Monthly writer in the Nation, Patricia J. Williams’ discusses issues of gender and sex; in her article “Are We Worried About Storm’s Identity—or Our Own?” In this article, Williams uses Storm Stocker, a child whose parents and siblings decided not to reveal Storm’s biological sex. She addresses gender and sex stereotypes that exist in society today due to the reactions of people in the media having issues on how to refer to Storm as he, she or it. One must define gender and sex in terms of physiological and social concepts.
Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define a man and a woman. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. Everyone has a gender and a sex, but they do not always match each other; this is why some people wish to alter their bodies or change the way they present themselves to society. Contrary to popular belief, there are more than just two genders. Some people do not identify as male or female while some identify as both. Gender is not always black or white, there are gray areas as well.
Williams begins her article with an anecdotal story about her son and how he acted in nursey school at the age of two. He and Jessie, a cheerful …show more content…
In English, there is no adequately humanizing yet universal pronoun for a genderless baby. There is no general reference to common humanity; in order to speak comfortably, one automatically must yield to the partitions of him, of her, of gender. For that reason Society becomes instantly enraged and discernible when the sex was not revealed. “Gender, rather than sex, is a social response, embedded in our language, culture, education, ideology,” and “vision.” (547) Society fails to remember sex and gender are not alike. Sex refers to the biological and physical characteristics while gender is the social
Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define a man and a woman. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. Everyone has a gender and a sex, but they do not always match each other; this is why some people wish to alter their bodies or change the way they present themselves to society. Contrary to popular belief, there are more than just two genders. Some people do not identify as male or female while some identify as both. Gender is not always black or white, there are gray areas as well.
Williams begins her article with an anecdotal story about her son and how he acted in nursey school at the age of two. He and Jessie, a cheerful …show more content…
In English, there is no adequately humanizing yet universal pronoun for a genderless baby. There is no general reference to common humanity; in order to speak comfortably, one automatically must yield to the partitions of him, of her, of gender. For that reason Society becomes instantly enraged and discernible when the sex was not revealed. “Gender, rather than sex, is a social response, embedded in our language, culture, education, ideology,” and “vision.” (547) Society fails to remember sex and gender are not alike. Sex refers to the biological and physical characteristics while gender is the social