#EngenderedWriting 01 — How do you define gender? Does this differ from the dictionary definition? Do your characters reflect society's role model, or your synthesis? [Define Gender.]
I'll start with the American Heritage Dictionary definition, definitions 3 and 4.
gender /jĕn′dər/
noun
Either of the two divisions, designated female and male, by which most organisms are classified on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions; sex.
One's identity as female or male or as neither entirely female nor entirely male.
These definitions cover most everything, but as a gender fiction writer and a feminist, I think they also miss an important point: Assignment. Who decides?
Definition 3 is the definition of one's sex, of which gender is a synonym. It is scientific and rigidly defined. It is often construed legally, or by those with the power to make the distinction in the favor of their prejudices, as the only definition.
Definition 4 is better in this respect. It is what we mean when discussing gender as being more than one's sex. But... who decides? Who decides what your gender is?
By not defining gender as also the person's concept of their maleness or femaleness on a spectrum—completely ignoring the sense that a person might feel neither—is missing the most important point! It is the individual who experiences gender, their blend and their dilution of maleness and femaleness. Others can only guess—or demand.
Worse, the definition—which, again, legal and authoritative individuals ignore—is one's gender "assignment" implies their "gender role." Gender roles exist to enforce standardized behaviors on people so their behavior fits a standard that is thought to make society run smoothly.
As if that ever happened!
My characters reflect that people are individuals on a spectrum, expressing role model ideals or fighting them to get what they want out of life. That doesn't mean the characters are feminist or tolerant, or even thinking what social systems they may be validating or destroying. It's all for the sake of a good story—and to make my readers think about things like why they unthinkingly do things or why they keep others from doing things. Earlier today, I replied to another reader:
I like telling [a] story[,] and if at some point the reader realizes [some] chapters in that she's trans, or his is a female gender role though he's [very] obviously male, so much the better! The affect on the reader beside exploding some heads, is often to make them think why or why not it matters.
[Author retains copyright (c)2024 R.S.]
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