Midterm Essays

WS- Midterm Essay #1

Sex and gender are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they are not alternatives for each other. Sex in of itself has two definitions. One of these definitions is biological; male, female, hermaphroditic…these are sexes. Sex is a biological classification system to sort members of a species based on their reproductive organs. Sex is also the physical use of those reproductive organs. Gender is harder to define. Gender is the combination of societal norms based of one’s sex and psychology.

Essentialism is the belief that human behavior is determined only by biology and genetics. Carole S. Vance in her article, Social Construction Theory: Problems in the History of Sexuality, provides many counter examples to essentialism and shows that gender and human behavior is much more socially and culturally developed than influenced by biology. According to Vance sex is a biological sort of humans into males and females based on sexual reproductive organs, while gender is the expected behavior and societal roles associated with the sexes. If gender is the defined as appropriate behavior of sex, then it is easy to see how it is built through society by examining certain social acts from the viewpoints of different cultures. A kiss in public between an unmarried couple in the United States is viewed as commonplace, ordinary, and expected. This same kiss in Saudi Arabia could be seen as shocking and atrocious. If gender was determined by biology then both countries should view the kiss the same. Therefore since similar acts are viewed differently based on culture, religion, and timeframe, gender is socially constructed and not biological.

In slight contrast from Vance, Karen Bornstein also divides sex and gender into two separate but overlapping realms. Vance saw gender as socially constructed into two categories, male and female based on sex. To Bornstein, sex is just the physical act associated with reproductive organs, while gender is a spectrum of psychological feelings and societal roles. Regardless of biology, people can fluctuate on the gender spectrum from extremely masculine, to extremely feminine, to anywhere in the middle. Gender is based off of four characteristics; assignment, role, identity, and attribution (Bornstein, 1998). Gender assignment is the category you are placed in from birth, male or female. Gender role is the cultural expectations and behaviors of one’s assignment. Attributions are the key characteristics that help people inside the society associate who is female and who is male. Gender identity is the personal level of gender that everyone has to decide for themselves. There are many influences in society that help one shape their gender identity; education, religion, and culture are just a few. Gender is not one’s sex but a way to classify expected societal behaviors.

Gender is a classifying system that passes down through the generations. From birth children are classified into the two biological sexes; male and female. Those who do not fit perfectly into one of those sexes are given surgical procedures to correct the error. Everything inside culture is divided between the two realms, feminine and masculine. The realms do not intermingle well; it is alright for a female to have a masculine name, but for a male to a feminine name is considered weak and pathetic. Children are geared towards their appropriate gender through the clothing they are allowed to wear and toys that are purchased for them. Girls play with dollhouses while boys play with trucks. While many people may pretend that they do not usher their children into their appropriate gender roles, some of these same parents were shocked when BLO, an activist women’s organization, switched the voice boxes in hundreds of Barbie dolls with the voice boxes or J.I. Joes and vice versa. If gender wasn’t taught, then why would it matter what toys a child possessed? The toys were considered defective because they did not correspond with the typical gender roles laid out by society. Therefore gender is a societal based system that is taught from birth. This education teaches people the appropriate behaviors in life that correspond to one’s sex.

Gender is a classification system that incorporates individual psychologies with societal standards. Education, culture, and religion play major roles and shaping individuals genders. The individuals themselves can alter their own gender according to Bornstein, but many don’t because of the pressures society places on those who are different. Gender is not sex. Sex is the biological system that classifies people based on anatomy. Gender has to do with behavior and psychology.

WS – Midterm Essay #2

Throughout time the realms of science and technology have had an astounding, unbalanced relationship with the genders. Science and technology have developed into exceedingly masculine fields where women play a small, minority role. This gender gap is widened by gender’s influences on technology. This division has limited women in many aspects of life, and the distressing truth is that it is more often accepted than questioned. The gender gap in science and technology is illogical on the basis of equality.

Starting from its definition and connotation, technology is influenced by gender. Typically technology is a term applied to cars, lasers, rockets, and other masculine objects. There is also a feminine side to technology that is often ignored. This side encompasses the more household electronics such as microwaves, washing machines, and curling irons. Gender divides technology into equipment for the two sexes. More domestic electronics are considered feminine, even though males use them in their daily lives as well. More empowering equipment such as weapons and motorcycles are seen as masculine, even though thousands of women drive Harleys around the country. Gender divides technology into uneven and inequitable categories that have potential to further divide and classify the sexes.

Science is also shaped by gender and what should theoretically be the norm. Darwin’s Theory of Heterosexuality is a prime example of this. Darwin concluded that all animals are scientifically and biologically inclined to be heterosexual and engage in courtship based on two species. The conscious species was the peacock; the subconscious was humans according to gender norms. Darwin proclaimed that since peacocks possess certain traits, such as the decorative tail feathers on males, the genetic reasoning behind this was for procreation and thus heterosexuality. This was an easy conclusion for Darwin to hypothesis because subconsciously the notion of heterosexuality has been instilled inside of Darwin from childhood. It is a part of the gender norms that children learn early on that people are typically heterosexual. Darwin was using gender norms when he made his theory, a theory that has not withheld its validity among a large percentage of species of vertebrates. Homosexuality has been discovered the norm for many species including sheep. One has to question the power of gender to influence the sciences if Darwin’s theory is still thriving even though it has been proven false by over four hundred species.

Science also has the power to shape gender. In modern culture there are two sexes, male and female, but biologically there are up to five sexes. The three often unheard of sexes include hermaphrodites, fermaphrodites, and mermaphrodites. The reason why these sexes are such an anomaly is directly related to science. After birth, when an infant is discovered to be neither male nor female, the parents and doctors make a decision on which sex the child should be. Based on the anatomy present the child will be placed into surgery to correct the biological error. Science through medical procedures has the power to maintain a two sex society.

Technology also has the ability to influence the genders especially through video games and computers. Even in elementary school video games are designed to the masculine mentality. This builds a barrier between females and technology. Little girls quickly learn that video games are boy toys, separating the girls from certain skills that little boys adapt to quickly. As the children age the gap grows because as skill levels increase in the video gaming industry so does the violence and masculinity of the games offered. Since girls are practically shut out from the video game environment they rapidly fall behind boys in computer skills and comprehension. This is most likely one of the leading causes to the minority of women majoring in computer engineering and other technological fields across the globe. Technology has become a male reign that provides unfair opportunities for females when it comes to education and occupations inside the technological and scientific societies.

The gender gap present around science and technology is shocking. The overwhelming aspect is how it has become an acceptable aspect of modern society. Parents teach their children at an early age to follow the gender guidelines of science and technology through the types of toys they buy them and other forms of play. It’s important though to take a step back and critically think about these societal norms and how they affect our lives. Educating people on the gender inequality inside science is a crucial part of any Women’s Studies curriculum because it is a field that is often overlooked. People tend to think that technology is just naturally more appealing to the males, but upon critical thinking one can see that it is much more of a societal generated connection between males and technology that separates females. Education, critical thinking, and perpetual action are the only ways to ever try to close the gender gap in the world of science and technology.