Although sexism and gender-neutral roles have become more socially accepted in comparison to past situations, there are still undoubtedly issues with how our society views genderism. I was raised to never doubt my abilities based on my gender, which has lead me to find a passion for encouraging others to enforce equality and accept a gender-neutral environment; however, our society is not always as accepting as we often say we are. Males are often still portrayed as ‘hard workers’ and ‘breadwinners’ while females are the ‘housewives’ and are too sensitive to hold a steady career. This is often known as a gender binary, or genderism, as masculinity and feminism are separated into two distinct categories. To make it clear, I do not support these harsh categorizations but believe this is still a circulating issue.
After further exploring gender binaries, it is obvious that this topic connects to the context of colonialism, which is defined as “acquiring full or partial control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically”. Although, according to ‘Sexism versus Gender-Based Prejudice’, men are also affected by sexism, but due to the male privilege, they experience it differently than woman. In the context of colonialism, a man was often the one in power, demanding for control and finding ways to provide for his loved ones! Whereas woman were underestimated for their abilities and seen as the weaker sex. Here it is obvious that, again, men are seen as the more powerful sex with the help of their male privilege. However, due to our day in age, it is crucial that we disrupt this unequal binary as it is causing issues in our day-to day lives. Women are belittled and often overlooked in the workforce as they ‘know nothing’ in a field that is considered masculine. This results in job losses, sexist comments, and a continual chain reaction if society doesn’t end the stigma. For men, they are often looked at as the providers, strong men and unable to express their emotions as it is not a ‘manly’ trait; however, how is it fair to categorize every male to exhibit these traits? It isn’t! Therefore, to allow future generations to reveal themselves as equal genders, we need to end the gender binary stigma and promote a gender-neutral environment!
Erin's Blog 
I really enjoyed reading your post, it was very well written and easy to follow! One part that stood out to me was when you talked about masculinity and asked “how is it fair to categorize every male to exhibit these traits?”. It really is crazy to me that there is this stigma that men cannot show emotion – that they must always be strong – otherwise they are not manly. Then at the other end, women are seen as weak. These norms are so engraved in us that we have a hard time breaking away from the problematic gender binary. We see these reinforced in movies, advertisements, and so much more. As we talked about in class, so many movies show the strong masculine man coming to rescue a woman.
Ending these prescribed gender roles really is necessary, and it is neat to hear how passionate you are around this topic. I think as future educators we have a great opportunity to help provide understanding around these topics, so that the gender binary stigma will end.
Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you for this strong piece of writing which clearly shows your passion for eliminating gender binary roles and I can see that the way you were raised has a great role in shaping your mind, in not viewing gender as a constricting force in any aspect of life. While I agree with you to some degree; that the ability or character of a person should not be presumed upon, simply due to their gender. I believe our society is perhaps too aggressive in dismissing the traditional masculine or feminine traits, while we as a society should work to remove the pressure to conform to these ideas. I believe there is a great disadvantage in the way we attack these normative roles, many who are accustomed to, and those that display these characteristics, do not view them as a hindrance to their abilities. For there to be true equality, the same opportunities should be available to any persons despite the characteristics they display. As we work to include non-binary we must not push out the normative roles as they are not the oppressors but rather the stigma attached to them. While it may be a narrative that some oppose, to be a truly inclusive and open society we must leave room for the expression of the ideas which may be against our views of what “progression” needs to occur.
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You did a wonderful job writing this and describing the Gender Binaries that we hear and see in our daily lives ever since we have been little. Growing up my mom made sure that I knew how to do things and never have to rely on a man for his ‘hard work’ or ‘handy skills’. I thought your like where you talk about how “Women are belittled and often overlooked in the workforce as they ‘know nothing’ in a field that is considered masculine.” This is so true, my friend is a welder and all through Welding School guys would try to intimidate her and try to get her to drop out as it was a ‘male trade’, they would often ask her if she should be in the Cooking sections instead. You’re totally right until we as a society want to make Gender better we are never going to be an equal society. Thank you for posting!
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