Gender Attributions
Is it possible to meet or interact with someone without performing a gender attribution? Have you ever done so? (page 26)
To fully understand the question at hand, I need to fully dive into what a gender attribution is. Dea writes, "Gender attribution is the term that Kessler and McKenna use for the decision we make about a person's gender when we first see that person. They argue that we are constantly attributing genders to people. We do so without really trying, and are often unaware that we are even doing it"(19). This means that we are attributing genders subconsciously all of the time. If this is true then am I determining genders when I first see people? It's very tough to understand my own subconscious yet alone control my subconscious thoughts. However, Dea makes the point that we only become aware of the gender attribution process when we encounter difficulty in making the attribution. I will admit that sometimes I fall victim to this. But why do I need to construct this world of only two genders? It really isn't important knowledge to know. That's why I feel like my past plays a significant role in why I subconsciously fall victim to the gender attribution process.
As a kid, I was taught that there are two genders. I have a father (he), mother (she), and sister (she). In elementary school there was always just boys and girls. Boys would always run away from girls because they had cooties. What I'm trying to get to is that the idea of gender attribution is ingrained into us at a very early age. I had only ever known two genders. So, is it possible to meet or interact with someone without performing a gender attribution? I definitely think that it is possible, but there needs to be a change in education at an early age. Kids need to be taught that physical appearance isn't always going to reflect a person's true gender identity. Sometimes at an early age, kids might not even know their own gender identity. For a person like myself I think it'd be tough to stray away from gender attributions, but for my own kids and the future, education of this needs to be changed at an early age. It honestly drives me crazy that this is in our nature. It really isn't that important for me to know a person's gender so why does my subconscious have to determine a person's gender when I meet them? There's no useful information that can come out of it, only judgemental ideas and biases that we cannot seem to get out of our heads. It is sad that this exists today, but if future generations can understand gender in a different way than I have, it is a step in the right direction.
Hi Brody,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love the cooties picture and example you used in your blog. I agree that the way children are raised really impacts the way we attribute gender to individuals. I also talked about the idea that there should be a change in the education of children early on so that they grow up realizing that binary gender identities shouldn't be considered any more "normal" than other gender identities. I think instilling that value will help people grow up with the mindset that strangers they meet aren't only either male or female, rather they could be both or neither as well. Physical appearance is a major aspect of gender attribution and I know kids are the first people to point out how people look, so teaching them that appearance doesn't always reflect gender identity is important. It also drives me crazy that this is in our nature, I find it very unsettling and weird! I also hope that by teaching children about gender diversity earlier on, future generations will be able to understand it better. Great thoughts in your blog post and I feel like I got the same main messages from this reading as you did!
-Ashna Gupta
Hey Brody!
ReplyDeleteI like how you recognize that attributing gender to someone is a purely subconscious act which has its origins in how someone is brought up, both on an individual and societal level. Moreover I think you did a good job of articulating that just because it is subconscious act, does not make gender attributing benign. Instead, you accurately point out that it only leads to judgement and bias.
Hi Brody,
ReplyDeleteI agree that gender attribution is ingrained at an early age. I remember going to church and having the same unconscious bias/"vetting" system that Dea explains when looking around the pews. I'm glad you make the point that society doesn't require such a lens. If everyone belongs, there's no reason to rank people according to roles.
Hi Brody,
ReplyDeleteI want to press you on your claim that there is "no useful information" that can come out of a gender attribution. Do you mean that there is no useful information that can come out of me making a snap gender attribution with respect to someone I meet? Or that there is no useful information that can come out of knowing someone's gender identity? The latter seems less plausible to me, but I'm curious to hear more of your thoughts on this issue.