Defining Power and Gender

Defining Gender and Power

Gender is not merely the sex of a person, what body parts they have or do not have. Gender is the social construct that all of us grow up with. We are told to behave like a lady, or be a man. Gendering starts when we wake up in the morning and plays out all day long. Most men and women play into the roles, or boxes, of what gender they are supposed to fall into; but some consciously fight against these roles, creating the term gender bending for those who bend the traditional roles of what gender is supposed to be. Gender is defined, socially, by the clothes we wear, the makeup we choose put on (or choose not to), the way we hold ourselves and the way we are seen by others.


Power has many different levels. There are different types, and different ways that power is executed. There can be physical power, the power of words and even power of emotions. Power can be seen as muscles, or large stature, but it is also the ability to convince people to believe what you want them to, or has the capacity to get someone to do something that you want them to. Power is often unequal in almost every relationship, whether it is between friends, an intimate relationship, or in a family.