I found this week’s reading to be very eye-opening. On one hand, we have the feminist movement which is focused on identifying and preventing sexist thoughts and actions. On the other, we have one’s biological sex versus the cultural construct of gender. What I found most interesting was that both readings discussed the expectations that society has for each gender based on cultural or even religious teachings.

In Feminist Politics, the author states that America is a Christian society and so “masses of people continue to believe that God has ordained that women be subordinate to men in the domestic household.” Essentially women are still viewed as the homemaker whilst men are supposed to work and provide for their families. Of course, this issue of sexism is far deeper than that and I can honestly say I’d never considered how the fight for racial equality, specifically for women of color, would create a double standard of living for reformist feminists.

That said, it’s no surprise to me that gender is considered a social construct and essentially comes with its own set of rules and prejudices. As stated before, the gender assignment of females comes with the notion of being soft and submissive to their male counterparts. What I love about gender expression is that it creates the opportunity for a person to shake off the chain of expectations and to express themselves how they see fit. “A person’s biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are not mutually exclusive.” While there is plenty more work to be done if we are to reshape our society, I think we can see that change is coming.