Judith Lorber's Night To His Day-The Winner Of The Binary System

Even though humans all have the same label, preferential treatment resides with the males. This is especially true in “The Female Body” by Margaret Atwood. Considering the society’s perception of how interaction between races and genders should be, white males are at the top of the social hierarchy. In this hierarchy, the white are above the coloured and the men are above the females. Hence, women are given selective and limiting freedom and yet men are also limited by society to the point that most men do not realise they have limitations placed upon them. Nevertheless men and women do not live their lives, they survive and yet men seem to enjoy life. Therefore women are marionettes, men are puppets and society is the puppeteer.

‘The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy’ is Allan G. Johnson’s response to the pain and confusion that men and women experience by living with gender inequality, explains what patriarchy is and is not, how it works, and what gets in the way of understanding and doing something about it. Johnson’s simple yet powerful approach avoids the paralyzing trap of guilt, blame, anger, and defensive denial that often result from conversations about gender. He shows how we all participate in an oppressive system we did not create and how each of us can contribute towards its dissolution. He argues persuasively that something much better is possible and that our individual choices matter more than we can ever know.

We know how critical it is that institutions traditionally controlled by men reshape their policies and priorities to support gender equality and the well-being of women, children, and men. And we know that a critical part of that is to reshape the world of men and boys, the beliefs of men and boys, and the lives of men and boys.

These men from a very young age are forbidden to ever express their emotions in front of people. They were always told statements such as, “men up, don’t be a pussy, men don’t cry.” These men were taught to be strong in front of people. Showing emotions meant that they were not normal, that something was wrong with them. These men grew up living the life that society expected them to live by. Partying, drinking, and having sexual intercourse, defined what a man was by this society. It is the society that taught these men to treat women as an object and this explains why men feel more superior to a women. Beavoir expresses that men perceive themselves as the standard and norm and those that don’t fall under the standard are the “others”. As beavoir perceived, women are “The Second Sex”, only because the society constructed them that

‘As readers they are asked to adopt a masculine perspective, while as women they are excluded from the masculine experience determined by such a perspective.’

Inequality between men and women has been occurring since the beginning of time. Over the years, activists for feminism have fought to close the gender gap that has put a setback on all aspects of a woman’s life. From marriage, to work, politics, and even parenting, sexism plays a key role in shaping the lives of those around it. Gender expectations are a cruel part of society that affect many aspects of one’s life forcing them to conform or rebel, both having significant effects on a person. The guidelines for doing gender are often demonstrated throughout texts, revealing the struggles women go

Instead of telling us that women were the same as men, he showed us, and it was not in the way that most would expect. Reading these stories proves that, while we haven’t moved backwards in society in terms of women's equality, the people currently making the arguments on behalf of women have lost sight of what is actually causing any disparities between the two genders.

As a woman, the life of a man is something I will never understand. Paul Theroux’s “Being a Man” discusses how being a man isn’t all that easy, yet they are more privileged than a woman. This essay was important to read for literature as it exposed us to the male perspective of gender to compliment the woman-focused short stories of Alice Munro. There are many societal expectations which negatively impact mental health that are touched upon in this essay. While reading this, I continued to read excerpts from my friends and we were able to discuss our opinions on some quotes. Feminist culture and manhood are topics frequently discussed amongst my friend group, which is why I was so interested in this piece.

Women have voiced their opinions on being treated unfairly due to the idea that they are less than men. One day, somewhere a man woke up and decided that women were less than men. He believed women couldn’t do the same things as well as men. Women couldn’t think and voice their opinions. Women couldn't have a say in their future. He came to this decision solely based on biology. Because of

Since words typically carry a feminine or masculine connotation, exploring this and what they portray is a way that Faludi manages to engage the audience in a topic that is typically viewed as boring. She associates words like masculinity with words that are typically feminine, such as fragile, reinforcing that the opposition to progress towards equal treatment is caused by insecurity. Men are referred to incessantly as “fearful,” and “resentful,”. Faludi cites various studies that suggest that masculinity is much like a “fragile flower—a hothouse orchid in constant need of trellising and nourishment…Nothing seems to crush the masculine petals more than a bit of feminist rain—a few drops are perceived as a downpour” (Faludi, p. 344). This metaphor is a contrast to the typical thoughts on “femininity” and “masculinity.” Typically the flower would be the feminine figure because it is delicate and fragile. However, in this metaphor, the flower is masculinity and femininity is the downpour, which is strong and domineering. Following the metaphor, Faludi recalls various accounts of history in which men prove to be delicate or fearful. She explores 195 BC Rome, 16th century Europe, and the Victorian period (Faludi, p. 76). Providing historical evidence proves that the problem is perpetual and that it did not just “appear” out of thin air. This also serves as an appeal to logic as it provides historical facts to

Manliness is often seen as an important factor that makes a man who he is. Without the existence of manliness, the gender itself would lose its identity. The majority of twenty first century society believe that certain traits are linked biologically to male and female genders. There is however, a movement toward ending this way of thinking. A new ideology is spreading that sets out to overcome the way society sees gender. This new way of thinking challenges men and can possibly change the current precedent set on gender roles. The current mainstream belief that certain traits are biologically attached to male or females is dangerous to society as they lead men to fight for power and women to take abuse; thus these beliefs must be eradicated from society.

Michael S. Kimmel notes in “Masculinity as Homophobia”, being a man is equivalent to “not being like women”; the concept of “being a man” is ultimately obtained by avoiding certain lifestyle choices and personality traits (Kimmel, 31). In this context, as long as a male does not exhibit homosexual tendencies, evades participation in female dominated activities, or refrains from displaying immature emotions such as intense jealousy, a male will ascend society’s social hierarchy and attain various forms of power and dominance. According to the logic outlined, the underlying foundation of achieving manhood cannot exist without a social hierarchy. In order for a social hierarchy to exist, there must be a group of people that are subjected to the subordination of a different group of people who possess abundant dominance and power. Within the play, “The Toilet”, various African-American men and one Caucasian man, demonstrate a related social phenomenon in which various men are subjugated to the dominance of two more powerful individuals. The depiction of male figures in “The Toilet” ultimately seeks to reveal that men, specifically African-Americans, must purposefully or inadvertently degrade representations that oppose the ideal depiction of a masculine man. Actions of subjugation in a hegemonic society will ultimately allow leaders to maintain their dominance and power.

Almost half of all human beings who have ever lived have been oppressed by a system as old as civilization itself. Sexism has been manifested in different ways across the globe and through time, but it often uses the same methods. Across many cultures, women are seen as inferior and subordinate and are dominated by the men who control their lives. This can be expressed in two different ways: being viewed as having lesser worth and ability, or inferiority, and having little freedom or power, or subordination. In The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck and Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah, these two facets of culture can be seen acting in different and yet similar means, as well as being causes and effects of each other.

American culture has contributed attributed to the idea of what a man should be. From a young age boys are indoctrinated with the idea that in order to be a man one must be emotionless, though, and fearless. Unfortunately this ideology has created a plethora of problems within America and the creation of a dominate patriarchy that has led a loss of right for woman and violence against them. Although, this idea that women are second class which has been persistent in society is slowly changing, thanks to work of men who are willing to fight alongside women and stand up for their rights. Authors such as Tony Porter, Phil Plait and Jackson Katz are just some of many authors and speakers who are bringing the issue of gender inequality and violence against women to the forefront. Fortunately, by people bringing attention to issues such as these more activist will be willing to work towards a better future where gender inequality and violence are no longer issues.

the taker story, yet it does not pertain to me because of my gender role. In Oppression by Marilyn Frye states , “Women are incapable”(152). It is true that we do not have share similar characteristics to man, but we also need ways to survive to live and the