abstract

Ashley Smith
10887589
Women’s Studies 200: Gender and Power
Margo Tamez


In the traditional construction of American society, males must be hegemonically masculine and females must be hegemonically feminine. In our culture and many cultures around the world, a person’s biological sex and the gender you see fit for yourself are synonymous, when it often does not turn out that way. People battle with the constricting traditional views on gender seeking to create their own take on it. For my final project, I want to research differing gender roles among not only American culture, but Asian, African, and European cultures. Both males and females within these societies go beyond the basic boundaries to create different gender identities. Throughout the past semester, many of the readings dealt directly with the issue of gender identity, and the issue was present in every blog at one point. Gender is created differently for every person, especially within the college community, where students have their minds opened to ways of being they may not have felt comfortable with prior to their arrival. Interviews will be essential to my project, providing direct experiences and ideas from a younger and more unique point of view.