What does our "performance" have to do with gender?

Question

What are they and why are they still present in our society? What happens if we "break the rules"?

Answer 1

Hello, Hasba!

 

"Performance" is quickly becoming an outdated term when discussing gender, and instead there is a focus on "performativity".  (Take a look at Judith Butler's writing for more details about this, the term was coined in her 1990 book 'Gender Trouble'.)

 

"Gender performance" is just as it sounds--it is how we all present our gender to others, how we 'perform the role' of our gender in such a way that communicates what we are to others.  This could be any number of things--how we dress, talk, walk, our hairstyles, etc.  It is important to note that one's 'gender identity' and 'gender performance' are not the same thing, and that there is a broad spectrum of people for both.

 

 However, only a limited list of gender-identity-to-gender-performance are perceived to 'match' each other in our society.  For example, women may display certain masculine traits (and still identify as women), but once it goes 'too far', labels like 'tomboy' or the more extreme, 'd*ke', are applied.  For men, they may display certain feminine traits, but if they go 'too far', terms like 'sissy' or 'f*g' are applied to them.

 

There also exist genders that may not exist within the male/man-female/woman binary that we have; these identities could be transgender, agender, gender-fluid, 2spirit (or other indigenous genders), and often fall under the blanket term 'genderqueer'.  In the cases of these people, the repercussions for 'breaking the rules' is most severe--they are either not acknowledged by society (in regards to politics as well as popular culture), or they are acknowledged and stigmatized, often resulting in increased rates of violence and harassment.

 

I hope this addressed your question appropriately...if you need further clarification, please let me know!

 

Answer 2

Hi Habsa;

 

I love this question. Thank you for asking. I have no background in sociology. However, I am an anthropologist and took physiological psychology in college. I hope you accept my attempted assistance.

 

One reality is that in our culture, every evening after our families sit down for dinner, the boys jump up and do anything they want, whereas girls help with dishes. It is this element of discipline which has a magnified affect on self-discipline later in life. Another issue to consider is that girls typically help in the kitchen before the meal. This means we have to look at our food before we eat it.

 

A few years ago, I was visiting a friend's home. This household included a puppy which did not belong to her. Rather, such was in training to become a specially trained dog. This particular animal would eventually serve in law enforcement. I observed this woman set the puppy's meal down, and then have the animal sit and look at the food for a few seconds. I wish I knew for how long. As the puppy waited, she lovingly petted her. This was part of the necessary discipline.

 

Another issue is pre-natal. I do not remember the citation for this. Our brains develop differently. Although I do not know why, I must assume that because hormones feed the brain, and because our hormones are balanced differently, this would ensue different growth patterns. I do not know if the manifestations on "performance" have been studied.

 

At the time I was in college, there was a very interesting MY TURN column in Newsweek. A woman noted the fact that modern technologies have reinforced gender roles. According to her, only her husband understood the video-cassette-recorder, whereas only she understood the "mysteries of our microwave oven".

 

The issue of breaking the rules is also significant. Look at your own life. Are boys encouraged to do such whereas girls are not? Are females expected to be "good little girls" whereas males are expected to be "bad boys"? You should be able to find plenty of examples of this issue in all age groups, without requiring any literary citations. You can begin by observing an elementary school playground.

 

Another issue you may want to consider is the statistics of how many men versus women are in jail. How does the women's maximum-security prison compare to that of men?

 

You must also watch the talk-shows on television. There, you will typically see a female honestly complaining about her victimization. The women of the audience will typically chew-her-up, demanding of her to blame herself. My guess is that many of these audience-women classify themselves as femininists. The conveniently forget that an essential of feminism was to free women of much of the guilt we had been feeling as we suffered in silence. In simpler terms, women are emotionally restraining women and thereby hindering our "performance". An essential of effective performance, is to cope with victimization.

 

I hope this helps.