The Sex / Gender Distinction and the Language of Sexual Violence

→ Pages 23 - 28, and 30 - 35

“Man-made language and concepts cannot adequately express women's experiences and needs; and that these experiences and needs are not the same for all groups of women.” (p.23)

Concepts and stereotypes associated with gender are often created by those in a higher-class position and level within the socio-economics and institutions of society like culture, education, and politics, often resulting in those who are marginalised’s perspectives being forgotten.

Women are seen as passive, submissive, obedient, and quiet, whereas men are often attributed to likenesses of strength, dominance, anger, and leadership - characteristics associated within the Western culture.

“Betty Friedan's best-selling book The Feminine Mystique, first published in 1963, identified ‘the problem that has no name': that is, the unhappiness and depression experienced by a generation of housewives who had been taught that their fulfilment lay solely in domesticity, and that if they yearned for something else they had failed in their role as women (1963/1986:17).” (pp.25-26)

Gender is a socially constructed concept in order to lay upon attributes onto the different sexes to be advantageous for the rich and wealthy in Western societies. In other cultures, this may not be the case, however, Western colonisation has led for this to be influenced world wide. Therefore, gender is not a natural state, rather it is manufactured.

One’s sex does not determine their gender - this only happens because society has labelled different reproductive organs as being one thing or the other and then associated certain traits to those who have certain genitals. In this case, the idea of sex can be considered socially constructed, too. Sex is not a divisive thing; one’s makeup of their body like hormones and genetics has sex appear as a continuum, not easily divided.

Through these assumptions, it has led men to dominate in areas of society (the patriarchy) and have had women be seen as lesser than whereas in reality, there is no biological or innate telling why men should be in this position rather than women.

“I don't think I'm more inherently likely to do domestic work, or childcare...It doesn't come pre-programmed in your vagina, right?” (quote from The Guardian article by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

Some progressive parenting styles involve gender-neutral parenting which eases the restrictions that are upon each gender to ensure that the child has a upbringing which is not defined by gender stereotypes. More examples of this involves gender-neutral toys and clothing.

Gender, rather than being innate, is a concept and is a performance. If one performs to the stereotypical ways that have been associated with each gender, then they are ‘doing’ that gender, not necessarily are that gender. Society is gendered and so, therefore, no one really has a gender until society imposes it on them.