Kirsten Rogers

Rogers 1

Professor Ditch
English 113A
30 September 2015

Gender Construction and Gender Dichotomy: Societys Downfall

In the articles Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender by
Aaron Devor and From Women, Men, and Society by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran, it is
apparent that the influences of ones surroundings create law like restrictions for ways in which
one may express their gender. From as early as childhood it becomes clear what type of lifestyle
an individual will be told they must lead, and these influences continue on into adulthood with
the societal pressures of hyper-femininity and hyper-masculinity. It is evident in both writings
that there is a gap in todays societys thinking, for many hardly realize that the gender of ones
self is not in ones DNA and is not determined by biology. Rather, it is a social construct by
which we must abide in order to be accepted as a part of society. The acknowledgement of this
could potentially have a great impact on the public; as they become more knowledgable about
the subject of gender, what it is, and how it is created, they will begin to understand the aspects
of it that they themselves did not even realize they experience. In their articles, Devor, Renzetti
and Curran state that one must conform to the societal restrictions in order to be accepted into it.
In doing this, the authors advocate for those of all ages facing these gender restrictions with the
ultimate goal of equality. This is significant to me personally because I believe that it is
important to not only accept, but embrace and celebrate both the femininity and the masculinity
of an individual.

Rogers 2
Gender construction and North American societys view on gender dichotomy is largely
to blame for the idea of classic gender roles and performance. To be viewed as a functioning
member in North American society, one must conform to the ideals put in place for men and
women, because the idea of having personal gender identity freedom is essentially unheard of. In
his article, Devor introduces the idea that in some cultures the definition of gender is extremely
different from that of North American society, he writes, Many aboriginal cultures have more
than two gender categories and accept the idea that, under certain circumstances, gender may be
changed without changes being made to biological sex characteristics.(Devor 36). Societies
such as these exist today in Siberia, Madagascar and Polynesia. However, this cultural
acceptance does not spread into North American society because of the gender constructs that are
already engrained into the majority of the minds of its people. To break down the fundamental
structure of what an individual in North America is made to believe is the truth about their
gender identity and that of those around them is both progressive and often frightening. Since
these individuals are told from birth that they must grow up one way, either feminine or
masculine, this is what they believe to be true.
Renzetti and Curan discuss the gender dichotomy in North American society in their
article by addressing the parental influence on their child by impressing different standards
depending on the sex of their child. They write, Even though American parents do not express a
strong sex preference, research shows that parents do have different expectations of their babies
and treat them differently, simply on the basis of sex.(Renzetti & Curan 76). This suggests that
the idea of gender expectations is so unchallenged that it seems fit to treat one child differently
than the other because one is a girl and one is a boy. The authors continue by showing that the

Rogers 3
way parents dress their children is a great example of how childrens gender must be clear and
apparent to those around by color coding and adornments, before the child can even determine
their gender themselves, Boys are typically dressed in dark or primary colors, such as red and
blue. They wear overalls that are often decorated with sporting or military equipment, trucks and
other vehicles, or super heroes. Girls are typically dressed in pastels, especially pink and yellow.
Their dresses and slacks sets are decorated with ruffles, bows, flowers, and hearts.(Renzetti &
Curan 77). These examples show that even from birth the idea of male dominance and female
frailness is encouraged and should be learned young so there is less probability of rebellion
agains the classic gender roles at an older age.
In my childhood I was very fortunate, I was dressed in clothing made for girls but often
not in the typical girl colors. I was raised by a single mother who is an open minded feminist, a
psychologist and an author; she understands gender construction very well and did not want to
raise me in such a way that I would feel like I had to conform or perform a certain gender
because of her. From a young age she would dress me in all colors; navy, black and white,
yellow, light blue, red, pink and dark green. She incorporated colors associated with both genders
which subconsciously demonstrated that nothing is off limits to me just because it is labeled as a
boys item. I believe that in doing this it instilled a confidence in me that might not necessarily
have been there had I not been brought up this way. Although I consider myself to be feminine, I
also embrace masculine qualities that I have. For 6 years I played ice hockey which is often
considered to be a sport for men, but I enjoyed it very much and was always encouraged by my
mom who also happened to be my coach for 4 of those years. Later in my teenage years I found
fashion to be a great outlet for my masculine qualities, often the way I dress is considered to be

Rogers 4
odd or hard to pull off, but I enjoy pairing mens clothing with women's clothing and creating
my own style. Not only do I like the aesthetic of mens clothing with women's clothing, I also
think it is important to show the world and especially todays youth that it is ok to dress how you
want, even if people may be critical because you do not dress the way you are supposed to
according to society.
Another aspect of daily life in which gender plays a huge role is in the toys that children
play with. To have boys toys and girls toys is tied to a definition that is always changing,
however, the majority of children are still under the influences that these toy categories exist
according to ones biology. In Devors article he sites a study that proves that Children five to
seven year old understand gender as a function of a role rather than a function of
anatomy.(Devor 37). In this study, young school age children, who were given dolls and asked
to identify their gender, overwhelmingly identified the gender of the dolls on the basis of
attributes such as hair length of clothing style, in spite of the fact that the dolls were anatomically
correct. Only 17 percent of the children identified the dolls on the basis of their primary or
secondary sex characteristics.(Devor 37). This problem is concerning because 83 percent of the
children do not understand the difference between sex and gender and are continually being
taught that they are synonymous.
Not only are toys used for gender demonstration, but also for gender role influence.
Renzetti and Curan discuss this in their article and expand upon the idea of toys restricting
children of a certain sex to a certain gender. The authors write, toys not only entertain children,
they also teach them particular skills and encourage them to explore through play a variety of

Rogers 5
roles they may one day occupy as adults.(Renzetti & Curan 80). These toys that demonstrate
adult roles for children are almost always gender oriented, Toys for boys tend to encourage
exploration, manipulation, invention, construction, competition and aggression. In contrast, girls
toys typically rate high on manipulability, but also creativity, nurturance and
attractiveness.(Renzetti & Curan 62). Over all, the toys parents buy for their child will be the
toys that influence them, the importance of this seemingly insignificant factor in childhood can
actually shape the future of the child, make she or he believe they are restricted because of their
sex, or it can empower them should the child be well rounded and allowed to play with what they
please.
In my personal experience, I enjoyed building things, playing sports, playing with baby
dolls and my easy bake oven. This could be why I am so open about both the femininity and
masculinity I embody. I was encouraged to play with the toys I wanted whether or not they were
intended for girls and I believe that having that choice created an open and welcoming
environment for me to grow up in.
Both articles, Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender and
From Women, Men and Society serve as a tool for public education on matters that are familiar
yet so foreign at the same time by providing information regarding gender and error of though
from birth to adulthood. The importance of this discussion is great; in order to change the classic
gender role mindset one must begin at childhood and continue on teaching acceptance through
adulthood. Only then will the social construction of gender in North American society and the
rigid gender dichotomy cease to exist.

Rogers 6

Works Cited
Devor, Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender. Composing
Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. E.d. Rachael Groner and John F. OHara.
Boston:

Bedford/ St. Martins, 2014. 35-45. Print.

Renzetti, Claire and Daniel Curran. From Women, Men and Society. Composing Gender: A
Bedford Spotlight Reader. E.d. Rachael Groner and John F. OHara. Boston:
Bedford/ St.

Martins, 2014. 76-87. Print.