Christeen M Mazed

English 113A
Professor Jon Beadle
9/29/15

Essay
People have always been discussing the gender discrimination problem between males
and females, in addition that they don't acknowledge the difference between sex and gender. The
difference between sex and gender as mentioned in the essay " night to his days: the social
construction of the gender by Judith Lorber, informs that sex is based on how we were born
biologically; males or females. On the other hand gender is the way we dress, act, or behave.
Depending on our sex, people keep judging us and gendering us, which leads to discriminating
between males and females in society. Gendering is a concept that many people discuss about
how people discriminate between men and women, in addition that parents try as hard as they
can to control their kids' gender identity. This topic has been discussed by a lot of articles and
different ways to show how the differences between males and females are.
In the article " night to his days: the social construction of the gender" by Judith Lorber.
She mentions the discrimination between men and women in the workplace, in addition that
many cultures are really strict about keeping differences between males and females. The article
is discussing how can males and females have the same exact job; in which they had to have the

same education, effort, qualifications, and the eligibility to do that specific job and still be called
different titles, which seems unfair. For example, why do people call waiter and waitress, or actor
and actress, or manager and manageress...etc. There is no point of calling them different names
as long as they do the same exact job, get the same education, work as hard, and do the same
exact thing in the job.
In the article " becoming members of society: the social meanings of gender" by Aaron
Devor, mentions that men and women have different characteristics. As he says that women are
more submissive, passive, and cooperating. On the other hand, he says that men are egoistic,
dominant, strong, and aggressive. For example, Women tend to communicate rather than
fighting. Which leads to difference in roles. Women tend to be weaker, while men are aggressive
and dominant. Although that doesn't mean that they can't do the same exact thing. They have the
ability to do the same job in most of the things.
In my life experience, I have seen a lot of discrimination between males and females, since
I am from the Middle East. Women are being discriminated and humiliated sometimes. Most of
the people think that women were created to serve men. The women are supposed to live as
housewives, raise the kids, do the cleaning and cooking for all of her life. While the only thing
that men do is go to work to get the money that is the purpose for men and women in the Middle
East. I was lucky that I had the chance to be educated while there are other girls that don't even
have this chance. There are others that after high school dont go to school and get married and
live that cycle of kids and housewives. I have got the chance to get educated and went to college.
Even in jobs women are not supposed to be working, there isn't that many women working. Even
in work women are called different titles other than men. Even the Arabic language discriminate

between males and females, in most of the language there are different titles and names and
pronouns that differentiate between males and females.
It doesn't matter the gender of the child, every child deserves the same attention when it
comes to emotions. Parents should always be aware of how they react to their children when
their children want to play or wear something that is considered to be for the opposite sex. We
are all different, it doesn't give the right to anyone to categorize children depending on their
gender. Parents are usually worried on their child's masculinity more than their child's femininity.
All children have to be equal, then parents are not supposed to categorize their kids.in the article
"no way my boys are going to be like that" by Emily W. Kane and "From Women, men and
society" by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Currant, They say how parents categorize their kids from
the toys they play with, from the colors they like. They are also saying how parents want to
control how their kids' every move and how they want to control their kids' gender identity.
Which is not a good thing to be done; it might have an opposite effect on the kids before the
parents. Parents are always trying to control what the kids should like or not which is a bad thing
that they don't give the children the freedom to choose parents are just so scared if their kids
would have different gender identity. The authors wrote about that idea to show parents how bad
what they are trying to do to their kids. They should be equal and fair between with their
children. Mothers should teach their daughter how to be elegant and girly while fathers teach
their boys how to be a man in his life.
My parents have taught me and my brother that way they were fair and equal with us that is why
we have grown to know how to act. They didn't try to control our gender identity. They didn't
watch my brother more than me. They have always been cautious with both of us. My father
started teaching my brother the manly things. For example, teach him how to fix stuff, teach him

to be fit and strong. On the other hand my mother started teaching me how to dress elegantly,
how to behave, talk and act as a girl. My parents have never made us get jealous from each other
and they didnt try to control our minds. they have never tried to control our gender identities.
They have been fair to both of us.
In conclusion, we are not supposed to genderize everyone. We were created different but
we can do the same job and effort. We are all equal. We shouldn't be discriminated. Parents are
not supposed to judge or genderize their kids. Parents are supposed to be equal. Parents are not
supposed to watch their boys' masculinity more than their girls femininity; they are both
important. Parents play a big role on their kids lives. They have to be caution on how they treat
their kids and how they react to their kids actions.

Work cited
Night to his days: the social construction of the gender by Judith Lorber

Becoming members of society: the social meanings of gender" by Aaron Devor

"No way my boys are going to be like that :parents' responses to children's gender
nonconformity Emily W. Kane
"From Women, men and society" by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran