{journal nine}

This post was inspired by a brief discussion we had in class recently about our gender identity being a result of biology vs. a result of society.  It was particularly interesting to me because in my Sociology of Gender class last semester we had many discussions about this very thing.  The articles referenced in this post were from the sociology readings from last semester.  If you'd like to look at them, or get more information about them, I'd be happy to bring them to class.

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There are two basic ideas about how we become who we are as a person. The first idea is that the ways we grow, act and think are biologically wired in us from birth. The second idea is that environmental factors, such as the way we were raised and whom we interact with, influence who we are as a person. There have been countless debates about which one is responsible for how we become who we are. Different fields of research and science credit different things for how we develop. My opinion is that that while both factors influence us, it is through the environmental factors and social contexts we experience that biological influences come into play.  Simply put, the biological factors that differentiate males and females don’t matter unless they are considered within relevant social contexts.

Looking strictly at biology, some researchers claim that it is through biological influences, and those influences only, that we develop into who we are.  Some studies suggest that it is through biology that we can explain gender, or what it means to be masculine or feminine. While taking a sociology of gender class last semester, several studies we read claimed that the masculine or feminine characteristics we have are with us from birth, and it is through prenatal exposure to certain hormones that we are particularly masculine or particularly feminine. For example, according to one of the researchers we studied in sociology (Udry), women have taken on bigger roles and gained more equality in society because of increased exposure to testosterone while in the womb (2000).

I think that while there are certain attributes that we are born with that determine our gender, it is through social forces that those attributes are developed. Biology isn't final.  For instance, our social experiences can influence our gender, and can alter what predetermined gender identities we were born with.  Someone born biological female can encounter numerous social influences that can alter her gender. Influences such as the way she was raised by her parents, the demographic make-up of where she lives or the friends she has can alter her gender. If she was raised in a household with a father who pushed her to disregard feminine activities, a disengaged mother, and no sisters, she might grow up with more of a masculine perspective.  If she was particularly interested in sports, or if the friends she has don't like to engage in feminine activities, her own interests might not be feminine. Her competitive nature that she learned through playing sports might aid her in a professional setting, in which one day she becomes the vice president of a company. Her being more masculine was because of her social experiences, not necessarily because of increased exposure to testosterone while she was in her mother’s womb.

While biology does matter, gender is viewed as a “socially constructed institutional arrangement, with gender divisions and roles built into all major social institutions such as the economy, the family, the state, culture, religion and the law, that is, the gendered social order” (Kennelly, Merz & Lorber, 2000, p. 600). Women learn what it means to be a mother, a wife and a female professional from the social influences they encounter in their lives. What it means to be a woman, or to be feminine, is constantly changing, as society is constantly redefining certain roles, expectations and characteristics (Risman, 2000). Therefore it is through these social changes that the definition of a woman transforms, not just because of fluctuating hormone levels (Risman, 2000).

There is no question that biology does affect us. When we are born, we have certain chemicals in our bodies, and certain physical attributes, that designate us as male or female. However, it is through social contexts that we develop and ‘play out’ our gender, so to speak. Our biological make-up means nothing without understanding the social situation or influences that surround it. I fully support this idea, and have experienced this both with the people I interact with, as well as myself. Your DNA only goes so far without also considering the social constructs in which you live.

{journal four}

I was hesitant to post about this because it's someone I know in real life, but I feel the topic is so relevant to this class, that it needs to be put out there.

I've lived in my particular home for about a year and half, and my landlord (a woman), takes care of the maintenance on the house.  She stops by from time to time to check things out and makes sure everything is okay.  My landlord is a lesbian.  We're all totally cool with this, my roommates and I.  My landlord only refers to her significant other as 'her spouse'.  Never 'oh my wife' or calls her by name.  The only way we found out her name (or that she was a woman, therefore making my landlord a lesbian) was that she came over to fix a leaky faucet a few months after we moved in.  Now, maybe my landlord didn't want us to know she was a lesbian.  Or maybe it's simply the way she refers to her relationship in public.  But obviously she knows that we know that her significant other is a woman, because she sent her over to our house to fix something.  But still, without fail, she calls her 'her spouse'.  It really isn't any of my business, it just makes me wonder what her reasons are for doing so.

That wasn't the original reason for bringing up my landlord, I got distracted and went off on a tangent, which often happens.  Anyway, my landlord and her spouse have an adopted child.  Their adopted child is biologically male, but in some form or another has an outward appearance of female.  Notice I'm very careful not to say that he acts like a female/wants to be a female, because maybe his gender identity or gender presentation differs from his perceived gender identity (yes yes, I pay attention in class!).  I've only encountered their child a few times, but whenever I have, they are in female-like clothing, with eye shadow and lipgloss on, and a pixie like haircut.  So, the reason I bring this up -- My landlord and her spouse have been having a lot of issues with their child, mental health issues.  I don't know if this stems from the gender identity issues, or from something else.  But it's enough to make them unable to come to the house often, or pretty much ever.  Several times my landlord has mentioned their problems to me though.  But every time, she refers to their child as "my child."  She did this when we moved in as well, when her child was standing right there.  She introduced them as "her child," and their name is gender neutral so that wasn't a hint either.  

The point I'm getting at is that it makes it difficult for us to figure out what pronoun to use when referring to our landlord's child because we have no idea what he or she prefers to be called.  Because their mother purposely doesn't use pronouns, we can't figure out the 'true' gender identity of her child.  I understand that this may be intentional, but it makes outsiders uncomfortable because we're unable to address the child in a more personal manner.  Even when asking about how her child is doing, I have to ask "how is your child?" instead of a more personal "how is your daughter/son doing?"

This all refers back to a conversation we had at the beginning of the semester.  About how gender blenders and/or benders dance on this border between male and female characteristics, sometimes making it very difficult for others to distinguish their correct gender identity.  And how sometimes, these people intentionally don't let on to what gender identity they prefer, for whatever reason.  It makes it difficult for others to connect with my landlord's child because they can't put a personifier on him or her. This can make people very uncomfortable.  And maybe it's a situation where they specifically don't want to subscribe to a particular gender.  And if that's what they want, then the rest of us will just have to get use to gender neutral terms.

It's all very much in the grey zone.  Gender identity, gender presentation and perceived gender identity don't all fit into need little boxes, with each one agreeing with the others.  They blur lines, mess each other up, cause miscommunications and confuse outsiders.

This video doesn't actually have anything to do with the above topic.
But this is what I think of whenever I say "the landlord."
...enjoy.
The Landlord--featuring Will Ferrell and Pearl the landlord (aka Will's daughter)

The Landlord from Will Ferrell