Gender as a binary construction

Essay by student19University, Bachelor'sB, October 2014

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Sabreena Samuel. 100849072

Gender as a binary construction

Have you ever been stared at? Laughed at? Mocked? Harassed nonstop? Pondered if you where male or female or maybe even both or neither? Have you ever felt different or unaccepted for reasons beyond your control? Have you ever thought of gender as the way we look and dress? Or is it about how we see ourselves? Well if anyone feels that way we have the social construction of binary gender system to blame. Which is the social system that forces all people into one of two strictly defined gender categories--Man and Woman, which in turn forms the basis for how you are educated, what jobs you can do or are expected to do, how you are expected to behave, what you are expected to wear, what gender and gender presentation should be and who you should be attracted to/ love/marry etc.

(Ando et al., 2010).

Binary construction does affect everyone's life and plays a significant part in stereotyping men and women as opposites. Our conception of what women and men are and what they are supposed to be is produced by the society we live in. There are many theories that suggest the development of the differences when dealing with the variations of men and women in society. Some scientists propose biological differences, citing the distinct brain structures and the hormonal differences between the sexes. Others credit society, arguing that the process of socialization begins with early infancy and produces an acculturated being within a few years.

From the moment we are born, we are labeled as a sex and gender, the color pink is chosen to clothe baby girls while sky blue is given to baby boys; dolls and bake sets are given to girls while toy trucks and...