CC Social Psych Gender Identity and Performance Discussion

 

 

Please respond to all 5 questions below.

1. Where do you think our ideas about what is masculine and what is feminine come from?

2. What are your thoughts about the idea of “gender performance” (a phrase popularized by Judith Butler) – that gender and gender identity is something inscribed in daily practices, learned and performed based on cultural norms of femininity and masculinity? The main point of gender performance is that gender is performed and becomes naturalized over time: we act in ways that consolidate the idea of “being a man” or “being a woman.” Butler questions the belief that certain gendered behaviors are natural, illustrating the ways that one’s learned performance of gendered behavior (what we commonly associate with femininity and masculinity) is an act of sorts, a performance, one that is imposed upon us by normative heterosexuality.

3. What do you think are some of the potential effects (emotional, physical and mental health, etc.) on individuals to live up to societal and cultural (i.e., normative) ideals of gender, masculinity, femininity, sexuality/sexual orientation, etc. ?

4. How do your own race, gender, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other identities intersect and overlap to form your experiences? Do you experience any forms of inequity or discrimination due to your identities? Are some more privileged? Are some less so?

5. What power dynamics do you experience in your occupation/work, family life, and other social contexts? Are there times in which you hold more or less power due to the nature of the relationship/context (e.g. between a doctor and their patient, teacher and student, etc.)? In what ways do these power dynamics affect your interactions with other people? How about your psychological/mental health and wellness? (you can also discuss attitudes/thoughts and emotions).

6. What are some ways you would like for others and society to support the complexity of people’s identities and lives? What are some ways in which you can support people to share the complexity of their lives?