of gender socialization that teaches us how to act and think in accordance to what sex a person is. Shaw and Lee state that many people identify themselves as being transgendered, which involves a person, “resisting the social construction of gender into two distinct, categories, masculinity and femininity and working to break down these constraining and polarized categories” ( 129). They write about how in mainstream America masculinity and femininity are described with the masculine trait being the more dominant of the two. They define how this contributes to putting a higher value of one gender over the other gender called gender ranking (Shaw, Lee 137). They also speak about how in order for femininity to be viewed that other systems of inequality also need to be looked at first(Shaw,Lee 139).
As Lorber explores in her essay “Night to His Day”: The Social Construction of Gender, “most people find it hard to believe that gender is constantly created and re-created out of human interaction, out of social life, and is the texture and order of that social life” (Lorber 1). This article was very intriguing because I thought of my gender as my sex but they are not the same. Lorber has tried to prove that gender has a different meaning that what is usually perceived of through ordinary connotation. Gender is the “role” we are given, or the role we give to ourselves. Throughout the article it is obvious that we are to act appropriately according to the norms and society has power over us to make us conform. As a member of a gender an individual is pushed to conform to social expectations of his/her group.
In their publication, “Doing Gender, ” Candance West and Don H. Zimmerman put forward their theory of gender as an accomplishment; through, the daily social interactions of a man or woman which categorize them as either masculine or feminine. From a sociological perspective the hetero-normative categories of just sex as biological and gender as socially constructed, are blurred as a middle ground is embedded into these fundamental roots of nature or nurture.To further their ideology West and Zimmerman also draw upon an ethnomethodological case study of a transsexual person to show the embodiment of sex category and gender as learned behaviours which are socially constructed.Therefore, the focus of this essay will analyze three ideas: sex, sex
Gender, in society today, is clarified as either being male which embodies traits of masculinity or on the other hand being female embodying traits of femininity. However the embodiment of these traits are just actions, decisions, or expressions rather than sexual anatomical features we are born and constrained by. Gender depictions are less a consequence of our "essential sexual natures" than interactional portrayals of what we would like to convey about sexual natures, using conventionalized gestures. (West, Zimmerman p.130) This excerpt reinforces the idea that society should view gender not as a absolute but rather a work in progress during your day to day routine. This capability to accept that gender is something you do rather than something that is leads opens up the tolerance to realize the implications that traditional gender views have impacted
Gender is a performance according to Judith Butler . All bodies, she claims, are gendered from birth; sometimes even earlier now we can determine sex in the womb . For Butler society dictates ones gender and the individual reinforces that gender through performance . “The deeds make the doer” in Butler’s words; there is no subject prior to performance. Butler’s concept of gender, however, leads us to question: what of those who are incapable of performing the gender ascribed to them? If one is unable to perform are they left genderless, lacking subjectivity and social identity? If no human is without gender , as Butler claims, then where does this leave her theory? Either gender is more than simply performance or one can exist without gender.
All around the world society has created an ideological perspective for the basis of gender roles. Gender and sex are often times misused and believed to be interchangeable. This is not the case. There are two broad generalization of sexes; female and male, yet there is a vast number of gender roles that each sex should more or less abide by. The routinely cycle of socially acceptable behaviors and practices is what forms the framework of femininity and masculinity. The assigned sex categories given at birth have little to do with the roles that a person takes on. Biological differences within females and males should not be used to construe stereotypes or discriminate within different groups. Social variables such as playing with dolls or
When expecting parents want to identify the sex of their child, occasionally the doctor will inform them to paint the nursery blue or pink rather than tell them the actual sex. More often than not they know which to expect, a boy or a girl, dependent on the color, and how to stock the nursery, with trucks or dolls, why is it that children are separated according to gender, and so early in life too? Sex is a reflection of biological organs, while gender is a state of mind. The concept of gender is so deeply rooted in society it becomes difficult to pinpoint its effects as learned rather than natural occurrences (Devor 383). It seems just natural for women to be the care givers and men the providers. Behaviors people become comfortable with are exhibited openly towards their children. Susan D. Witt states:
Society today suggest that revealing the “gender” or “sex” of a child from the moment of conception forward is a necessity. But, in all actuality to some this is an invasion of their privacy and beliefs. Many believe that raising a child gender specific is not important to their upbringing or to their growth and development. Gender is defined with several different meanings such as the behavioral, cultural or psychological traits typically associated with the one sex. The sex of an individual, male or female, based on reproductive anatomy (the category to which an individual is assigned on the basis of sex) and the personal traits or personality that we attach to being male or female. Sex is defined as the biological distinctions determined by our genitalia.
In order to grasp the concept of social construction of gender, it is essential to understand the difference between sex and gender. Biologically, there are only two reproductive genital organs that are determinants of sex: the vagina and the penis. Sex is established solely through biological structures; in other words, genitalia are the basis of sex. Once a sex category is determined, gender, a human categorization socially attached to sex, is assigned based on anatomy. Gender typically references social or cultural differen...
Human beings have been, and always will be, dichotomized into either male or female. When determining a person’s sex we often look for differences in facial features, body shape or mannerism’s, but another promising way to determine a persons sex and one that is most often used today, is through gender roles. Gender roles are behaviors that portray masculinity or femininity. The theory behind gender roles through multidisciplinary viewpoints is the focus of this paper. Throughout history and in every culture these roles have shifted and transformed into what society says is expectable. In this analysis, gender roles will be examined through a sociological, biological and evolutionary scope.
The relationship between sex and gender can be argued in many different lights. All of which complicated lights. Each individual beholds a sexual identity and a gender identity, with the argument of perceiving these identities however way they wish to perceive them. However, the impact of gender on our identities and on our bodies and how they play out is often taken for granted in various ways. Gender issues continue to be a hugely important topic within contemporary modern society. I intend to help the reader understand that femininities and masculinities is a social constructed concept and whether the binary categories of “male” and “female” are adequate concepts for understanding and organising contemporary social life with discussing the experiences of individuals and groups who have resisted these labels and forged new identities.
Wharton (2005:21) views gender as a ‘system of social practices’ which gives rise to gender distinctions and maintains it. What Wharton wants to say is that gender involves the creation of both diffe...