Gender Reflection Paper

There are many theories and approaches to gender in terms of biology and science in general, which aim to suggest or prove that gender is natural and inherent. The first of these is the effect of hormones, more specifically testosterone, which causes male behaviour patterns such as aggression, competitiveness and a higher sexual drive. Testosterone also helps in the development of the brain. The brain is divided into two hemispheres, a left and a right. The left side of the brain is specialised in language skills whereas the right hand side of the brain is used for more non-verbal such as spatial awareness skills. Shaywitz et al (1995) used MRI scans to examine the brain whilst males and females carried out language tasks of varying difficulties. It was found that females used both hemispheres of the brain to complete the task whereas males only used the

I have arrived in Kalamazoo, MI, and I have observed many things about how males and females produce themselves as male and female. It all starts in the morning; the whole morning routine is completely different compared to each other. Then I will briefly talk about how their lives change throughout their existence, followed by the different leisure activities both genders take place doing. Most men tend to need less time when waking up to get ready for the day. For men it mostly starts with a shower, then followed by other cosmetics like brushing teeth. Getting dressed for men is quick, easy, and fast. Men typically wear darker colored cloths, and then wear brighter colors when it is easy to match. After that the man is typically done

This obviously causes critical overrepresentation of little states in the “College.” In the most extreme case, using 2010 Census figures and the new distribution of House seats based on that census, an individual resident in Wyoming has more than triple the weight in electoral votes as a person in California. To be honest it is closer to quadruple than triple. Now how can this possibly be a good

In a patriarchal society dominated by the male ideal of attraction women will seek to modify their bodies in an effort to meet this standard. Michel Foucault coined the term, gaze to describe the process of self-regulation under a system of surveillance. The subject will modify their behavior to conform to dominant societal norms under the assumption that they are being watched or judged by the gatekeepers of power. In Sandra Lee Bartky expanded Foucault’s theory to include the subjugation of women under the male gaze. For women in a patriarchal society, there is an added layer of measurement against societal norms. Women are expected to conform to the standard of wellness and beauty set forth by the diet, fashion, and beauty industries, historically constructed around the male ideal of beauty. This paper will examine the female fitness standard for American women and the subsequent fitness training women undergo to gain the earned affirmation and approval of society for adhering to congealed beauty standards. Additionally, I will discuss the irony within the term, self-esteem in reference to wellness and beauty. Irony lies in boosted self admiration that stems from male approval reflected in the subject’s

I believe that gender is an important issue to discuss because it is a never-ending battle. In today’s society we see more openness in the discussion about being gay, transgender, or many other sexual preference’s. But there are also many reactions of resistance seen in society, making it difficult for children to feel safe about who they are and what they feel. I will be analyzing the book Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah and Ian Hoffman by looking at how social constructions of gender and gender performativity affect children, making it challenging for them to express themselves, and causing them to “grow sideways“.

Encountering the controversial issues of gender, and the battle for people to openly convey their gender may seem like a biased and trivial issue to some, but after analyzing my own and the behavior of others throughout the past week, it is evident that the performance of gender heavily influences interactions with yourself and the rest of the world. Based upon my experiences throughout my week, I will attempt to explain the role gender plays on my thought processes, my conversations, and my acquaintances.

When we are born, we're led to live our lives doing things based on our gender. We aren't allowed to do things that are meant for the opposite gender, for we are viewed as an abnormal person by others. We receive cruel attitude from individuals if we do not live up to the expectations we have based on our gender. As a little girl, I grew up loving to playing with toys and sports that were labeled for boys. This led me to become fascinated with basketball and had asked my grandparents to sign me up for the city's boys' basketball team. At a young age, I learned how to resolve an aspect of my gender with the pressure from young boys and adults was about attending boys' sports team, experiencing unkind teasing, and deciding to ignore ridicules.

I’m woken up at 7 am each morning by the click-clack of my mother’s heels on our kitchen linoleum on her way out the door - she exemplifies the Career Woman role nearly to a tee. For the few hours before I leave the house, I am alone. I feel as free from gender’s pervasive tendrils as I ever will. No one minds my un-made-up face as I pore over my Chemistry book, as I make my lunch, as I pack my bag. It is only when I leave the cocoon of safety that I am confronted by the ways I succeed and fail at behaving femininely. In the outside world, gender shapes my most minute behaviours in ways I am hardly conscious of.

I learned so much this past semester, whether it be knowledge about feminism or about myself as a person. I for sure walked away this semester feeling confident in myself as a feminist. I am proud to be one, not only for the rights of women but for myself. Sometimes I have people question what exactly being a feminist is, whether it come up in small talk or opinion based conversations. To me, being a feminist is not a way of thinking, it is a life style. That sounds very cliché, but it is true.

For my Community service learning project, I volunteered at the Global Gathering Place which is located in downtown Saskatoon. Their vision is to engage and support immigrants and refugees by providing them with skills to not only survive but thrive in Canada. My placement was on Tuesday evenings in the child care center; this center exists so parents have a place to leave their children while they attend an English as a Second Language class.

I became a gender traitor amongst my fellow NC State students. I approached the task by going to Talley Student Union and spending several hours there while dressing and acting as androgynously as I could. As Butler (cited in Murphy and Simons-Rudolph 15) notes, gender is performed, in part, by what clothes we choose to wear; I performed gender by wearing a plaid shirt, a baseball cap, baggy jeans, and no makeup. In addition, I put my hair under my cap, to make it seem as though I had short hair. I wore tennis shoes and tried to act in a masculine manner. I talked on the phone loudly, used a low voice, and slouched when I walked. I used words like “bro” and “dude.” While I felt nervous in the beginning, I learned how to quell my nerves until the experience was over. People were surprised to see me acting the ways I did, but, overall, there were not as strong reactions as I thought there would be. The experience reinforced the idea of gender being a result of societal conventions (Murphy and Simons-Rudolph 1). The experience also made me realize how performative gender is, because, as Butler (cited in Murphy and Simons-Rudolph 15) notes, we learn gender based around what is, and is not, acceptable for our gender.

Throughout this class, I have found myself questioning many of the thoughts and beliefs that I have had, regarding women’s rights and the feminist movement. The authors we have read make me think about how I view myself as a woman, how I view men, and how I view society as a whole. One question I keep thinking about is, what about women who are sex workers? Are these women valid in their choices? Are their choices undermining every effort that the feminist movement has made? Do they deserve the objectification that they bring upon themselves? That then leads to the questions of how other women view these workers. Should women look down on other women who dress in a way that is objectifiable to men? Should women respect their choices? Do these women need to bring these sex workers into the light of the feminist movement and teach them how to cover themselves and be modest? But I feel like the most important question is, are these women capable of calling themselves a feminist?

The society in which we reside has an immense power to model our thoughts, actions, attitude and conduct. It plays a huge role in shaping us. The construction of gender is one instance of outcome of societal influence. The society has imprinted an image in the minds of people about how certain limited perspectives should be looked upon while considering the topic of gender. Gender is often associated with the biological sex. It is believed that sex and gender shares an intrinsic connection. It is thought that since biologically there are two sexes, there must be two genders. But gender and sex are two different notions. Sex is determined by physical anatomy of a person and affected by a combination of genetic and hormonal influences. In contrast, gender is shaped by culture, social expectations and behaviors assigned by our social associations to being man or woman (Giddens and Griffiths 461). In other words, gender is an outcome of series of acts that one performs and is not mandatorily linked to one’s sex. The disregard of separateness between gender and sex and how the society plays role in labelling an individual composes the social construction of gender.

There are many things that stand out since I have been attending the inside- out course on gender at the OSU. One observation that I find myself clinging on to is the mere fact that our classroom location has been changed from the Outside unit in the visitation building. Honestly, I wonder if it had to do with the correction officer's discretion based on our gender. They may assume that women are fragile and defenseless thus entering in in all male's prisons could be uncomfortable. Furthermore, the individuals who work for the prison system, may perhaps assume that we should be protected from the intimidations of prison and be in a neutral environment. Additionally, the corrections officers would continue to warn us every Tuesday before the start of class that these men are not who they seem to appear and we must separate our feelings and realize that this is a prison not a classroom setting. However, the sole purpose of enrolling in this class is to experience the prison atmosphere and meet diverse inside students in order to connect with them on an emotional level and engage on topics that we will discuss in class. Instead, we are placed in the visitation building which looks more like a home than a prison. This is possibly a safety precaution for outside students, however, as women, we do not need to be shielded from the reality of prison, yet to simply face it and obtain knowledge of our surroundings.

Before this course, I believed I had a strong understanding of feminist issues - based on my self-identification as a feminist and recognition of the difference between the terms “feminism” and “womanism”. However, after participating in this course and learning from others in the classroom, I now recognize how feminist issues affecting women of color seep into every aspect of daily life. This course has helped me to filter out the dominant narratives in feminist history and theory, and to recognize the voices of WOC shaping the movement from the background, as well as to question why their voices have been purposefully excluded from the movement. This course has helped my understanding of feminist issues by broadening my analysis of