Valle 1

Gissel Valle
Professor Beadle
English 115
4 October 2016
Assigned Genders
The idea of gender is such confusing topic as many people believe that gender is
biological, something were born with. However, gender is a form of identification and an
understanding of masculine and feminine roles. Gender construction begins from the moment
were born due to the different social treatments received by our parents. Aaron Devors article
Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender and Claire Renzetti and Daniel
Currans article From Women, Men, and Society thoroughly go into depth about how such
social encounters can have an affect on our construction of identity as we grow older and the
different characteristics associated with each sex. The importance of different treatment is
important because it shows that society, as a whole, learns whats considered appropriate
behavior for the gender binary. A common concept presented throughout the readings is the idea
that gender is heavily influenced by many factors, such as daily social interactions and parent
influence, rather than individuality, as weve constructed a certain way to act.
First off, what are considered qualities of men and women? According to Devor in his
article Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender, he explains the certain
characters that are associated with each sex. of another one with masculinity usually
characterized by dominance and aggression, and femininity by passivity and submission (36).
This means that men and women are known to behave a certain way and its expected of them to

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be this way. It shows that because of such stereotypes, it creates an unequal balance between
men and women. That is, when it comes to a sense of hierarchy, men are given more power and
seen of higher prestige than women. Because of this hierarchy, society is required to take upon
certain roles to keep up with social standards. In her article Night to His Day Judith Lorber
explains specific gender roles, rather than gendered behavior, as women are to be at home,
cooking and doing the household chores. Men, on the other hand, are to go to work, do the
harder jobs, and bring home the money. This shows that society believes certain roles belong to
either sex. The importance of this shows that gender roles are meant for a particular sex, not the
other, which influences our own gender identity.
One of the biggest factors that guide our gender constructions as we grow older is our
parents influence. Were unconsciously given different treatments due to sex which affects our
understanding of gender roles. As Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran discuss in their article,
From Women, Men, and Society, Parents do have different expectations of their babies and treat
them differently simply on the basis of sex (76). That is, parents tend to have perceptions of
their kids. Infants boys are usually described as being tall, athletic, and serious while infant girls
are described as being small and pretty with delicate features. This is important because it shows
that parents associate their childs sex with personality and behavioral traits, indicating that each
gender is to be treated in different ways. This is further evidenced by the interactions we have
with our parents. In an experiment conducted by MacDonald and Parke in 1968, researched
showed that parents tend to engage in rougher physical play with infants sons rather than infant
daughters (79). This shows that parents tend to believe that daughters need more help than sons,
providing early training for their sons to be more independent while their daughters grow to be

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more dependent and needy. Because of the treatment received, men and women tend to grow up
with certain characteristics. The way our parents treat us paves the way for how we will later
identify ourselves as.
At a young age, its difficult to differentiate what sex a baby is, therefore the type of
clothing worn signifies certain identities. For example, darker colored clothing decorated with
sporting or military equipment showcases masculinity while softer, pastel colored clothing
showcases femininity. Clothing makes a statement about ones gender identity as it encourages
and discourages certain behavior and activities. Since young boys wear shorts and pants, it
allows them to be more free, athletic, and engage in rough play. Clothing for young girls, such as
dresses and skirts, advises them that participating in such activities should be prohibited to
appear more lady-like. Kids grow up with this belief in mind, therefore fulfilling the role and
acting in a way that was learned. Second, by informing others about the sex of the child,
clothing sends implicit messages about how the child should be treated (Renzetti and Curran
77). This means that however a child is dressed can affect the way someone interacts with them.
For example, kids dressed in masculine clothing are treated more roughly while kids dressed in
more feminine clothing are treated in a delicate and gentle manner. This is important because it
shows how gender is influenced by others action rather than our own.
I do believe I have learned what are considered acceptable behaviors due to social and
behavioral influences. Since I was a young girl, Ive been surrounded by many things that have
attributed to femininity. I was always dressed in clothes meant for young girls and watched
shows where the female lead characters behaved in a particular way. Because of this, I was able
to differentiate between masculine and feminine roles and know what activities I was restricted

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from. I quickly learned that acting in a different way was frowned upon. I never limited myself
to activities meant for girls or activities meant for boys. I do believe from such a young age, it
was very clear who I was and how I identified myself as. Societys expectations, however, did
play a huge role in that.
Gender is constructed as its assigned to an individual. Were expected to act in that way
thats been taught to us. Whether learning from our parents or social interactions, weve grown
to obtain gender roles. As Devor said in his article, childrens developing concept of themselves
as individuals are necessarily bound up in their needs to understand the expectations of the
society they do so while observing themselves as reflected in the eyes of others (37). This
means that certain behaviors are only acceptable if its approved by others. However, as time
passes, gender is changing. As Kantrowitz & Wingert say in their article Are We Facing a
Genderless Society, there is no possible way that countless people can be categorized into two
binary groups. Many today are breaking gender stereotypes of what it means to be labeled as
feminine or masculine. Societys idea of gender is constantly changing as many arent
identifying with either group, but rather being their own person.

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Works Cited
Devor, Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender. Composing
Gender, edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara, Bedford Spotlight Reader, 2014,
pp. 35-45
Kantrowitz, Barbara and Wingert, Pat. Are We Facing a Genderless Society? Composing
Gender, edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara, Bedford Spotlight Reader, 2014
pp. 68-71
Lorber, Judith. Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. Composing Gender,
edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara, Bedford Spotlight Reader, 2014,
pp. 19-33
Renzetti, Claire and Curran, Daniel. From Women, Men, and Society. Composing Gender,
edited by Rachel Groner and John F. OHara, Bedford Spotlight Reader, 2014,
pp. 77- 87