Murcia 1

Miriam Murcia
Professor Ditch
English 113 A
6 December 2014
Gender Conformity & Women
Gender roles that societies perform affect everyone in many different ways. An everyday
example would be how people in society describe gender. Most commonly, however, they
confuse a persons sex to be gender. In many western societies it is common to perform gender
roles according to a newborns sex. In many cases parents, hold a common belief that their
children should conform to gender roles. The articles From Women, Men and Society by
Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran and Rethinking Womens Biology by Ruth Hubbard explain
common misconceptions of gender conformity in women. Many feminine stereotypes that are
seen in western society have created a huge impact on how a woman should perform daily.
Personally, feminine stereotypes have affected my construction of gender to behave in a more
masculine manner even though I am a female.
In the article From Woman, Men and Society by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran it
explains how parents usually treat their kids differently according to their sex. They start to
establish gendered roles and expectations towards their kids that lead to conforming to society
misinterpretation of gender. For instance, Both fathers and mothers are more likely to believe
and to act on the belief that daughters need more help than sons (Qtd. by Renzetti and Curran
79). This quote clearly shows the mindset that parents have obtained by the history of their

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families that has been implemented on them. They have a common belief that girls need to have
a closer parent-child relationship and that girls need to be nurtured less but will need more help
understanding and coping to society. The author also indicates the differences of toys designed
for girls and boys. This creates an impact to the childs understanding of gender and the different
roles that undergo different sexes. We found, for instance, that little girls were most frequently
shown with dolls or household appliances. The dolls boys were pictured with were referred to
as action figures (Qtd. by Renzetti and Curran 81). Providing children with stereotypical
toys gives them a form of insight to perform their assumed role in society. This demonstrates a
childs early stages of conforming to stereotypical roles and the outcome of how and what their
future could be determined to look like in society. The authors claim that by the time kids start
attending school they have an interpretation of a dichotomized society. In my own experiences I
noticed that these gender stereotypes effected my childhood greatly. I didnt see these gender
nonconformities until I was about 11 years old. I was performing masculine behaviors even
though I am a girl. My mother believed strongly that I didnt need the basic help to grow up. She
was very distant with how I performed and how I characterized myself. I remember my mother
telling me that when I was a baby I didnt cry as much and wherever she would place me I would
stay there and not disturb. This demonstrates how at an early age, my mother held the belief that
I wouldnt have to depend on her as much. This made an impact in my experiences of gender
performance. Typically, this performance of being more independent is most common with
boys and their parents according to the studies found by Renzetti and Curran.
In the second article Rethinking Womens Biology by Ruth Hubbard, she argues that
womens biology is a social construct and a political concept. The author explains what it means
to be biologically a female and the difference of following ideas to become a feminized woman.

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This is important to remember because people get misconceptions that because you are a certain
sex, you must act accordingly to the way its portrayed in society. That said, I want to stress that
we need have no ideological investment in whether women and men exhibit biological
differences, aside from the obvious ones involved with procreation (50). Hubbard explains this
to be simple, society and environment cannot be separated, they are factors that intertwine and
cant be sorted out. This shows that just because one is a female does not mean that we
immediately fall in the category of femininity. The author also suggests that in order to get a
sense of womens biology, one must get information from a woman, such as the experiences of
their age, social class, race and cultural groups. The author mentions that, descriptions of
womens biology date back at least to Aristotle. (Hubbard 46) She points out that throughout
history men were more privileged in society and had more opportunity to become researchers
and scientists. These scientists and researchers defined women in the direction of justifying roles
that were beneficial toward men. This affects the description of a female because these were
ideological thoughts of men and not from the actual source which is a woman. If the description
of women has already been defined by a mans perspective then it may not be accurate because
aside from the obvious differences men and woman have, all women are different in their own
way. These social constructions and political concepts shape any woman to be characterized as
weak and over emotional putting them in circumstances that makes themselves dependable
towards men. Hubbard also discusses how some women consider that working has to coincide
with getting paid. Most often, the work done at home and in their communities isnt seen as
work. This places women to be interpreted towards the natural manifestation of their biology.
These biological stereotypes place woman in a lower position than men. This is definitely a
reason to reconsider womens biological ideas and gender roles performed by women. I have

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noticed that in our societies we still have gender inequality. Even when women and men are
supposed to have equal opportunities they dont, and in many cases these unequal opportunities
coincide with our biological features. But that is no excuse to underestimate women and our
capacities as self-individuals.
In relation to my personal life, I didnt expect to notice my gender nonconformity in
society. Because I am a girl, I see myself that way but to society, the way I act and dress portrays
something different. For example, before birth, my mother thought I was going to be a boy
because I wasnt showing my genitalia in her belly and the doctors couldnt define my sex in the
ultra sound. The outcome of this predicament resulted in my mother having a boy baby shower.
But when I was born, she saw that I was a girl, but she didnt notice the boy things she used on
me and the way she treated me. She didnt conform to gender roles and now I am how I am and I
dress how I dress not caring if I am portrayed tomboyish or anything. I am me and Im a girl its
that simple. I dont necessarily have to be a boy to dress in baggy clothing and like sports.
Anybody can perform gender roles as they please.
In conclusion, women and men are sexually different, but that still doesnt define their
gender. Both articles point out that women and their sex does not describe a women or their
preferred gender. They also explain the huge misconceptions that society has on how women
should perform and their capabilities. Women shouldnt have to be categorized or even looked
down upon because of their sex. Womens sexual orientation shouldnt have to define their
gender status. Personally, I can relate with women and the negative impacts that come with
gender nonconformities. Living in a society where you must act according to your sex isnt
gender. However, as a fixed gender society, the misconception of women and their roles will be

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questioned and will have negative impacts but that doesnt mean that women have to act on
societys gender conformity.

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Work Cited
Claire Renzetti, Daniel Curran et al. Growing Up Feminine or Masculine: From Women, Men,
and Society, 6th Edition. Copyright 2011 by Claire M. Renzetti, Daniel J. Curran,
Shana L. Maier. Reproduced with permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle
River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Ruth Hubbard, Rethinking Womans Biology from The Politics of Womens Biology.
Copyright 1990 by Rutgers University Press. Reproduced with permission of the
publisher. All rights reserved.