Celina Wever 

Midterm

Question 1: How do systems of privilege and oppression function in our society? How do we combat these systems?

Systems of privilege and oppression function in our society through the social expectations and regulations that divide us based on race, economic status, gender or gender sexuality, and more. These functions affect the individual’s mentality and self expression but also their access to resources and equality. Privilege can mean having benefits and advantages that are unearned or granted for particular factors. White privilege, men privilege, social and economic status are examples of privileges. For example, private schools offer you a better education and future but depending upon your social status, race, and environment, you may not be able to get in. In the article, Private School Enrollment, it says,”In fall 2017, about 5.7 million students were enrolled in private schools. Sixty-seven percent of private elementary and secondary school students were White, 11 percent were Hispanic, 9 percent were Black, 6 percent were Asian, and 5 percent were students of Two or more races.” This is how it also ties hand in hand with white privilege and the advantages they carry when it comes to stability. Another example is that white people are generally assumed to be good citizens and law abiders, while people of color are perceived as criminals or law breakers until proven not guilty. Socialization systems oppresses people based on identification, degrading them. Gender stereotyping is an example of oppression. Women are portrayed the same way men are like how they are praised for many skills that women are seen not to be capable of, more of a “manly” job, house wife, low income jobs. We can combat these systems by coming to the realization that equality should be given not earned. We need to get past the judgment of someone and give them the same fair chance that a white person would get, a rich person, or a man or a woman with a nice body. Like mentioned in White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, “ As we know from watching men, it is an open question whether we will choose to use unearned advantage to weaken hidden systems of advantage, and whether we will use any of our arbitrarily-awarded power to try to reconstruct power systems on a broader base.” It’s up to us to come together and open the eyes of those oblivious to imperfections.

Question 2: What is the concept of intersectionality and why is it important in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies?

Intersectionality involves a system of discrimination and disadvantage that affects individuals, groups of people, and communities based on social identity, race, or gender/sexual orientation. These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be empowering and oppressing. This concept is important in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies because it illustrates that people may face disadvantages and oppression in different forms no matter who and where you are. It affects our personal disadvantages and rights that are out of our hands. Intersectionality is important to women because it is how they are viewed in their placement on the hierarchy. For example, a transgender women wanting to have a baby or get pregnant is wrong to society just because they chose to dress as a man. Society doesn’t support this idea but rather  judge and push the idea of something new or different. It represents a form of feminism that labels you. It plays a role on what you’re allowed to think or say and this can be dangerous due to the forms that intersectionality comes in. In, There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” by Audre Lorde, she mentioned,”As a Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother of two including one boy and a member of an interracial couple, I usually find myself part of some group in which the majority defines me as deviant, difficult, inferior or just plain “wrong.” This is the label others put on her as who she is or oppressing as the person she was born like. She feels like we can’t have a “peaceful existence” due to oppression of identity. As women, we have to fight for equality going back to the women’s movement and we have to prove men wrong and take their need of control and judgment towards us. We fail to learn that oppression and intolerance of difference come in all shapes, sexes, colors, and sexualities and once we understand, we can’t fight against those who contribute to inequality.

Question 3: Why is it important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity?

It is important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity because it helps the system recognize the social problems and oppression and help improve and change society norms. Patriarchy is usually defined as men being more superior than women or having more authority over them. For example, we can make it possible for women to feel good about their bodies, to not judge themselves as being too big, to not abuse themselves, to live up to the expectations of male-identified standards of beauty and sexual attractiveness. There can be more of men trying to stop the violence and phsyciala nd emotional damage women go through like rape, beatings, shaming, degrading. Men need to normalize speaking up and defending women to recognize the system as a patriarchy because one does it, another follows. There are also individual factors that contribute to how women and men are portrayed. For example, cars or barbies not labelizing how it should be or not. Instagram models or moviestars representing what a body should look like. Like Patriarchy the System said, “To demonstrate that gender privilege and oppression exist, we do not have to show that men are villains, that women are good-hearted victims, that women do not participate in their own oppression, or that men never oppose it.” We have to work together and do the opposite of what hurts people or stop overlooking the little things that matter. A patriarchal system is believing that men and women are different and that their place in the hierarchy isn’t altered due to their gender. Everyone deserves a fair chance of becoming who they want to be without the influences of what others think and that is a peaceful patriarchy. 

Question 4: How is gender constructed and learned in our society? How do we perform gender?

Gender is constructed and learned in our society once the gender is revealed to the parents before the child is born. Society norms are that the color pink means girl and the color blue means boy. Society has already categorized and separated masculine and femine traits. Gender roles in society means how we’re expected to act, dress, conduct, speak upon our assigned sex. Growing up in this society or culture, we learn from whatever their beliefs are. If girls are believed to be dressed more feminine, to be weak, grow up to be a housewife, meanwhile boys are taught to be athletic, strong, aggressive, handsome, show no emotion, be messy, or they have to grow up to work for women, that’s usually how it is expected to be. Doing anything out of the originary is considered to be different from the normal. In Sex and Gender 101, it says,”For example, girls in many developing countries are not allowed to go to school, because some cultures only view boys’ education as valuable.” I chose this because this relates to how in some countries, men have to go to war and women stay behind with the children and also applies to how we perform gender. Gender is performed by playing by the roles and gender identification set already. Little things like men shouldn’t cry isn’t manly or that women wearing baggy clothes is classified as tomboy or gay is apart of oppression. To make changes, children should be able process their identity through observation and imitation of the gender-based behaviors of others, and making their own decision without a label all the time. Little by little, society norms are changing and now there are more opportunities for individuals to have more gender expression. 

Question 5: What is the difference between sex and gender? How are sex and gender conflated (converged and confused) within our culture?

The difference between sex and gender is that sex is characteristics of male or female that is biologically defined at birth. Sex is based on the science of identifying gender that includes sex chromosomes, sex hormones, sex organs, and external genitalia. Alok mentioned in, Beyond the Gender Binary, that “the belief that category of sex is fixed and pure biological reflects an overtly simplistic perspective of science and society.” Meaning our gender assignment has already been set by society before anyone is born and it is universal since the XY chromosomes is what proves your gender. Gender is referred to as the socially constructed characteristics of male or female. Gender is a cultural construct that shifts between societies and across time and affects how people are treated based on their sex. Gender expression includes clothing and other things like make-up, hairstyles, or even style of walking or dancing. It is how we show people  how we perceive ourselves and how we wish to be perceived by others. Society confuses the fact that someone’s gender doesn’t make their personality and behavior. People fail to realize that sex and gender are two very different things and that people is simply just trying to feel comfortable in their own bodies and live how they want to. Nowadays, society is normalizing choosing your sexual orientation and we just need to keep learning how to accept the new normal and different comforts. 

Question 6: What is a double bind? How do double binds function within our society?

Double bind is a dilemma in a communication in which an individual can receive contradictory messages. Double bind occurs when the person can’t confront the dilemma, having two conflicting choices, therefore neither can they resolve or opt out of the situation. Usually anyone can be stuck in a situation like this because one can easily have two conflicting choices to choose from. For example, a mother behaving the way she “suppose” to may be liked but not respected but even if she stopped caring she won’t be liked or respected. Dilemma of a situation that isn’t a win win. Double binds function within our society when a person is taken seriously for their social identity, but others laugh and step over the ideas that you come with. For example, a woman is advised to speak up and let someone know if they feel unsafe or threatened but when a woman does that or says they were raped, people don’t believe them and laugh in their face. Meaning women can cooperate with society regulations but still won’t be in a position to be a leader or well respected. Some of these conflicting messages make freedom and privilege feel structured but limited making it impossible to enjoy ourselves.