Reflective Essay On Gender

Becoming aware of gender was something that happened late in my life. I grew up knowing there was a difference between boys and girls, but never sought out more information on gender. When my close friend came out as trans, it was a shock to what I considered within the realm of ‘normal’ life. After joining social media communities, such as Tumblr, I became well acquainted with the LGBTQ community and the concept that gender lies hidden in plain sight within all that we do. This new awareness of the gender spectrum led me to re-analyze the way I interacted with gender, from a young age to today.

Growing up in a white, upper-middle class family had many impacts on the way I do gender. My father makes enough money that he alone is able to support our family, which allowed my mother to stay at home to raise myself and my three younger siblings. Household chores were done by my mother while we were at school and my father was at work. Not to say there was no mobility within these gender roles, but they followed the traditional model with a male breadwinner and a

Gender was something I never challenged, having been given no motive to do so. I wonder how my identity would differ had I been exposed to the concept of a gender spectrum at a younger age. By identifying as a gay woman I face several struggles regarding gender and gender norms, and my privilege of being born cisgender has also had a major effect on my life. I built my gender identity primarily during my childhood, and later brought into question by education on sex and gender through my interest in studying gender. Throughout this process I was impacted by how society defines gender, whether or not I was aware of it at the time. It wasn’t until I realized what a large role gender played in society that I could really analyze my own identity and I was able to be confident as