Gender Awareness Gender Governs Almost

Gender Awareness Gender governs almost every social and political sphere. Personal identity depends on largely gender. Interpersonal relationships and communication also rely on gender cues. Gender norms determine behaviors ranging from speech patterns to body language. However, awareness about how strongly gender impacts human behavior remains limited. Part of the reason for the limited awareness about gender is that masculinity is considered the norm. We still hear people saying "a lady doctor" or "actress" when in neither case does being female impact the meaning of the professional standing.

Nagel notes that masculinity underlies nation-state formation in ways we have yet to fully acknowledge in the essay "Masculinity and Nationalism." Moreover, the income inequity between male and female professionals is one of the most disturbing manifestations of a male-dominated society. The glass ceiling also prevents many women from occupying positions of power from which they would be better able to maneuver financial, political, and social resources toward creating widespread social change. Therefore, Gender Awareness Week is an opportunity to expose the hidden and not-so-hidden remnants of gender bias.

Gender awareness means more than an acknowledgment of inequality between the sexes. Even among each gender binary group, males and females, we experience a continuum of gender identity. Not all females like pink and sleep with men. Some wear plaid and sleep with women. Similarly, not all men like football. Some prefer interior design. Gender norms inhibit free self-expression, limiting an individual's ability to transcend the binary of male-female. The result is that many non-conformist men and women are socially isolated and ostracized.

Transgender, gay, and lesbian communities increase gender awareness. Gay pride celebrations do too, even though sexual orientation and gender are actually different topics. The reason why sexual orientation always comes up in any discussion of gender is because males are socialized to sleep with females, and females are socialized to sleep with males. heterosexuality is the social norm. Any diversion from that norm is considered deviance. Gender Awareness Week should seek to accomplish several goals.

First, the week of seminars and workshops will inspire all of us to think more cogently about gender. What does gender mean to us and to our identity? How has gender identity affected our behaviors, our relationships, our reactions to external events? How has our gender identity affected the way others relate to us? I would encourage all students to become more aware of gender in their daily lives. We need to pay attention to instances in which gender is particularly salient.

For example, do males react differently to a woman wearing a skirt and heels than to a woman wearing jeans and Doc Martins? Second, Gender Awareness Week should stimulate more media literacy. The media promotes and reinforces gender norms. For example, a recent Victoria's Secret lingerie fashion show included brief biographies of their models. Each of them stated that their primary ambition in life was to become a full-time mother. Being a full-time mother is an admirable job, but does not represent the goals and dreams.