Gender is often considered an immutable trait, linked inextricably to the biological sex one was born with. However, research over the past several decades in a multitude of fields including anthropology, psychology, and sociology shows that gender is socially constructed and not innate. Gender is projected onto children before they are fully cognizant of their surroundings, dressed in gendered clothes and channeled into gendered activities. A child is rarely free to construct his or her own gender. While it is rare for a person to be born hermaphroditic, it is not rare at all for someone to dis-identify with their socially prescribed gender and therefore deviate from the norm. Some forms of gender-bending are considered normative, but only in certain contexts. For example, a young girl can be a tomboy without serious social consequences but if she continues to subvert traditional gender norms, she risks social stigma. The level of discrimination against people who do not conform to normative gender roles varies from community to community, but in some cases can be relatively severe. As Charon & Vigilant point out, women are treated measurably differently in the workplace, particularly after they have children. The bullying in schools, which can cause children to commit suicide.
Ultimately socially constructed features like gender, sexuality, and race are significant in that they impact status and access to power. As Charon & Vigilant put it, "the struggle over defining who is an 'American' . . . is, at its heart, about power," (p. 288). It is as if the dominant culture perceives power and status as limited resources, like a rare mineral. The struggle to maintain the dominant culture is rooted in fear of losing power, which is why there…