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Ying Hua
Professor Ditch
English 113A
8 December 2015
Gender and Society
Everyone is unique in society, have different backgrounds, different experiences, and
different personalities. People consist of the society, and the society is based on people. They are
depending on each other. The articles called Night to his day: The social Construction of
Gender which is by Judith Lorber and Becoming Members of society: The Social Meanings of
Gender by Aaron Devor, are two articles that both talk about gender and society. Both authors
are talking about the misunderstanding of gender, how society changes people, and how is to
make people change due to the view of others. The purpose of these two authors is to make more
people aware about gender performance, to give more understanding to others though get the
correct information for gender. There are more and more people lose their identity to following
others and get hurt because of the misunderstanding of gender.
Both of the articles are talking about the understanding of gender. The majority of people do
not have the correct understanding between sex and gender. Lorber distinguishes sex and gender
in different way. Sex is depending on what genitalia looks like when you're born; it is permanent.
Gender is depending on the way a person acts, either the feminine or masculine, it is a way how
people view you. It is important to have the correct information, because sometimes people do
not accept one things just because they do not know about it. This will make them afraid of it. In
addition, People use stereotype to distinguish feminine and masculine, they think the
characteristics of feminine are the passive and submission (Devor 39). Women are depending

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on the man and are often seen as non-threatening. The characteristics of the masculine are the
dominance and aggression, they are expansive and aggressive (Devor 39). Lorber and Devor
both point out that people changes by the view from others and they always lose their identity to
follow others. These makes the prejudice socially constructed.
Both authors mention that the majority of the people are easy lose their identity to follow
others. In ancient China, Chinese mom bound their daughters feet into three-inch stumps
(Lorber 24). This is an example of the people changes by the view of others. In ancient China,
there is a girl who have tiny feet, she even can dance on the hand, and later, she married with
king. People think King only love the pretty girl, then the whole society think that to have tiny
feet means pretty. All the mom bound their daughters feet, they think that make their daughter
pretty. The whole society make this as the sign of the pretty. Mom think pretty is important for
girl, they just force their daughter to bound the feet, they never ask their daughter want or not.
The Chinese society have a long time that mom bound their daughter feet, the use this sign to
distinguish a girl either pretty or not use this sign. People changed by the views of others and
lose their identity to following others.
People need the understanding from others. Lorber mentions that there is a man who take
care of his children in public, and he get the good command from the people around. This is an
example that the people and society influence each other. Lorber also mentions that, Gendered
norms and expectations are enforce though informal sanctions of gender-inappropriate behavior
by peers (28). When the gender norms socially constructed, people accept it. They apccept that
man can stay at home and take care of child. In the ancient society, this will be impossible to
happen, man is impossible to stay at home, and impossible to take care of the child in public,
because the society norm and the prejudice makes it impossible, and people will think badly for

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that man. But now, people accepted these, even think if a man can cook or take care of the
children, this proves that he is a perfect man. People think in this way because everyone are
changing the point of view that they have for the society. People consist society, but society
based on people, the society is changing when people change their point of view.
On the other way, prejudice can hurt the people, many people think that, females are
dependent on males for support and protection (Devor 43). So that female still cannot be equal
to male in certain parts. Nowadays, female can be a teacher, but not the president. Sometimes
female got less salary less male when they are doing the same things. The reason that people
think in this way is because this starts from long time ago. For now, the society is changing.
Woman can be independent, people still keep their old view of woman, this form the prejudice.
The prejudice hurt women, women try their best to prove themselves, they want to prove they
can do the same things that the men do. But the prejudice hurt them, they still do not get the
same opportunity that the man has.
Actually the prejudice also hurt me. Majority of the people think that doing the housework is
womans job, woman must need to do it, so that my mom teaches me to do the housework when
I was small. She made me to do the housework when I was small, even sometimes I study late,
she made me still to do the housework. It is the domestic work for me. I feel really bad that who
think doing the housework is womans job. This makes me hate to do the housework, for now, I
know how to do housework, and I still do it, but I still hate to do it. This make me to think that in
the future, whatever my job is, I need to have a job, I do not want to stay at home, just because I
do not want to do the housework. My mom has the prejudice of the woman, she use the prejudice
to force me to do the things I do not want to do. Therefore, to have the correct information is
very important.

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People are getting more chance nowadays, because the society is changing. Several years
ago, there is a brave woman was challenge the Chinese society. Her named Jinxing, a famous
transsexual Chinese dancer, she was a man before, but now she is a woman. She was attending a
dance competition as a judge. When the news first post that she was a male before, the whole
Chinese society got shocked. Majority of the people do not like her anymore, include me. She is
a nonconformist, at that kind of difficult time, she was brave to face to all of us, she continues to
do the TV show, continue to dance, she even starts to do the talk show that to spread the
transsexual, to let more people know what it is. She shows her non-conformity to everyone.
Sometimes people do not accept the things because they do not know it. She tries her best to get
the understanding from others. She shares her experiences in public, and make the speech that to
encourage the people who are similar to her. She challenges the whole Chinese society. And she
success now, she gets more understanding from others now, include me. I change my perception
after read these articles, for now, actually I am a little bit admire her, because she is brave to
challenge the society and brave to make the decision. She spread the correct information that
make more people have chance to be themselves, to encourage people do not be afraid to speak
out.
In a conclusion, Lorber and Devor write about gender and society, they want to get more
understanding from people, to give the correct information to people about the gender. These
article will make people notice and be avoid to misunderstood next time. For me, in my life,
there are some prejudice for gender, I change my perception after read these article, I am also
will give more understanding to the people who around me.

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Work Citied
Lorber, Judith. Night to His Day: the Social Construction of Gender. Groner, Rachael, and
John F. OHara. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Boston: Beford/ St.
Martins, 2014. 19-30. Print.
Devor, Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender. Groner,
Rachael, and John F. OHara. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Boston:
Beford/ St. Martins, 2014. 35-43. Print.
Sheehan, matt. Meet The Badass Transgender Talk Show Host Who Wants to Be China's Most
Influential Woman. Huffingtonpost. 9 May 2015. Web. 7 December 2015.

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