Gender is usually divided into two sexes, namely male and female, in modern society. Traditionally, gender is determined by various physiological features, such as genitalia. Being a member of a definite gender implements specific societal roles. These roles may vary in different cultures, but they are precisely determined in most cases. However, the sexual dichotomy is not justified and should be challenged because there are more than two genders from the biological viewpoint, meaning that social construction cannot be that simplistic.
First, the social construction of gender is founded on the biological features of a person. When a child is born, they are assigned to a specific sex category based on the look of their genitalia (Lorber, 1994). Then, the sex category defines the gender status of a person through various gender markers, such as naming and dressing (Lorber, 1994). Humans create specific processes which illustrate sexual dichotomy because people of one gender are treated differently from those of the other. Newborn babies are dressed in a way that shows their sex category because parents want to emphasize that visually (Lorber, 1994). Gender defines the kinds of jobs people can take and sets different functions for mothers and fathers (Lorber, 1994). For instance, it is accepted in most parts of the developed world that working in mines is not a job for females. That is why during their personal development process, people obtain different skills, consciousness, feelings, relationships (Lorber, 1994). Everything mentioned above demonstrates that the social construction of gender is sustained in modern society while being a member of the specific gender defines many aspects of people’s lives.
However, the social construction of gender is not appropriate because the methods of determining a sex category are imperfect. As mentioned earlier, gender is defined at birth depending on the look of a baby’s genitalia, but there are significant exceptions. For instance, in the podcast hosted by Zomorodi (2020), one of the speakers was Emily Quinn, an intersex. This term means that particular physiological features do not allow to define a person as a male or a female (Zomorodi, 2020). Quinn states that judging by her look, she is a woman, yet she was born with XY chromosomes, and she has a vagina and balls, which makes her an intersex (Zomorodi, 2020). Quinn uses her physiological features to illustrate that gender cannot be divided into two parts because the biology of sex is much more complex than that (Zomorodi, 2020). Therefore, society should challenge the sexual dichotomy because it is established inappropriately. The facts mentioned above demonstrate that, from the biological viewpoint, there are more than two genders, meaning that societal predeterminations are either incomplete or incorrect.
On the whole, the social construction of gender is based on sexual dichotomy, which is imperfect and should be challenged because the biology of sex is highly complicated. In most cultures, gender is a role that people have to play, meaning that being a member of a specific gender often defines what people wear, where they work, and what they do. However, gender is assigned as the biological determination of a sex category that is based on genitalia. That determination is imperfect because many people are born with physiological features that do not allow to attribute them to males or females. People treat each other differently based on gender, have different functions and expectations. Nonetheless, it appears wrong because the biological determination process that leads to the sexual dichotomy is too narrow.
References
Lorber, J. (1994). Paradoxes of gender. Yale University Press.
Zomorodi, M (Host). (2020-present). The biology of sex [Audio Podcast]. TED.