Megan M. Ramdin : Gender Identity Project

Perspectives through One’s Eye

Gender identity is always mistaken and confused by sexual orientation. They are often mistaken for the same thing while they are different. Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Gender identity refers to what an individual feels from within themselves. A person who is born a boy may feel like a woman from within and exhibits his identity through feminine clothes or behavior. Likewise, a person who is born a female may later in life identify herself as a man by dressing or acting like a man. Gender identity has always been an issue due to the fact one refuses to follow the social construct to find out who they are.

The social construction of gender difference is a philosophical theory according to which gender is socially constructed. It discusses how the biological basis of the differences between the sexes does not explain their lived differences and inequalities. It’s about having look at the sex-gender distinction and the different explanations that have been given for the near-universal inequality between men and women. For example, toys we receive as children by default, footballs, and trucks for boys and princesses and dresses for girls. Magazines that portray women in a sexual way, but men are almost never portrayed in the same way.

Gender roles have indeed changed over time but not within specific households. I am a woman that is born into a strict Indo-Caribbean home that if one is to deny the social construct to be someone that we truly are, we would no longer be acknowledged. I am the last-born woman in my family as well as the youngest.  My mother grew up living within very strict norms, in a village where gender roles are clear and followed to this day. Women cook, serve, clean, love their families, whereas the men were the providers. In an Indo- Caribbean home, a woman especially a last born is given high expectations to be well educated, respected, knowing how to cook, and cleaning. You have three other siblings that went through the process that I would have to go through. I would always try to set a higher example that they never did. I would feel praised when my parents would acknowledge my actions. But my sister and I would have to do tasks that were assigned to us because the “boys couldn’t do it”.  For example, in an Indo-Caribbean household, men aren’t allowed to clean a restroom because that was a lady’s job. Why must it only one’s personal job? Cleaning is everyone’s job not only one woman. Degrading one’s gender doesn’t make them feel good about themselves. Another aspect I can touch upon would be a curfew. Females in an Indo-Caribbean household should be in their house before the sun sets but fine for a male to come and go whenever they like. Double standard much? I would say. Up to this day, I come home right after school, sometimes the train would be delayed and my parents would call me non stop to see where I am, yes I understand they are concerned but if I was to be one minute late, I wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Psychological theories focus on the internal development provoked by early childhood experience. This perspective focuses on how our unconscious thoughts and memories influence our identity and beliefs. These theories are known as social learning and cognitive development. We often come across this idea when we try to replicate the other person’s behavior. Social learning theory posits gender is a learned behavior, learned by observing, analyzing, and modeling others (DeFrancisco, 4). Personally, I feel that the social learning theory best illustrates the gender awareness process as human beings are social animals and develop through social interactions. Growing up, I always wanted to be like my mom. The super mom, the multitasker because she seemed to have everything under control even in the toughest times. I remember in my youth, mimicking her every move. From washing the dishes to trying on her shoes, wearing her makeup, and wearing her apron. My family would laugh hysterically. Not to be funny but just admirable of her actions.

We all grow up to be acknowledged in the world. But how do we know who we want to be? We as humans use this process in our everyday lives. This is how the human mind grows and changes within time. This is known as cognitive development theory. Cognitive development theory seek to explain human behavior by understanding the development of identity as a process that goes through stages (Piagent, 1965).   Cognitive development basically includes how we develop our skills and knowledge to understand what’s going around us which is includes the part of brain development and cognitive development again somehow affected by our social values and norms.

People do not merely internalize gender roles as they mature but they respond to changing norms in society. Children learn to categorize themselves by gender very early on in life. A part of this is learning how to display and perform gendered identities as masculine or feminine. Boys learn to manipulate their physical and social environment through physical strength or other skills, while girls learn to present themselves as objects to be viewed. Children monitor their own and others’ gendered behavior. Gender-segregated children’s activities create the appearance that gender differences in behavior reflect an essential nature of male and female behavior.