Contrasts between the Male and the Female Species - Essay Example

English 4 July Gender Dynamics Since time immemorial conflicts and contrasts between the male and the female species can be traced. Though modern day multi-cultural society have brought many changes and beliefs that have brought down the barrier in between the battle of the sexes or which is now more applicable to point as battle of the genders to correct misconceptions of the past. The difference of sex and gender implies a great deal today as social reforms have transformed the world since the rule of the masculine species to a more restrained co-existing living with the feminine species. Just to draw a clear line between the two, sex refers to the biological characteristics distinguishing male and female. Sexual definition of the male and female species is characterized by their differences in the physical aspects such as chromosomes, anatomy, hormones, reproductive systems, and other physiological components. On the other hand, gender refers to the social, cultural, and psychological traits linked to males and females through particular social contexts. Therefore, sex makes people male or female while gender makes people masculine or feminine. Sex is an attributed status because a person is born with it, but gender is an acquired status because it is a learned behavior through a person’s interaction with society and culture (Lindsey 4). Citing the difference between sex and gender did not totally entail gender equality and societal restructuring but has largely contributed especially in behalf of the female species and all the feminists who work for the value of women in the society such as equality in all terms with men which have moved many people all over the world, not just females but as well as feminists males who believe in justice between both genders. From all the years that gender roles issues have gone through, modern day gender dynamics is an outcome of years of reforms and challenges in bringing gender equality in all aspects of the society. Despite all these changes, a question in mind still possess a degree of doubt of whether if the world has totally evolved into a society of equal co-existence and gender dynamics. Within the chapter are some readings that fall under this category. One of the readings, authored by Phyllis Chesler, talks about how gender dynamics are still biased in the modern society where everybody seems to be enjoying freedom and feminism seem to fail on this concept. Within the essay Chesler (231) defined the victors and pitfalls of feminism that lead to the modern day gender dynamics. According to Chesler (229), today is the time when woman can and must make a difference. Truly the world presently has well known feminine leaders, professionals, scientists, researchers, etc. that contributes as much if not more than the male counterpart. Feminism had ended gender biased injustices such as violence against women, rape, many forms of oppression and neglect directed to women and has paved way for equality in education, healthcare and workforce (Chesler 230). Today the world has more literate, productive and empowering women contributing to better outcome in economy, education and healthcare which is far from the traditional woman of the dark past who were stripped off the rights to power, to education, to freedom of choice and the right to property just assuming a secondary caring role behind the strength of a man (Chesler 230). Despite the remarkable changes gender roles leaped over the years still women are encouraged not to rest among these victories. Chesler (231) notes that gender inequality still exists in other parts of the world and the contemporary thinking has led feminism into passivity. The modern feminists are focused on sexual rights and issues of women that the movement for more significant changes for societal benefit lies behind. Today, though women can go for a man’s work same wage level is not assured. The society should be penetrated with equal gender dynamics to provide equality in all aspects. Politics for example, if gender equality is really wanted by feminists, politics is always a good starting point to empower millions and bring about remarkable change. Chesler points that most feminist academes and activists do not actually do anything aside from wanting reform but lacks actions (232). In a personal point of view, everyone can be a feminist in one’s own way, after all change should always start within oneself. If every person will be advocates of equality reform will take into place without people noticing it for it will be applied at home, into work, and in the society that all genders are equals in the law of man and in the law of nature. Another reading in a form of a story, No-name woman by Maxine Hong Kingston, is an eye opener. It brings a person back to how gender biased in favor of men the old world citing for example china in comparison to the modern world America where both worlds of different era experiences gender struggle. The story tells of a girl of Chinese origin that was told by her mother of a story about an aunt without a name to give a lesson that must not be replicated especially now that the girl has grown physically. The story depicts how strongly tied the women of ancient China are to the social tradition that should never be broken. In the context of gender equality, women then have no right to break the rules or else it will be a disgrace to the whole clan. Adultery as one of the main points of the essay was shown in favor of a man who was never perpetuated of the crime committed but instead the woman takes all the shame even until death that the whole family regarded her to have never been born. The narrator of the story is trying to figure out what could have happened to the aunt with no name by citing different discriminations such as being a victim of rape, being imposed upon by threat, being an outcast, being a sexual pervert, and being a flirt (Kingston 243). All these could have gone differently during neither these days, given the same situation as the one in the story, an investigation would have been made or the impregnated woman not to be cursed by the whole village nor be punished for being so. The women of today enjoy the luxury of being free from societal ties and responsibilities. Societal obligations are not something punishable because everyone marches to the beat of their own drum as what a person do will not directly affect another unless directed otherwise. Fixed marriage is another concept tackled in the story and is now deemed as a thing in the past as most modern countries. Freedom to choose and the freedom to love is a thing of the modern world, no one is directed to do anything against one’s will. A twist in the story could be that the woman with no name married someone she does not love and so ran over the person she loves and got pregnant that led to a tragic end that could have ended differently today. Gender equality is a long process and it is evolving. The degree of differences in beliefs and culture will always have impact on equality among men and women. Although some religions still regards women to be the caring counterpart of men it is an agreeable concept that it is never right to violate women. Indeed gender dynamics have changed since the barbaric masculine days but gender equality still needs time to be pushed even further. The watchful eyes of the society and the perseverance of the feminists to bring about change and equality should be strengthened even more because equality can be subjective hence a strong and just framework is needed. Work Cited Chesler P. (n.d.) The Failure of feminism in Gender Dynamics pp. 229-233 Kingston M. H. (n.d.) No name Woman in Gender Dynamics pp. 234-244 Lindsey L. (2010) The Sociology of Gender Theoretical Perspectives and Feminist Framework in Gender Roles: A sociological Perspectives 5th ed. Pearson Education ltd., pp 1-21 Read More