Monique Wittig

Wilton refers to Monique Wittig, a French author and feminist theorist, who states “our survival demands that we contribute all our strength to the destruction of the class of women within which men appropriate women.” Thus, Wittig expresses that “heterosexuality is a social system” (Wilton 165). Why heterosexuality is forced upon the majority, however, is still unclear. Emily Martin, in her article, “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles,” explains why this is so. Procreation can only occur upon the union of sperm and egg and their behaviors have created stereotypes which “imply not only that female biological processes are less worthy than their male counterparts but also that women

In this current society, the levels of both male and female genders are somehow not even. Many women are still fighting for the rights that they should have had but was chained to by society and their belief that "Men are superior to women". Another thing is how the social hierarchy divides us. Instead of having a united community, we are divided into the lower, middle and higher class. In my opinion, I would like a nation that has a society that is equal, no elevated positions in terms of money and possession or in other terms a society where no one fights for money. But in the past periods specifically the Anglo-Saxon period, women had it worst and even the social hierarchy before had been deeply planted into their civilization that no one can say no

What does it mean to be a woman or man? Whether we a man or a woman, in today’s society it is not determined just by our sex organs. Our gender includes a complex mix of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics. How do you act, talk, and behave like a woman or man? Are you feminine or masculine, both, or neither? These are questions that help us get to the core of our gender and gender identity. Gender identity is how we feel about and express our gender and gender roles: clothing, behavior, and personal appearance. It is a feeling that we have as early as age two or three. In the article, “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,” the author, Aaron Devor, is trying to persuade his readers that gender shapes how we behave because of the expectation from us and relate to one another. He does this by using an educational approach, describing gender stereotypes, and making cultural references. He gets readers to reflect on how “Children’s developing concepts of themselves as individuals are necessarily bound up …to understand the expectations of the society which they are a part of” (389). Growing up, from being a child to an adult is where most of us try to find ourselves. We tend to struggle during this transition period, people around us tell us what to be and not to be, Jamaica Kincaidt in her short story, “Girl” tells just that, the setting is presented as a set of life instructions to a girl by her mother to live properly. The mother soberly

Dave Barry, a humorous author writes “Guys vs Men” to try to enlighten the term “man”. He focuses on certain aspects that separate guys and men to separate stereotypical characteristics. Barry entertains readers as he uses funny comparisons, analogies, and entertaining punch lines to support his what he thinks the distinct differences between guys and men really are. Barry argues the idea that “man”, is a term that comes with responsibility and unwritten expectations for guys. The intent is to stress that there is another way to look at males, perhaps not characterize as characteristically masculine, but just as a “guy”.

Moreover, the manhood acts in the film actively maintain the gender inequality present. The purpose of the acts is to be accepted by other as being in the “dominant gender group” (Schrock and Schwalbe 149). This demonstrates how sex and gender are different things. Sex is whether you are biologically male or female, but gender deals with how you behave such as masculine or feminine. These manhood acts can actually be seen

The movie surveyed a wide array of the troubles faced by boys and men as they try to navigate the realm of masculinity. A common theme was the command “be a man” and the cultural baggage that comes with living up to that ideal. To “be a man” means to not cry, to not be sensitive, to not let people mess with you, to respond with violence, to be angry, to drink, to womanize.

Stigma attached to the word lesbian also kept women apart from one another. "Radicalesbians" describes the label lesbian as "the debunking/scare term that keeps women from forming any primary attachments, groups, or associations among ourselves." The women’s movement was hurt by the labeling by some in the media as a lesbian movement. Ironically, lesbians often felt underrepresented in the movement while heterosexual women were afraid of being labeled lesbians. "Radicalesbians" confronts this issue by arguing that women are being dominated by men "as long as the label ‘dyke’ can be used to frighten a woman into a less militant stand, keep her separate from her sisters, keep her from giving primacy to anything other than men and family."

Sex and gender categories, such as “men,” “women,” “masculine” and “feminine,” have been in place for generations. They are socially constructed categories and expectations assigned to children at birth, in order to regulate and shape them into this “ideal” heterosexual being. Men are expected to embrace masculine qualities, while women are required to be feminine and submissive to the male authority. Monique Wittig’s article, “One is Not Born a Woman” observes how the class of “women” is not “natural,” but is created by the society and framed by the male ideology, as a way of producing a clear gender difference between men and women. J. M Coetzee reinforces Wittig’s beliefs by sharing similar ideas of hegemonic masculinity and male dominance

The film sets a certain viewpoint on gender. It labels men and woman a certain way. Women in the film are set to be delicate and sex-driven. Men are set to be tough, brutal, workers. Marla was played by a thin, attractive, petite actress. Her clothes were always feminine. Tyler was played by a fit, muscled man that fit society's definition of attractive. The movie made it clear that men are masculine, and women are feminine. Basow said, “Gender is constructed by every socializing agent and force in society: parents, teachers, the media,

Wittig’s (cited in Butler, 2007, p. 25) opinion on the category of sex supports this idea, that the category consists only of the feminine because it is under heterosexual conditions and the masculine is unmarked, universal, and a given standard. However, Irigaray (cited in Butler, 2007) would insist that the female sex is not the lack or the other because by being the difference, it is marked off, in contrast to Beauvoir’s thinking of the female body as marked in a phallocentric discourse where the masculine is unmarked. Beauvoir (1997) insists that women are assigned as the other, and is defined not in her self but as something relative to the male to construct his own sexual identity.

“…there are lesbians who affirm that “women and men are different species or races (the words are used interchangeably): men are biologically inferior to women; male violence is a biological inevitability…” By doing this, by admitting that there is a “natural” division between women and men, we naturalize history, we assume that “men” and “women” have always existed and will always exist.’”

The “New Woman” refers to a category of women, beginning in the late 19th century, who adopted feminist ideals, wishing to break gender roles and gain independence from and equality with men (Newton, 560-61). While not one specific, real person, the “New Woman” is an overarching term that encompasses the many women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first generation of these women strove for economic and social autonomy with roles separate from the home and family spheres of domesticity (Newton, 561). For example, they would not marry, but instead receive a higher education and work in a profession (Newton, 561). To replace their commitments to men and family, they instead formed close and passionate relationships with other women, though these relationships were not sexual in nature, people viewed women as passionless and pure. The second generation, however, living in a more modernist culture of sexual freedom, began to discuss female sexuality, and wanted to participate in more opportunities only offered to men, including drinking and smoking (Newton, 564). Because of the societal idea that only men were sexual beings, New Women had to explain the intimate relationships among them, which had become sexual in the second generation. Thus, they created the idea of masculine lesbians, who had male souls that caused them their sexual feelings (Newton, 566). The “mythic mannish lesbian” refers to these women who dressed and acted in a masculine manner

What does it take to be a man or a woman? Our sense organs alone do not determine whether we are men or women. Our gender includes a multifaceted combination of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics. How do we act, behave, and talk like a man or a woman? Each one of us has a sex, a gender, and a gender identity that are all aspects of our sexuality. These aspects describe who we are, in different personalities and attributes but related. Society’s categories for what is masculine and feminine may not capture how we truly feel, how we behave, or how we define ourselves.

Self Made Man by Norah Vincent is her journey into the male world where she spends 18 months disguised as a man named Ned. Vincent places herself in many different situations in order to gain a better perspective and understanding of male-male relationships and how people in general react and respond to a male. Ned embarks on many different situations and places such as an all male bowling team, strip bars, dating, life at a monastery and then into the work force, for her research into the male world. While the book is filled with many insights as to the differences and similarities between the two genders, it lacks all signs of respectable research, uses questionable methods, and should be seen more as a writer’s personal journey

Sexuality is an issue that has been widely discussed and has often been misunderstood by society. It has often been a misconception by members of the heterosexual community that all lesbians want to be men. Through applying common sense, it can be understood why people may think gay women want to be men when looking in on the lesbian community, some lesbians prefer to express themselves and their sexuality through the way they dress and act; their short hair, masculine clothing, wearing no make-up and their macho