Abstract for Elizabeth Woronzoff‘ talk
Gender: Select M or F orÉ.
The Classification and Language of Gender
Imagine you are answering a demographic survey.Ê YouÕve reached the gender specification question and you are forced to check M or F but you hesitate, why?ÊThe language surrounding gender entails societal understanding of women, men, and men and women.Ê But are these two categories expansive enough to entail the diverse population we live in?Ê Are there individuals who live in between or even outside the categories male and female and who defines their existence?Ê Gender is more than a characteristic it is a social relationship that not only distributes power in society but applies value to an individual.Ê Many believe that gender is learned and socialized by individuals within social (societal) spheres yet gender is cultural; different cultures will have different standards of social normativity.Ê The purpose of my talk will be to unravel the varying terms applied to gender; male, female, neutral, intersex, trans, just to name a few.Ê Furthermore, a discussion on gender fluidity requires the examination of the discriminatory factors created in society, separating individuals based on gender ÔdeterminingÕ characteristics.Ê But whose responsibility is it to dispel gender norms and where can such a loaded term be neutralized?Ê Could such a space exist in a library or does the treatment of gender and gendered subjects serve to deepen the levels of power, social pressures and obligation?