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Janely Aguilar
Jon Beadle
English 115
2 October 2016

Segregation Between Genders

For many centuries sex and gender were thought to mean the same thing, when in
actuality they are not. People are only born sexed, not gendered; we are taught from a young age
to be act masculine or feminine. The idea that a person can identify themselves as neither sexes
has never been enforced in society. Composing Gender, aids by explaining in the articles how
both genders have a set of rules and norms that state how they are supposed to act, as well as
how it these rules and expectations are imposed by parents since they are very young. As we
grow up, we face a society where there is a clear distinction between both genders and are
expected to behave accordingly; which should not continue because these social norms will only
achieve to further restrict the way the people want to behave. People should be able to decide
how they identify themselves based from their experiences not by the influences and the fact that
someone can declare themselves as gender neutral has to be implemented in society.
Once people are gendered as male or female, there are certain behaviors that have been
established and viewed as normal for each gender that they must abide by. Aaron Devor in
Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meaning of Gender, claimed that men are often
associated with dominance, aggression, and superiority whereas women are associated with
being submissive, passive and cooperative (Devor, 41). This gives the impression that men
should act more like a leader and should be in control of situations whereas women should be
more of a follower who should only do as her husband says because that is how society expects

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them to behave. In my family my mother acts more of the leader in some situations, but both my
mother and father equally take care of my brother and I regarding issues in school. It is the
opposite of how men are expected to be in society, because for men they are taught to put a
higher importance on their job while the wife is caring for the kids. Females are required to have
warm and continued relationships with men, a sense of maternity, and have an interest in caring
for children (Devor, 40). Women were deemed to only take care of their children and
husbands in the past, but times have changed and women have gained the right to decide
whether they want to have a baby or whether they want to marry a man at all. In my family, my
mother and father expect to me work, not to just be a housewife who cooks and cleans for her
husband while he is one earning the money for the family. My parents expectation of my brother
is that he focuses on his education to be able to attain a job. Aside from behaviors being enforced
many activities are often divided into genders suitable or unsuitable for the other which can
only lead to men and women being treated unequally (Devor, 40). It occurs often where people
of the opposite are expected to perform poorly and are often ridiculed even if they succeed in it.
When I watched American Ninja Warrior, a show where people have to go through different
obstacles in a certain time limit to be able to have a chance to win $500,000 and the title of
American Ninja Warrior with my father. It mostly consists of people participating and he
assumes the women who compete will not able to do it as well as men. It correlates with how
Devor explains how people behave when viewing someone of the opposite gender attempting
something suitable for men only. Aaron Devor may have written this article in order to
demonstrate how people since children from a young age are expected to look and act a certain
way in society because of their difference in biology. People shouldnt be expected to act as how

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they are told because of the sex they were born in, but as they grow when they can identify
themselves as either gender.
Children begin to learn how to behave by not only society but from their parents who treat
them differently according to the sex they are born in. Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran in
From Women, Men, and Society, claim that parents respond differently to newborn babies
based on sex such as boys being expected to grow up tall, large, athletic, serious, and having
broad wide hands (Curran & Renzetti, 77). By setting expectations for their children they are
further encouraging the separation between both genders and are not teaching their kids that it is
also suitable to establish themselves as the opposite gender. Boys and girls were expected to
behave differently; parents expected boys to be fussier, while girls were expected to be wellbehaved and easy-going (Curran & Renzetti, 78). The assumption that girls and boys shouldnt
act the same has made parents set rules that they have to follow and if they are not met they must
be disciplined. As a young girl I tended to act well-behaved while my brother often got in trouble
in school. In my family the expectations parents wanted were met and I continue to behave
accordingly while my brother has changed and become more responsible since entering high
school in 2010. I behaved the way society expects me to behave because I rarely broke rules at
home or at school, whereas my brother did and was reprimanded, but not as much as I would
have been if I had acted out. It has been said that the sex of the parent has also been relevant to
how their children are treated; Father's usually play more interactive games with their infant and
toddler sons... whereas they promote vocal interaction with their daughters (Curran and
Renzetti, 79). The gender of parents further contribute to how children are influenced to act in
appropriate behaviors according to the sex they were born in. Curran and Renzetti wrote about
this in their article in order to further explain as how children are influenced since they are young

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how to act in order to conform to societys expectations of them. They think it is shame how
from a young age children are exposed to how to associate each gender to be. As well as how
when they begin school they already have an understanding of how they are supposed to behave
because of their sex. Parents shouldnt attempt to gender their children and teach them how to
behave at a young age, but allow them to discover who they are as they grow by exposing them
to different influences and experiences.
Women and men are often perceived as different in workplaces even when they are
working in the same job, which further strengthens the separation between both genders. Judith
Lorber in Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender, claims that there are
different job names depending on the gender such as in a military academy where women were
...required to wear makeup - at a minimum, lipstick and eyeshadow - and they have to take
makeup classes [because they were] Woman Marine (Lorber, 27). Men were viewed as
having an advantage against women in terms of attaining jobs, but that has changed as women
are now able to work in the same jobs as men. Although men and women work in the same
establishments they should also be allowed to have the same titles as that men have. In many
countries that prevent gender discrimination Men dominate positions of authority and
leadership in government, the military, and the law[while] women still do most of the
domestic labor and child rearing... (Lorber, 30). Even though women work full time, they are
also held responsible for caring for the children while men are only expected to work to support
the family. My father has 2 jobs that provide a lot for our family, but my mother also has a job
while also selling various products in her own time. Both my parents work and help take care of
my older brother and I. I view them equally because when they are not working they spend their
day taking care of my brother and I. Judith Lorber may have written this article in order to

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explain how men and women are not treated equally even when they are both assigned the same
type of work. Lorber concludes by explaining how it will be difficult for people to accept the
idea that one can choose not to be masculine or feminine. Women have progressed eminently to
be able to work and get the same education as men, therefore they also deserve to acquire the
same job title as them based on how knowledgeable they are about the job rather than their
biological differences.
Although each gender has responsibilities and norms they must follow, it should be taught
that one has the right to decide whether they identify themselves differently. As one begins to
grow and learn, they will be exposed to different experiences that will influence their decision. It
should be clear that societys rules and expectations dont need to be followed because it will not
only limit people from behaving the way they want but also further encourage the segregation
between both genders.

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Work Cited
1. Curran, Daniel and Renzetti Claire From Women, Men, and Society Composing Gender,
edited by Rachel Groner & John F. Ohara, 1st Edition, Bedford/St.Martins, 2014, United States
of America

2. Devor, Aaron Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meaning of Gender Composing
Gender, edited by Rachel Groner & John F. Ohara,l, 1st Edition, Bedford/St.Martins, 2014,
United States of America

3. Lorber, Judith Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender Composing Gender,
edited by Rachel Groner & John F. Ohara, 1st Edition, Bedford/St.Martins, 2014, United States
of America