Gender And Race: The Social Construction Of Race And Gender

One of the cornerstones of society is the ability to categorize and differentiate between groups of people. Historically, this dissecting and classifying of individuals has been crucial to understanding social order, and who has power within society. One of the most pervasive forms of this in modern times has been the discourse surrounding race and gender. In society, each person has a complex and unique access to power. Power is fixed within society, and determines which groups of people have more control and influence over others. These relationships to power are determined by combinations of factors such as race, gender, and sexuality. In order to unpack these terms, it is crucial to examine the social construction of these identities, and how these identities lead to the creation of different privileges and disadvantages. In order to properly deconstruct the ideas of race and gender, it is crucial to understand social constructivism and essentialism. Because gender and race are so deeply embedded in the understanding of others and oneself, it may be difficult to understand that these markers are dependent on, and determined by, interactions with others. There is no biological

Race and gender have been in constant play, influencing and overlapping one another. In both of these construction, certain bodies and beings were considered “unnatural.” It is no coincidence that the “female body” was the arena where gender and race were established. Because the methods used to create and define race and gender were intertwined with one another, it becomes clear how feminine traits became characteristic of abnormality and aberrance. The white male is the pinnacle of what is desirable in society. The white male is the individual that has the easiest access to power, and therefore, the individual who has the most control over