Richard Hauer

English 115
Beadle
9/16/15
Gender: Social Construct Causing Discrimination
Gender, is one of the most intricate, controversial topics in this day in age. Gender has so
many misconceptions, and problems that revolve around the topic often stem from ignorance and
lack of evidence within an opinion. Gender when it comes to the media is looked at as you must
conform to wha ever gender you are or else you will be looked at differently and in a poor light.
Parents often base how they act with their child off of their gender and if the child feels they are
not the gender they are born with then they are look down upon as gender-nonconformists.
Social media along with the major media itself also spread mixed messages towards those groups
often allowing others to make judgement and prejudice before they have any actual evidence to
back their claim up. In both the article, Are we Facing a Genderless Future by Barbara
Kantrowitz & Pat Wingert as well as No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That: Parents
Responses to Childrens Gender Nonconformity by Emily Kane we are able to make certain
connections that clear the air about gender and its common misconceptions that lead to prejudgement of a person.
Are we Facing a Genderless Future by Barbara Kantrowitz & Pat Wingert is a great
example of clearing the air by taking a look at someone who felt that they had no gender and
wanted to. It takes a look how a country handles this sort of situation and to be completely
honest, it goes against what people are trying to do in helping one another. The main story was

about a person in Australia who felt that they did not have a gender and that they feel the should
have that on a legal document. After a long process it was approved but then not long after that,
there was an out-roar and the country rescinded it. How do you think this makes a person or
people in that sort of community feel? They feel unwanted and that their struggle is completely
unnecessary. Which is incorrect people need to feel the love and acceptance no matter what
gender they classify themselves with.The reason a country would rescind it is because of the hate
stirred up by ignorance and misconception. Gender is a social construct, it was made up by
people with honestly no real intention then to classify the differences seen between sexes. But
what it has come to be now is power that many people tend to use incorrectly, either sex, whether
its as an excuse or a way to get what they want, gender has lost the pure meaning it once had.
People struggle on a daily basis with their identity, if the dont feel like their sex is their gender
they have the right to express that and make it legal, because your identity is legal and should be
able to have evidence of what gender you believe you are.
Gender now makes finding your identity as a young adult much harder because parents
and society look down upon on teenagers that feel they dont fit their gender. People should be
able to express the way they in any form necessary so long as its not hurting others. And no
offending a particular religion doesnt count as hurting others because that is lack of knowledge
and basing an idea upon a book and set of rules written way too long ago. The fact that so many
parents are unable to let their kids truly blossom in whatever way they need it hurts the society
beyond belief. It pushes kids to not truly find them self or if they do they hide it. They are often
hurt because they feel the need to be masculine if they are a man and feminine if they are a
women. Thats unfair since they may feel differently on the inside and that they shouldnt have to

hold in however they feel. People shouldnt have to worry about what society constructed
genders to be. They should be able to live their life free of labels and love and feel and act
however they would like so long as that its legal or at least morally right and that is makes them
happy. It is hard to form or find your true identity when society telling you how to act in
whatever gender you may be in. This fact has also raised the suicide rate because kids are unable
to express how they feel ad if they do they are ridiculed ergo making them not want to live and
them killing themselves. Its a terrible fact and it breaks my heart.
No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That: Parents Responses to Childrens
Gender Nonconformity by Emily Kane is another great example on how parents views and
ideas on gender roles go against the greater good for their children. Parents views of gender nonconformity are often those of disgust and disapproval. Little do they know what they had put on
their children from such a young age by making them wear a certain thing, or perform certain
activities has not allowed their child to distinguish them as an individual. Parents dont take a
step back and look that gender was constructed long ago when men wanted to have full control
over everything and now that we are being progressive we still lack when it comes to gender.
Young men and women are unable to still be treated the same. Children are still subject to gender
roles that allows more for boys than girls, that forces boys to be masculine so they can get paid
more and forces girls to be oppressed so that they arent seen as equal. The fact that these are still
around is depressing, because both sides cause controversy. If a parent teacher gender roles and
that boys and girls have to act a certain way, they are looked down upon but if we dont tackle it
at all and let their children be non-conformist to gender the they are also look down upon.

Society and the media have to take the first steps in getting of gender and allowing people to live
freely and identify however they feel necessary.
All in all gender is a very sketchy topic since facts are very slims in the sense that most
facts we have to use are rather old and new information is becoming less credible it seems like.
In my own life gender roles havet played a huge part, the way I was raised was more about
being self sufficient and doing what made you happy so I never personally had go through that
struggle but I know how tough it can be and how not many parents are as accepting and loving as
mine so if you felt as if you were not your gender it would be harder to come out to your parents
and let the know that you felt that way. The fact that such controversy faces this topic is crazy
because we are in the future and must be more progressive in equality not just with gender but as
a whole, if we decide that we still arent going to pay women the same as men and do other such
things then we should be unable to say that we are progressive as a people. Gender must be taken
down and the new social construct we much build is social equality because although it may be
man made it allows for individuals to be who they want to be with no label and no persecution, it
allows us to express ourselves and find our identities. Gender roles are unnecessary and if we
chose not to perform them then we are taking a step towards a better more loving an accepting
future. Are we Facing a Genderless Future by Barbara Kantrowitz & Pat Wingert along with
the essay No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That: Parents Responses to Childrens
Gender Nonconformity by Emily Kane are clear examples of clearing the air when it comes to
controversy and how their should be no gender, just equality amongst humans and then this
world will be a better place.

Works Cited
Kantroitz, Barbara, Groner, Rachel, and John F. O'Hara. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight
Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. Print.
Wingert, Pat, Kane, Emily, Groner, Rachael, and John F. O'Hara. Composing Gender. N.p.: n.p.,
n.d. Print.