Baby X A Fabulous Child's Story Analysis

Gender is an important characteristic in distinguishing an individual’s identity within society; but what if gender didn’t exist? Relating back to Adam and Eve, the first man and woman to exist on planet Earth, we’ve implemented a separation among the sexes of human beings and principles that pertain to how one should live their life accordingly. We have always been taught that we are either a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, but we have never stopped to consider the possibility that evolution no longer supports this idealized approach. In ‘X: A Fabulous Child’s Story’, author Lois Gould considers what may happen when a child is raised without a gender and is undistinguishable as either a boy or a girl. Her piece challenges the issues involved …show more content…
In this case, the parents of the child name it ‘Baby X’ and do not reveal the child’s sex to anyone; this way it will not be subjected to stereotypical gender roles as it develops through stages in life. The child is raised in an environment where they are free to dress how they like, play which sports they like, choose their own role models, develop an assortment of skills and most importantly choose their own identity without worrying about behaving like a boy or like a girl. By the time the child enrolls in school, it has developed a multitude of skills that allow it to accomplish more than the average student. Instead of limiting the child’s abilities based on which a boy or a girl can and cannot do, it is open to more experiences which in turn, leads to a happier and healthier life, “X won the spelling bee. X also won the relay race. And X almost won the baking contest, (Gould, 1972, 7). From a medical perspective, child ‘X’ was given a psychiatric evaluation to determine its mental health compared to all of the other gendered students in their school. The parents of all the other children assumed that being gender-less would have negative consequences on the child, but they had never considered the possibility that the case might be reversed. Based on the stages of psychosocial development, which …show more content…
Many stereotypes exist regarding gender and it is commonly thought that women are only recognized as the weaker sex; they are highly demoted in terms of career, social status, physical strength, and wealth. Men have always been seen as superior to women, but in recent days, women have become more independent, self-sufficient, powerful and less-sacrificing. In a world in which equality is becoming more feasible, it is important to remember that the root cause lies in childhood which will outline how a person will live the rest of their life. Since child ‘X’ is not categorized as a boy or as a girl, it will not have to face the numerous stereotypes that come along with having a gender and will be better off. From an intersectional approach, children should not be defined by their gender alone, just as they should not be defined by their race, religious background, class or any other characteristic. It is absurd to place specific roles in the hands of each sex, “They knew if they kept bouncing it up in the air and saying how strong and active it was, they’d be treating it more like a boy than like an X. But if all they did was cuddle it and kiss it and tell it how sweet and dainty it was, they’d be treating it more like a girl than an X,” (Gould, 1972, 3). Teaching children that they must act a certain way because of their gender is