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Sonia Ramirez
English 113A 3:30pm
Professor Ditch
30 September 2014
Feminine Power
Society devalues feminine traits from masculine traits because it is constructing a
way to live by giving rules to obey. For example feminine traits are emotional, weak,
affectionate, compassionate, and masculine traits are brave courageous, confidant and
leaders. Gender construction influences masculine value and feminine value. The articles
I will be analyzing are “Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender” by Judith
Lorber and “Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender” by Aaron
Devor which connects to society devaluing feminine traits from masculine traits in this
case femininity is overlooked because masculinity is constructed by society to be the
more superior gender. These authors have argued that femininity and masculinity are
both attributed to become socially acknowledged by gender rules and have viewed that
feminine traits have been valued differently from masculinity. Society has greatly
impacted the way we live by exploiting us to obey rules to perform our gender roles in
the way society has developed these traits. This topic portrays feminine value in
competence with masculine value due to society’s social order.
Femininity has been devalued through many traits from masculinity because of
society’s social order of performing gender. Gender plays an important role in
feminine/masculine traits because these are the traits society has built to guide the sex
into a socially constructed role. Masculinity in society has been given the dominant traits
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as becoming the man of the house the leader of a household. Society has constructed
masculinity to be the predominant role in society for example the male sex must perform
a trait to show society that they have become men. Society has placed femininity as the
bearer of children such as nurturing, gentleness, and showing much affection to the
opposite sex. The authors have informed us that society not only is constructing sex to
perform feminine/ masculine traits but also constricts us from being able to apply both
sexes to the gender considering it a non-normal attribute.
Feminine traits have been devalued throughout the years and an article has proven
feminine traits can be attributed by the other gender through the irregular norms of
society. In the article “Night to His Day”: The Social Construction of Gender” by Judith
Lorber explains how “There are African and American Indian Societies that have gender
status called manly hearted women-biological females who work, marry, and parent as
men; their social status is “female men”(Lorber 22) that explains a dominant trait women
have attributed that would be viewed as a masculine trait but has been labeled as “female
men” in alternative. For example she shows proof of how “Men dominate the positions of
authority and leadership in government, the military, and the law; cultural productions,
religions, and sport’s reflect men’s interest” (Lorber 30) this explains society valuing
masculine traits as the leading role to become a social hierarchy. Society is devaluing
feminine traits by paying more attention to masculine traits such as physical traits sports
and other activities and less attention to feminine traits as that are considered normal
attributes when performing femininity such as showing emotions: crying.
Society’s view of masculine traits are greater valued due to the social order that
masculine traits are influential and authentic more than feminine traits. In another
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perspective society has labeled femininity to be the decreased trait and masculinity to be
the principal role in society’s order. In the article “Becoming Members of Society: The
Social Meanings of Gender” by Aaron Devor explains what research shows that
“dominant persons of either tend to use influence tactics and verbal styles usually
associate with men and masculinity, while subordinate persons, of other gender, tend to
use those considered to the province of women” (Devor 39) this explains feminine traits
are being decreased in value due to the fact that masculinity is seen as the more
authoritative gender which has been constructed by gender. This quote is an example of
what is still taking place in today’s society and gender construction making femininity
appear to be less valued because of the performance. Femininity is labeled by society for
becoming a trait that is overlooked as weak and having no ability to move forward in
achieving greatness.
Society places us due to our sex as feminine/masculine gender roles to become
the social norms of how we should be performing these attributes. For instance my sex is
female and society has constructed me to perform feminine traits, which have been
devalued from the socially constructed norms of being emotional, nurturing, affectionate
and etc. For example my sister-in-law performs her nurturing traits to my nephews and
niece and when she gets emotional the men devalue her because she has been constructed
by society to be accepted with these traits she has been placed with. The men not only
leave her alone because she is crying but also consider it to be normal because of the fact
that society has established female’s to perform femininity as a social construction.
Another example that pertains to my personal experience is when I attributed
masculine traits such as playing a sport which is considered by society as a masculine
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trait because of how society has viewed female’s to perform femininity. When I play
basketball and the men see me play they automatically devalue me because of my sex
since society has placed femininity as the subordinate gender. I was the only female with
all the males and when they were choosing teams I was the last pick because of how
society has valued my feminine traits. They did not believe that I could attribute
masculine traits during the game to play rough or be able to be confident in myself to
play a game of rough contact. I was viewed less in value because of the fact that society
has placed the label of femininity as weak traits making masculinity seem to be the
superior gender for their confident trait. This explains how society has built a community
of gender-constructed roles being performed by masculine traits devaluing feminine traits
because of the teachings we have learned through the stages of adolescence. We have
learned to perform our traits with our surroundings because as children we are taught to
perform specific gender roles and are told the opposite is wrong.
In these articles not only do we learn what society has been building for many
years to become gender constructed but displaying out of the normal traits has been
criticized for not performing the “correct attributes” with the “proper” sex. These articles
provide facts of what pertains to our future and how we grow up to become established
with the conformity built by society. As you can see feminine traits are usually the
secondary gender developed and studied by society to become what is socially
constructed as female mothers to keep the population growing for humanity. This is to
inform us that society has impacted each and every one of us in displaying our traits,
which have been taught to us by our parents and teachers. Therefore, we live in a world
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where femininity should only be displayed by women and masculinity only displayed by
men because not attributing these traits are considered to be out of the norms.
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Works Cited
Groner, Rachel, and John O’Hara. Composing Gender. Bedfords/ St. Martin’s: Leasa
Burton, n.d. Print.