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Question 1
Popularized by Judy Butler, gender performance can be described as the aspect that gender is something that is constructed by society over time and revolves around what is considered feminine and masculine. The cultural norms in society dictate gender based on the biological sex of the child, and therefore this inscribes how a man should be/ act and how women should. Gender performance is thus something that is normalized by society over time, and hence being a man or a woman is defined by the daily activities that are learned and performed according to the cultural norms described by the society (He).
Question 2
Gender roles refer to roles and behaviors socially constructed by society and are associated with the male and female biological sexes. These are roles that have been constructed by cultural norms and, as such, are created to define masculinity and femininity in society (He). In such cultural norms, sex is binary, and hence an individual must act according to what is appropriate for their sex.
Question 3
An example of gender performance is the idea that women must have smooth and hairless skin and thus must shave and have smooth skin. Similarly, the aspect of using makeup to cover these flaws is gender performance among women. Another example is how women are expected to be compassionate and show their feelings while men tend to hide their emotions because society has constructed this performativity. An example of gender roles is how society has dictated that certain occupations can only be done by the male gender and some by the female gender. Another example of gender roles is how women are expected to dress. Most societies expect women to dress in feminine ways and be polite or accommodating. Men, on the other hand, are expected to be bold and aggressive. Another example of gender roles is how women are expected not to be muscular, while men should be tall and muscular. Hence they should also adorn short hair and pants as their gender requires.
Question 4
There is the harm in discussing gender and sex as binary since it is what defines individuals from an early age. It is what will cause a boy not to participate say in musicals because they are feminine or a girl not to pursue mathematics because only boys can perform in that. The gender binary is a form of oppression, discrimination, and creates a bias in a society that is supposed to be progressive.
Question 5
Misogyny refers to hatred or prejudice against women. It is a behavior that is subconsciously rooted in the mind of such people. An example of a misogynist behavior is depicted in men who feel threatened by women who achieve more than them either professionally or socially and hence end up hating them
Question 6
Internalized misogyny refers to a form of sexism that is carried out by women on other women and is usually in the form of behavior and attitude towards other women. An example of internalized misogyny is promoting gender bias in favor of men.
Question 7
Patriarchy is a social system where positions of power and privilege, such as in politics, education, and moral systems, among others, are held by men (Ozyegin). It is a system that started with the Greeks, where power was passed down to male elders in society. It is a system that has biased the female gender over the years as they are perceived as weak and unfit to hold such positions.
Works cited
He, Li. "The Construction of Gender: Judith Butler and Gender Performativity." 2nd International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Humanities (ICCESSH 2017). Atlantis Press, 2017.
Ozyegin, Gul. "Rethinking Patriarchy through Unpatriarchal Male Desires." J. Messerschmidt, P. Yancey Martin, M. Messner, & R. Connell, Gender Reckonings. New Social Theory and Research (2018): 233-253.