The Importance Of Gender Identity

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Our world’s obsession with labels starts from the day we are born. Blue is assigned to males, and pink is assigned to females. Sure, blue and pink are just colors, however, when these colors are a determination factor of gender- they aren’t harmless anymore. The gender “male”, and the “gender” female carry a lot of attributes that those who adhere to it by choice, or forcefully by society should follow. The system we live in is a restrictive system that gives us no choice- you are either one or the other. So, can we free ourselves from said colors? Surely we can, however it would require time, patience, and knowledge.
According to Merriam Webster, the definition of sex is “either of the two major forms of individuals that occur in many species …show more content…

First, I am perfectly comfortable, in fact more comfortable, not choosing a fixed identity location; my own gender in particular is still mysterious to me”. According to Feminism and Women’s Studies, gender identity is “refers to how one thinks of one 's own gender: whether one thinks of oneself as a man (masculine) or as a woman (feminine.) Society prescribes arbitrary rules or gender roles (how one is supposed to and not supposed to dress, act, think, feel, relate to others, think of oneself, etc.) based on …show more content…

Gender roles are dangerous because those who don’t adhere to them are looked at as “strange” and “unnatural” in our society. Society teaches children gender roles at a young age, so often times these gender roles are deeply programmed in a child’s brain, and thus shapes their personalities as adults. Young girls are encouraged to stay at home, and play with their toys, while young boys are encouraged to go out and play. Parents teach their young daughters not to speak in a loud voice, as it is not “lady like”. In contrast, boys are discouraged from wearing a dress or acting “soft” as it is considered feminine. Masculinity, and femininity aren’t characteristics of gender, but rather a social construction as Laura Erickson-Schroth addresses the issue in “Sex and Gender Development” Erickson says “Scholars call this the social construction of gender, meaning that we construct, or create, gender by telling men and women how to act”. This couldn’t be further from the truth, the terms “masculinity” and “femininity” and their relation to a person’s sex/gender is illogical in the sense that many people of the male gender show attributes of femininity and vice versa. According to Suzannah

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