The Straightjacket of Gender The history of gender has always been the tradition separation of men and women in terms of roles and biological anatomy. Some would argue that gender is strictly a natural biological element but others such as Judith Butler argue the complete opposite claiming that “sex as a natural category is itself evidence of its very unnaturalness.” (Addison, Human Sex is Not Simply Male or Female. So What?) Gender is constructed through our interactions with others and through our cultural capital. Everything influences the way we interpret and display gender. Societies construct of the gender binary places individuals in boxes which are outlined with what feels like instructions on how to be a normal male or female in societal standards. This is illustrated by Courtney Addison in her article “Human Sex is…show more content… You are either a boy or a girl, you favor blue which encourages that you are a boy or you prefer pink which leads everyone to believe that you are a girl. If colors are linked to gender identity, then roles have to be controlled by the same thing. Gender roles are simply that roles that are based upon what gender you are, for women those gender roles include but are not limited to the house keeper, the wife, the mother, the teacher, the cook and many more, most of these roles would fall under the nurturing and caregiver category while the roles that men possess are vastly different. The role of the men falls under the category of dominant provider and protector. They occupy gender roles such as hunter, husband, father, builder, mechanic, athlete etc. but these roles can create hyper masculinity and an image that is unattainable for men, this image also creates an image of what men are not supposed to be. Paired with the image of what outlines the characteristics men are supposed to have
