Chapter and Article Essay
Chapter 2
These very few words are chosen because they are very true. Gender is indeed a social construct. Being born a biological female can be quite degrading at times because the society has become accustomed to how a lady should act, how she should speak, and most importantly, how she should deal with men.
Society teaches men to be more dominant than women.
These are really short but powerful words. It speaks the truth about gender roles then and now. Men are more dominant because they are physically stronger. In addition, there is a socio-historical factor why men still dominate women in most cases even in modern times.
Shuler and Houston articles
These articles show that gender identity is indeed a social construct. The society, even the smallest unit called family, often does not know how to react when they find out that one of their members has gender issues – a gay or a lesbian. In society, as taught in schools and churches, there are only males and females. It is a sad truth that because of this dogmatic or stereotypical point of view, these family members are forced to flee their homes to wander off on their own – in the streets. Although women can be deemed luckier, they are still stereotyped by gender roles and social perceptions. Breastfeeding women, for instance, are shamed for doing a very natural and biological thing – feeding their baby. The society does not have much problem with men. Women who commit adultery are more cursed by the society than men because men who cheat are perceived as part of the norm.
