Constructions of Gender

Abstract

To students in an Introduction to Gender Studies course, perhaps the most stunning revelation the course offers is as follows: gender is much more complex than one might immediately assume. It is not a binary. It is not synonymous with sex. It is both an identity in which you define yourself and a set of expectations preordained by the social powers that be. Because my main interest in gender lies in its conceptualization beyond the binary of male and female, white, able-bodied, middle class, and Western, my aim is to delineate a reality of fault lines – that is, places wherein normative, mainstream beliefs about gender (and sex) break down, and areas in which gender ideals are defined differently for different groups. This study will highlight many of the cornerstones of modern constructions of gender through analysis of oppositional forces within these constructions. Therefore, this paper will deal partially with transgressive gender identity and some of the attendant complications, with respect to sociology, biology, and psychology. Faculty Adviser: April Kilinski