Changing Perspectives on Gender

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CHANGING PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER
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CHANGING PERSPERCTIVE ON GENDER
Introduction
Women rights have been the major issue under concern in the globe today. Advocates,
politicians and sociologist have been working to promote gender equality whereby men and
women, girls and boys will have equal rights, power and opportunities in our everyday life.
Unequal treatment of men and women in the society has raised an alarm and has led to negative
consequence in the community. Women being the victims of the inequality, the traditional
treatment of women has led to evolution of feminism. The frequent medicalization of women
due mental problems that arise from domestic violence, the inequality in power in the work
places, lack of voting rights, properties ownership right, right to education, discriminations due
to gender, race and color are major factors that has influenced the social workers to advocate for
women rights. As stated by Butler and Scott (2013), Feminists believe in social, political and
economical equality of the sexes. Such experiences stirred the feminists to form strong bonds of
solidarity which eventually led to feminism movement (Rowbotham, Segal and Wainwright
2013). The campaigns against women mistreatment has been successful in fighting women
suffrage in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and other countries where women had no right to vote or
via for leadership positions (Fawcett 2018). However, there has been a shift of the feminist
discourse since the era of liberal and radical feminism. Liberal feminism discourse suggests that
women must think and behave in ways that are traditionally perceived to be for men for them to
achieve equal status. This encourages women to be independent and to support themselves
financially. While the radical feminism discourse tends to promote women segregation by
pointing out that women are different and the differences they bring in the society should be

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celebrated. These different thoughts on gender and feminism have led to development of various
feminism theories.
In Butler (2010) gender performativity theory, she describes gender as a stylized repeated
act. That is, continuous performance of an act in a certain manner dictates our gender. That is,
our everyday action, behavior, speech and dressing code describe our masculinity or femininity
identity. Butler does not accept the gender identity that is formulated by the society. The society
attaches gender to our biological sex, and it constructs gender roles that are to be performed by a
man or woman. The gender roles are taught to children and they grow knowing them.The society
expects a woman to dress, walk or behave in a feminine manner. Laws are set to makes people
conform to gender norms.However, Butler claim that gender is real to the extent it is performed.
In her work in From Performativity to Precarity, she indicates that when one does not conform
to the constructed gender roles by the society one is prone to being exposed to precarities such as
violence, discrimination, displacement which can eventually lead to malnutrition or death. The
theory therefore views objectification of women as the major cause of gender inequality. As
according to Heflick and Goldenberg (2009), the perception of women as objects and as less
humans has exposed them to sexual assaults and discrimination in places of work (p. 599). For
instance, in Afghanistan, women had no freedom of movement out of their house or freedom to
seek medical attention incase of disease. They were to move out of the house in company of a
male gender due to the perception that they were objects and had no freedom to make decisions
of their own (Kapoor 2008).
Gender trouble theory by Butler (2011), seek to deconstruct the essential gender identity
that is socially constructed and to criticize the domination of women by men which she felt led to
oppression of people who are homosexual and transgender. As asserted by Ferfolia (2013),

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lesbians and gay men are usually derided, harassed, silenced and made invisible in Australia.
This discrimination is reinforced through social, cultural and political institutions (p. 169). Butler
viewed the definition of gender in the societal way as a limitation since she did not view gender
as natural. The gender roles from the society perspective limited these lesbians and gays freedom
to enjoy their sexual right. In her theory, she argues that gender and sex have binary association
and gender identity is complex in relation to sex. She pointed out that gender identity has caused
inequality in politics due to the notion of man dominance and this affects productivity. In this
theory, she reflects on the value of trouble and how to live in it. She further noted that it is
important to identify what is expected of us when one is in trouble. Here she challenged that
feminism politics should be embraced regardless of male dominance by creating political trouble
through feminism politics. She viewed trouble making as the appropriate intervention for gender
discrimination.
In feminist perspective of science theory, Crasnow et al (2009) affirm that
underrepresentation of women in the field of science has been a practice for a long time. As
asserted by Gunnarsson (2007), this has affected the reliability and production of knowledge in
science (p.351). feminists have identified women discrimination in science inquiry. The theory
therefore view gender as relating to norms where a woman is viewed as inferior and whose
opinions cannot be put into consideration especially in critical matters. The knowledge knower
has been considered to be the male scholars. However, research has indicated that the entry of
female scholars into science has led to development of more questions which are relevant to
science research. This has enhanced the reliability of results and has motivated more research.
This theory stated that there is biasness against women in the science field. As stated by Pollack
(2013), physicists, chemists and biologists prefer a young male scientist for hire than a female