Potter

Maisy Potter
Professor Beadle
English 115
3 October 2016
Gender Identity through Societys Eyes
Society, although not always noticed, has forced its way into everyones lives whether
they like it or not. We as a culture, subconsciously follow the herd of people migrating toward
the premade path that leads to societys image of perfection by consistently being forced to
exist in a box without the ability to explore genders that oppose our biology. The few that feel
the need to stand up for the unheard voices in society attempt to convince their readers to accept
people for who they are and who they want to be, free of judgement and full of curiosity. The
specific individuals that are writing about the issues in society are doing so to not only spread
awareness that what is going on is wrong but to also help those suffering to understand that they
are not alone. In the book, Composing Gender, Judith Lorber, Claire Renzetti, Daniel Curran and
Ruth Hubbard explore the socially constructed idea of gender that, along with parental influences
and other factors, continually hinders peoples ability to discover their true selves by forcing
them to comply to societys set expectations.
The topic of gender is such a normal and adaptable concept that people only take notice
to it if it is disrupted. The majority of mankind goes through the similar gender discovery
process, For the individual, gender construction starts with assignments to a sex category on the
basis of what the genitalia look like at birth. Then babies are dressed or adorned in a way that
displays the category because parents dont want to be constantly asked whether their baby is a
boy or a girl noted in Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender (Lorber, 20). In

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school, teachers assign papers with step by step instructions advising the students how to write;
similarly, society plans out its peoples gender identity process by encouraging those who
follow the gender rules and shaming those who dont. The discovery of ones gender identity
was never really questioned until recently. Previously, everyone used to follow the behaviors of
their neighbors and lived their lives ingeniously until they felt as though they were apart of
society, because that is how they were taught to live life. This process reminds me of the
bystander effect I was taught in psychology; it states that the bigger the crowd is the less likely
it is that someone will stand up to help in a situation. People in society fool themselves into
believing that they do not need to stand up for whats right, because someone else will; there are
millions of people that can be the first to say something after all. Society has almost brainwashed
individuals into believing that the set plan for people is the right plan, when in fact, society
playing such an influential part in peoples lives denies others the right to find their true selves
and encourages people to change who they are in order to be accepted into society.
During the time on earth, people rely on copious influencers to help them through life; as
children we rely on our parents, as prepubescent teens we rely on society and as adults we rely
on friends and family to help us endure life. In college, they say these are the years where you
find yourself, but is it really ourselves if we constantly look to others for approval? The 21st
century is filled with people trying to understand how we came to be and who we will become;
in the course of the past century researchers discovered, parents are teaching their daughters to
be more attentive to others feelings and to interpersonal relationships, while they are teaching
boys to be assertive, but unemotional when expressing anger (Renzetti/Curran, 79). Parents
today, just as they always had, treat their sons and daughters differently, and hold the different
genders to a separate set of rules and expectations in school, sports and social situations. For

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example, growing up with two sisters and a brother, I noticed the contrasting values taught to
sons and daughters. The girls were taught to have a strong sense of self, not allowing a man to
define us; while the son was taught to be a provider for the family and to respect women in all
factors of life. The parenting of gender identity is a vicious cycle; more than likely parents treat
their kids how they were treated as kids, either focusing on their self-expression or denying any
creativity in the household. In addition, toys play a crucial part in the childrens discovery of
their gender; toys related to clothes and accessories are given to girls, while toys related to
violence and sports are given to boys. Parents award girls for choosing a sport related activity,
but boys are shamed for choosing a Barbie-like doll. The influence my parents had on my
gender identity was a perfect combination of sensitivity and strength, creating my tom-boyish
personality that has the ability to defend myself from an attacker while also empathizing with
said attacker.
Because gender identity is such a controversial topic worldwide, there will always be two
opposing sides, just another thing that splits the nation in two. Although I am on the more liberal
side of gender identity, I can also understand the conservative viewpoint. Before the wave of
female empowerment overtook the world, society claimed that girls need to devote much
energy to establishing the proper functioning of their ovaries and womb and that if they divert
this energy to their brains by studying, their reproductive organs will shrivel, they will become
sterile, and the race will die out (Hubbard, 47). Similar to the past, society today continues to
assume different behaviors and attitudes from specific genders and pushes that idea until it is
met, creating the perfect looking community. However, through time society has also evolved
and therefore has altered their viewpoints on specific topics such as gender, sexuality and
equality. Today, women are encouraged to make their voice heard, rather than quieted for stating

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their opinion. Society has developed into an environment of beauty, allowing every being to
express themselves fully without judgement. Although society continues to play a major part in
individuals gender identity, society is also beginning to spread awareness of the mistreatment of
people based on their differences and spreading the values of love and ratification.
Society today is like an onion, once you peel back one layer and think youve fully
understood how it works, there is another layer that has to be uncovered and revealed. Societys
unspoken pressure toward people continues to impact the decisions of the youth, because they
are taught to be like everyone else in order to be welcomed into social cliques, families and
society. Similar to scaring someone to stop hiccups, society is scaring people into complying to
the nations standard of human by teaching the intended characteristics people must attain in
order to exist in a utopia. Thankfully, people are beginning to realize the truth about society and
are starting to demand acceptance and love rather than isolation and hate. Four people in
particular, Judith Lorber, Claire Renzetti, Daniel Curran and Ruth Hubbard, use their writing to
express to the world societys influence on the social construction of gender in the articles
Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, From Women, Men, and Society,
and Rethinking Womens Biology in order to persuade the readers that gender identity should
not be influenced by someones parents, peers or culture but by the individual itself. The world
has changed since the 1900s and will continue to change, hopefully in a way that will remain to
spread adoration to those who choose to disregard the rules and expectations society places on
different genders.

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Works Cited

1. Lorber, Judith. Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender. Composing
Gender. By Rachael Groner and John F. OHara. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. 20. Print.
2. Renzetti, Claire, and Daniel Curran. From Women, Men, and Society. Composing Gender.
By Rachael Groner and John F. OHara. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. 79. Print.
3. Hubbard, Ruth. Rethinking Womens Biology. Composing Gender. By Rachael Groner
and John F. OHara. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. 47. Print.