Chapter 2: Identities and Inequalities

"How do you know if a person is male or female?" (Newman pg. 52)

Throughout our lifetimes I can assure that you have asked either yourself or your friends if a person you see is male or female. I actually did it the other day. You have to admit, sometimes with the different styles in todays society it is hard to tell the difference. I grew up with being taught basically all the things that Newman stated in the opening paragraph: males are supposed to have shorter hair, facial hair, and a penis. Females are supposed to have long hair, wear dresses, and have a vagina. I fall right in the stereotype that didn't know the difference between gender and sex, I always thought they were the same thing just different names. After reading the chapter it now makes more sense to me what the difference is.

I feel that people never really can fully change their natural sex, and their gender is the same thing as their sex. If a person is born a male then their gender is male. They can just choose to be more feminine then masculine, and act as the opposite gender and sex but in my eyes they can't change. I'll use my sister fore example to state my point. My sister is into trucks, athletics, batman, etc. every stereotypical male aspect you can think of. However, she is still a girl, she wears dresses, and has long hair. All because she likes the things that boys are into doesnt mean she views herself as a boy. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I disagree with Newmans point of view that people can change their gender throughout life. Your born either male or female, and your gender goes hand in hand with your sex.