One is Not Born a Woman
Introduction
The concept of gender is used to espouse the differences between women and men in social terms as men, and what a man is able to do; as ‘woman’, and as what a woman is and not able to do. In this regard, gender refers to the analytical category socially constructed to effectively differentiate the essential biological differences between men and women. The term gender is also applied in describing the behavior differences between men and women as understood from the ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ point of views. Feminist perspective oppose the biological differences by arguing that they are social constructions of a patriarchal society of the society where men are regarded as superior to women.
The ‘Gender’ Question
In espousing that there are no two genders but one, it is argued that gender is an element of identity that is acquired gradually. In this regard, gender is not something that one is born with but rather becomes with time. Therefore being a woman and being female are two distinctly different sorts of being (Beauvoir et al, 2010). The notion of natural sex get is to be found in occasional political utilization of biological discriminations so as to support a compulsory binary gender system, pitting men against women. It must be made clear that refusing to be a woman equals refusing imposed ideas of femininity and does not translate that one has to become a man.
The popularization of the idea of being a man or a woman is indeed political categorization used to classify men and women as separate classes. Gender is predetermined by the personified patriarchy system and chauvinistic language that precedes and determines it (Beauvoir et al, 2010). Gender differences are based in hierarchical opposition that perceives women as subordinate to women. As such, a woman’s position in society is that of the ‘other’ in addition to being continual outsiders.
It is Wittig’s preposition that a “natural woman” and the concept of being feminine are creations of society. The existence of a lesbian society is also vehemently upheld, thereby defeating the idea of ‘natural woman.” The popular belief is that the oppression of women is based on biological and historical factors. However, the lesbian perspective to women’s oppression refutes this argument because it is premised on heterosexuality as the starting point of society (Beauvoir et al, 2010). In the same vein, the lesbian perspective refuses the idea of sex as being same as race because it is highly visible and belongs to a certain kind of natural order. Such a perspective is indeed unnatural considering that it was founded before the creation of the women’s liberation movement.
Placing the meaning of gender into perspective, it can be argued that indeed femininity is not based on the essential differences in anatomy or biology, psychology, or even intellect. Gender is a construction of civilization, which does not reflect the essential differences in both men and men, rather differences in their situation (Beauvoir et al, 2010). In this regard, situation influences character as opposed to character influencing situation. It is an undeniable fact that woman in never born fully formed, rather shaped gradually by her upbringing. As such, what makes a woman a woman does is not determined by biology – she gets to learn her role and place from man and the rest of society. It is also true that woman is never born secondary, passive, and nonessential as forces in the external environment around always conspire to make her as such (Beauvoir et al, 2010).
Masculinity has always been at the centre of oppression of women. In fact, the term ‘woman’ is a construction of the masculine gaze. This is to say that the masculine conception of woman is responsible for the resultant idealizations and norms which greatly influence the behavior of women. The women lacked the political, economic and social power to challenge the male perspective of their sex, which served to legitimize their oppression over time (Beauvoir et al, 2010). The contemporary media has significantly contributed to this perception through its use of the camera as an extension of the chauvinistic perspective at women. The media provide the tightest definition of woman, where the female body is afforded much focus to suit the ‘ideal woman.’
Conclusion
This paper has espoused that ‘woman’ is but a creation of the patriarchal society whose goal was to undermine the female being. Through a political struggle, the women’s liberation movement would strive to stem men as a class so that there ceases to be a class known as “men” and consequently a non-existent class called “women.” News ways to amalgamate and subvert the political oppositions of feminine and masculine would lead to new formulations of gender. As divisive descriptive terms, masculine and feminine, need to lose their usefulness. This would entail dispelling of the myth of woman and focus on personal identity. Heterosexuality as the accepted social system needs to be done away with as a result. Lesbianism as a comparable category to the Man/Woman model rejects the two categories of Man and Woman and in its place install a new sexless category.
Reference:
Beauvoir, S. ., Borde, C., & Malovany-Chevallier, S. (2010). The second sex. London: Vintage.
