Individuals Influence On Gender Identity - Essay Example

? Individuals Influence on Gender Identity Introduction Gender is the characteristics that distinguish between femininity and masculinity (Fausto, 2000, pp. 13). These characteristics can be mental, physical and behavioral. Thus, depending with the context, gender can be referred to as sex since this is the state of being male or female, based on the physical characteristics of the individual. Gender can also be referred to in terms of social roles. Here, gender is distinguished based on the roles that an individual identifies with. For instance, girls will prefer to identify themselves with feminine roles and boys will prefer masculine roles. The last reference that can be deduced from gender is the gender identity. Gender identity is an individual’s private sense and experience of one’s own gender (Brown, 1999, pp. 34). It is the acceptance, of one’s identity as being a male or a female. Therefore, an individual will draw his/her experiences from the set of gender categories that are established by the society. These attributes vary from one society to the other. A set of gender categories that one identifies with as a male or female in society A is not necessarily the same with the set of categories for an individual in society B. in fact, in other societies, people rarely use the gender categories that has been ascribed to their biological sex. A child starts developing concepts of gender identity at an early age, 3 years. This is contrary to the beliefs of many, that an individual develop these concepts at puberty. In fact, the latest ages that a child can develop these concepts are age’s four to six. Therefore, it is congruent that all people develops gender identity based on the influence of the significant others. In addition, the interactions that people engages in, from childhood to adulthood, greatly determines their gender identity. Finally, one’s personal preference also plays a significant role in determining his/her gender identity. Thus, it is possible for individuals to perform and construct their own gendered identities. To understand gender identity at a deeper length, it is imperative to consider social constructs of gender difference. This implies that issues like socialization or environmental factors and response to changing societal norms must be considered and understood. For instance, children start understanding gender identity at a very tender age. A child will know whether he is a boy or she is a girl. Thus children at an early age can already categorize their gender. They further learn how to perform gender roles that are associated with their identity as masculine and feminine. Boys learn to control and manipulate their physical environment through their strength and sometimes skills. On the other hand, girls at an early age, already start presenting themselves as an object that should be viewed. As they grow up, these children keenly monitors their friends’ gendered behaviors as well as their own. Thus, gender segregated children activities, partly found in their play and normal life practices brings in the appearance that there is male and female behaviors. Therefore, these children grows up knowing that there are varied behaviors, roles and practices that they should do as a male or a female. Nevertheless, there are a number of factors that influences a child’s gender development. The most outstanding of these factors is the environment where a child develops. Indeed, Barret found out that ones identification as a male or a female is not natural, but it results after a series of repeated performance of gender norms conforming to the above identified sexes (2001, pp. 313). Thus, it is this performance that will reproduce and results into the traditional gender categories of males and females. Studies have found out that children develop gender identities as they search for their social cues (Lucal, 1999, pp. 513). In addition, Brown established similar findings in his studies. He established that, children will develop their gender identity by approving all the constructs and roles of the gender with which he/she identifies with (1999, pp. 173). He further noted that children form their gender identity in three significant stages. These include toddlers and preschool stages, consolidation stage and finally peak of rigidity stages. In the first stage, toddlers or preschool, children learn about the physical and behavioral characteristics. These as recorded by Anderson (2002, pp. 413) are socialize aspects of gender which are very essential in propelling the child into the next gender identity development stage, consolidation. This stage is known to peak at ages six and seven years. Here, children repeatedly experience the characteristics that further adds into the gender identity which they whole heartedly approve of. Therefore, it is in this stage that a child’s gender identity becomes rigid. After, this stage, the child enters into the final peak of rigidity stage. Here, the child masters all that are required for his/her gender identity. Since this stage peaks at puberty, children harden up their gender identity. At this stage there are biological factors like post natal hormones that couples up with the individual’s genetic make up to significantly reveal his/her gender identity. Social factors like the knowledge on the gender roles that an individual acquires from the family, mass media, authorities, friends and other people within an individual’s environment also plays significant role in one’s gender identity. In addition to the biological and social factors, language plays a very crucial role in determining ones gender identity. There are varied ways in which the words in ones language are associated with the person’s gender. Thus, linguistic practices have been used, currently and traditionally in shaping ones gender identity. For sure, they play immense role in constructing ones feminine and masculine characteristics. These factors further adds into an individual’s gender role in two important ways. First, an individual will identify the feminine and masculine characteristics and then without their knowing, adjust their mental and behavioral characteristics to these predetermined roles Schmidt (2003, pp. 430). Second, children learn their gender related behaviors by observing and imitating the behavior characteristics that are gender linked to theirs. In addition, the way a parent or guardian punish and rewards a child will further determines and shapes the gender identity and roles of this person. Far from these, there are other gender identities that are different from the set gendered categories for a given society. These gender variants have been considered as transgendered, and their roots have not been established (Butler, 1990, pp. 70). Therefore, to understand how an individual can construct and perform their gender identities, it is important to understand an individual’s appearance and chromosomes. Indeed, nearly, in every society, the populace is in two groups; a man or a woman, an attribute that is referred to as cis-gender. Ones an individual has submitted into the attribute of being cis-gendered, the person conforms to the assigned sex and roles of being male or female. Thus, an individual will easily identify with a given sex based on his/her genitalia. Thus, the biological determination of one’s gender will be influenced by chromosomes, that is X and Y chromosomes. An individual with two X chromosomes, will grow into a woman and will have woman genitalia, whereas an individual with X and Y chromosome will develop into man by developing a genitalia for a man. In addition, there are other bodily attributes that will determine the gender identity of a given person and these are the facial hair, body shape and deep voice. Thus, a person with female genitalia can hardly tell her gender identity if she has deep voice and facial hair. Thus, in terms of an individuals biological make up, a person may not control his/her gender identity since this is predetermined. However, there are people who are intersex and they can choose to identify themselves with the third gender which exists in some societies, or to conform into femininity or masculinity depending with the most dominant attributes. Moreover, there are individuals who are always determined to change into the opposite gender. These people always endeavor to achieve their targets through surgery. In so doing, they manage to influence their gender identity. Therefore, the performance of surgery initiated by these people gives them the power and ability to control their gender identity. However, even so, they can only control it up to some extent. Still, there are people born male who are determined to achieve female identity. Thus, these people do this by performing roles that society has constructed for females. These include, acquiring behaviors that are feminine like dressing like a woman, using a feminine tone in conversations and always engaging in feminine activities. This means that an individual, depending with his/her deeply felt gender can influence his/her gender identity. Thus, ones gender identity must not conform to the sex one is assigned at birth. This is because, an individual can modify genitalia or other body appearance that the person feels is ignominious with his/her gender. Moreover, others can use experiences like mannerism, speech and dress to conform to their gender identity. Hence, with these practices, an individual to some extent controls and regulates his/her gender (Anderson, 2002, 415). Thus as discussed above, nature and nurture influence ones gender identity. However, the extent to which environmental factors like socialization and biological factors which is in-born influences ones gender is a argument that will not end soon. This is because, both sex difference and gender roles are both influential in determining a person’s behavior. However, it is not easy to segregate the effects of the genetic variance and that of socialization, or due to environmental factors. Indeed, nature only plays roles that are relevant with the individual’s genetic makeup and hormonal aspects. Therefore, some of the genetic variations that might arise during development stages may end up with gender variant identities in an individual. Thus, needless to say genetic variation influences an individual’s gender identity. On the other hand, nurture involves the environmental factors, like interaction with others and parental influences. The values and behavior characteristics that are revealed by any individuals are significantly influenced by the parents and sometimes, the guardians. These are varied, ranging from the toys that a parent gives to a child to the clothes that the parents wants the child to identify with. The case of nature vs. nurture as revealed by David Reimer in the Backless et al. clearly confirms the role of biology in a person’s gender identity (2000, pp. 155). John was born a boy, but during circumcision he lost his genitalia. Therefore, the doctors recommended to Reimer, Johns parent that he should be designed to be a girl. However, when Joan, John turned girl realized that something was amiss in his life, he tried suicide. However, when he was told that he is a boy, and surgery done to restore his genitalia, John became stable and felt that everything in his life was good. This happen, yet Joan’s parent’s had clothed her like a girl, given her toys for girls and everything in his life was feminine until the time of suicide. Thus, the role of biology in gender identity can’t be ignored. Nevertheless, the role of societal gender construction can’t be ignored in shaping an individual’s gender identity. Studies done by Warner have indicated that gender is split in four different interacting processes or social organization (2012, pp. 107). The first division is on the basis of gender. This division shapes the work that a person will perform in the society and what roles he is to play in the family and state. Thus, in the first division, the labor roles and the power ascribed to an individual are specified. Certainly, it is in this division that a person will assume the role of a husband in a family. This is because, this person assumes the masculinity roles including the strengths and the skills that are needed to perform tasks ascribed by the society to men. The second interacting social process is the construction of images and the symbols like ideology, language and the way media explains, accept, oppose, express and reinforce similar divisions. Here, the concepts of which dress is acceptable for a given gendered person are classified, thus an individual identify with a given set of analogy which he/she seems best fit. Thus, a person can be influenced to choose the dressing code that is consistent with his/her gender as he/she deem fit and suitable. Here, is where the roles of significant others like parents, role models and people highly valued in society are vital. This is partly because; most people will prefer to identify with the practices that are acceptable with their own standards and values. Another division is based on the interaction between ‘boys and girls’, ‘men and women’, ‘men and men’, and ‘women and women’. These interactions are never the same. Thus, an individual living in a male dominated environment will often identify with dominance, whereas the one in female dominated environment will always prefer submission. Thus, even in the flow of ordinary talk, gender identity can easily be revealed, through the inequalities that are revealed in the conversations. These are pre determined because; males owing to their dominance identity will often try to dominate the conversation. On the other hand, women will find no problem in that and will hardly object this dominance. However, an argument between men will be very aggressive, since none of them will be willing to be subjective. Therefore, the people we interact with definitely determine our gender identity. This is because people learn through observation and imitation. Thus, an individual in a male dominated environment will learn through repeated observation of their behavior. Finally, gender identity is developed through fundamental ongoing process. These include creation and conceptualizing of gender social structures. Therefore, one can argue that gender performativity influence ones gender identity. This is because, gender is what one does, rather than the common ideology, that it is what one is. Thus, gender if acted repeatedly, it embeds into ones social consciousness. This is why; an individual’s sex do not necessarily implies the person’s gender identity. In addition, the roles of gender conventions, is immense in attributing feminine and masculine gender characteristics in ones biological sex. These include the rules by which the society, socio-cultural conventions and codes that create and constitute gender elements. For instance, today, a child’s gender is identified even before birth. However, this is known because of the child’s environment which is established with ultrasound technology. This child is given birth to and finds gender specific names, ambitions and games. Therefore, when a child’s sex is known, most parents raise their children to meet those known gender specificity. Thus, as the child’s develop, his/her roles are determined largely by the parents (Butler, 1993, pp. 109). This means that, by the time the child grows to three of four years, he/she has formed an image of a girl or boy that he identifies with. This means that children often form their roles and performance thoughts based on their parents, peers, teachers they socialize with as well as the toys and games that they play. This is why, by age 5, girls easily identify with the dolls, soft toys, printing and doll accessories. On the other hand, boys prefer games like rough house play, blocks, tools and small vehicles. This confirms the fact that gender identity has got a very strong relation with environmental factors. Thus, just like parents and peers influences children’s gender identity, so is their culture. Thus, the societal view on gender and sexuality will shape children’s self identity, interests and behaviors. These are further instilled by repeatability of these actions. Thus, when a child identifies with a given role, and consistently performs the role, he or she identify with it. Thus in the long run, contributes to his/her gender identity. Therefore, parents who hardly accept non conforming roles are likely to strongly influence their children’s gender identity and role views. These children will develop stricter views on gender identity and gender roles (Chafetz, 1978, pp. 213). Conclusion It can be summarized that gender is socially constructed. It is also evidence that every person has got unique gender characteristics, notwithstanding of their biological sexes. This is because every person in his/her childhood is influenced to behave in certain ways that are considered proper within the surrounding environment. Thus, an individual who fails to conform to the expected gender constructed performance, roles and identity is considered as being abnormal. Therefore, most often, people will try to conform to the social accepted gender roles and constructs that are consistent with the societal ascribed practices. Hence, every person will work towards achieving the societal set gender norms and standards. In so doing, the person greatly influences his/her gender identity. This is because, the person will learn to imitate and put into practice all those gender roles that he observes from the people within the immediate environment. 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