For a long-time, sex and gender were used synonymously. However, nowadays, these terms are considered to be distinct terms. Sex refers to the biological differences between female and male, whereas gender is considered to be a performative act, which situates a person on a spectrum ranging from femininity to masculinity.
As certain aspects and traits are attributed to either femininity or masculinity, people usually express their gender through a combination of feminine and masculine traits. A person’s gender identification is often indicated by their outer appearance, their voice, facial expressions and gestures. Therefore, gender could be considered to be a performative act, where others read and interpret the gender. In her ground-breaking book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990), the philosopher Judith Butler argues that gender is kind of improvised performance.
However, the concepts of masculine and feminine and what is considered to be an indication of is based on cultural norms. Hence, these concepts are constructed by society. Society creates stereotypes and people who do not fit into these are perceived to be different and not “normal”.
Moreover, media, friends and family also play major roles in reinforcing gender norms. Young children often imitate their family and thus internalize gender norms. If children break the gender norms, they tend to get scolded and thus, do not get the opportunity to freely decide on their own gender and/or gender performance. For example, in our Western society the color blue is commonly associated with baby boys whereas the color pink is commonly associated with baby girls. Interestingly, this was not always the case. At the beginning of the 20th century, some stores began suggesting “sex-appropriate” colors: pink was the intended color for the boys while blue was considered the appropriate color for girls. The fact that this association was turned around in the 1950s illustrates the arbitrariness and constructedness of gender constructs.
In a nutshell, gender is a construct which is defined by society and changes over time. Furthermore, in reality, there is no singular ideal of masculinity or femininity, but instead people who situate themselves on a spectrum, ranging from masculine to feminine. For example, someone can be designated male at birth but still display feminine traits and vice versa. Therefore, people can have and display both feminine and masculine traits, regardless of their sex or gender. A person may also be assigned a certain sex at birth that does not align with their gender and they may choose to have gender reassignment surgery, a procedure that is also known as gender affirmation surgery.
Quote:
“One is not born a woman, but rather becomes, a woman”
~ Simone de Beauvoir
Something to think about:
If gender is performative – an act – then there is no real gender, as there is no true or false. Gender as an “act” represents one’s self, which is created internally. Performing a gender, which does not fit into any of our current cultural stereotypes or having a stereotypical gender are all just different ways to express oneself. The range of genders reflects the individuality of each human and is thus endless. There are also people who do not identify as either specifically male or female but instead refer to their gender as nonbinary (nonbinary gender identiy). These individuals may identify as genderfluid, agender (without gender), genderqueer, or something else entirely. Some non-binary or genderqueer people use gender-neutral pronouns. In English, usage of singular “they”, “their” and “them” is the most common.
Es kann vorkommen, dass in einem Prüfungsteil ein Auszug aus einem Buch präsentiert wird. Hier könnten die Protagonisten gemäß der Genderideale analysiert werden sowie diese geschichtlich eingeordnet werden. So kann z.B. bei der Analyse des Charakters Scout Finch ein Schwerpunkt Gender Issues sein.
Folgende Begriffe könnten hilfreich sein: independent, strong-minded, confident, self-esteem, ladylike, innocent, active, sharp minded. Man sollte versuchen die Protagonisten mit Charakteren aus anderen Büchern oder Erzählungen zu vergleichen. Auch können diese mit Menschen oder Gruppen aus der heutigen Zeit verglichen werden.
Gender roles are based on stereotypes. For a long time, the ideal family consisted of a working husband and a stay-at-home wife, who cares for the children and manages the household. Society and media, like movies and literature, reinforce these ideals and therefore, recreate this same image again and again.
However, with the emancipation of women, these stereotypes are becoming more and more irrelevant. Nowadays, there are many women who pursue a career (2021 75,8% of women in Germany were employed). There are also families in which both parents work. The structure of an ideal family is also changing. There is an increasing number of families consisting of a single parent raising a child, or patchwork families and families where the parents are gay/homosexual.