Living in a gendered society defines men as men, and women as women. It is only through the interplay between the two notions of man and woman that we come to know ourselves as different from The Other. It is the differences that define us, that shape and guide our ability to understand and create meaning around our sex and sexuality. The concept of our gender difference allows us the free play necessary to choose our vessel, to draw edges, borders around Who We Are by giving us a Who We Are Not. The gendering of our society is the wall we bounce the ball of our self definition upon; without it, we fail to be defined as man or woman. It is the gendering of society that provides the hierarchical tension necessary for these definitions. Without woman, there is no man, and without man, there can be no woman, the concepts foundationally require one another for their existence.
Living in a gendered society allows for the above noted definition, a definition set that we have grown comfortable with, that we expect to grow old and die with. We know ourselves in part by knowing what a man is, by knowing what a woman is, by placing ourselves within those categories, outside of those categories, by stretching the edges and feeling that tension. It is also this tension that forces a hierarchy to appear. Because difference exists, and because the terms are dichotomously related and necessarily mutually exclusive, an ordering between the terms must appear to satisfy this conflict. One gender must be established as the preferential, the norm, and the other must be subordinate. In our society, the male gender has become the norm, the preference. As a result, the female gender is subjugated to the male. This dichotomous hierarchy is clearly visible.
In the United States, eighteen amendments to the Bill of Rights were passed prior to the federal establishment of a woman’s right to vote, not ratified until 1920, marking the end to 144 years of systematic political disempowerment. Women earn 75.5 cents per dollar that men earn in the same profession according to the most recent US Census. According to some studies, one in five women will report themselves as the victim of a sexually violent crime in their lifetime, many more will not report their assault. Clearly, there is a power gap between men and women, and women are not in the lead.
That the differentiation between the sexes creates incredible tension, and that this tension creates disparity and power inequality is clear. What is not clear is to what extent the blurring of gender lines and boundaries will affect the power struggle. Although men and women will most certainly continue to define their sexuality through their understanding and relationship with the opposite sex, the traditional lines between male and female roles is being slowly blended. The so-called classical roles of men and women have changed dramatically with the mass introduction of women into the male workplace during world war II, and it changed again with the invention of the birth control pill, which helped to fuel the sexual revolution of the 1970’s. Living in a gendered society now means that men are not the sole providers and protectors of the household. Men no longer exclusively (although still predominantly) control access to critical resources such as wealth and education. Women are gaining ground in the battle for equality. How this will redefine men and women both personally and socially is unclear, what is clear is that it’s about goddamn time.
