The article visits the debate on the differentiation between gender and gender role. Essentially, according feminist phenomenology, one is not born a woman but one becomes a woman as they grow. This statement claims that the gender of an individual is not merely a biological issue but also a social issue. In essence, the society tries to define ones gender by looking for the physical indications which include traits such as having male or female genitalia ( Butler, 2016 ). However, it is important to differenciate sex and gender since sex is by all means biological. On the other hand, gender involves other factors such as the behavior and gender identity.
This reading relates to the readings about the role of the socialization in the cognitive and social development of individual as seen in the symbolic interactionism. In essence, the theory alludes that individuals think and behave in a certain way as a result of those they interact with and how the society around them views certain things. It is important to understand the role of social interactions and the culture of our societies in influencing what gender one identifies with ( Butler, 2016 ). For instance, one may see themselves as being female from how they view their bodies and how they feel about themselves as opposed to how they look like. This fact supports the concept that the body is a historical aspect that only describes certain ways of determinacy of sex and not sexuality.
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I can relate these concepts to events in life such as baby showers or gender parties that seek to identify the unborn baby as being a boy or a girl. For instance, the attendees of such parties concentrate on identifying the sex of the child by considering facts such as intensity of kicks and behavior if the mother ( Meyer-Bahlburg, 2019). None the less, gender identity is a thing that cannot be predetermined and hence, such ideas are subjective.
This information affects the society in various ways including putting culture and the family on the spot in regards to gender crisis. This fact indicates that the society has the role to shape the identity of the child through inculcating traits that are developed based on social interaction ( Meyer-Bahlburg, 2019 ). This fact is as opposed to expecting the individual to behave in a particular way. In essence, this reading teaches one that gender does not merely occur naturally but is a result of the various interactions and biological factors beyond the penis or vagina.
One important lesson is that gender can also be affected by factors like hormones. For instance, the release of more testosterone than estrogen affects gender by inclining one towards traits that are sexuality and biologically related to males despite having female features such as breasts and the vagina. Hence, gender identity has many determinants including the personal feeling about one’s identity. It also means that gender identity is not determined by the society but by the individual despite the society contributing to influencing social behavior that links one to either gender ( Meyer-Bahlburg, 2019 ). None the less, I disagree with the idea that gender is partly influenced during pregnancy depending on hormones released to the child. This fact is because social interactions affect the cognitive development and it is through cognition that one develops an identity.
In conclusion, the article of phenomenology and gender theory distinguishes gender from sex and distances gender from biology. Despite their genitalia being important features in determining whether one is male or female. It is important to consider other factors that are more social. It is notable that gender identity becomes pronounced as the individual grows.
References
Butler, J. (2016). Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theater Journal, 40 (4).
Meyer-Bahlburg, H. F. (2019). “Diagnosing” Gender? Categorizing Gender-Identity Variants in the Anthropocene. Archives of sexual behavior , 48 (7), 2027-2035.
