Unsex Me: The Gender Debate by Mette Vollbrecht Würtz Petersen https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml en-us 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC 2025-02-20 22:31:51 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f468-1f468-1f467-1f466.png Anders https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811348 Society makes gender difficult to define because of gender change. It is possible to change gender through surgeries. There  are two sexes, male and female. 
Sex refers to the biological differences between the two sexes.  Masculinity can be seen through dominance and strength oppesite feminine caring and soft. Usually we consider all men as masculine and all women as feminine but that is generalizing. ]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811348 Marius https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811349  Gender: A social construction, something biology determines or something in between? That question is very difficult to answer. The difficulty frames the gender debate well. The debate is more relevant than ever before because the more information we possess, the more difficult it becomes to know who we really are. The birth certificate and the body show on thing, but the mind and society can show another thing. The dilemma becomes interesting in the world of sport where traditional gender ideals thrives. An example of that could be football where you have to be strong, brutal and insensitive but the problem is that not all men act like that. However, the dilemma becomes far larger when speaking about sex-change in sport because is it okay for a former man to play in a women’s sport such as handball? Should the gender be determined by the level of testosterone in one’s body or should the individual athlete decide it for themselves.

This article illustrates the dilemma sports can bring:

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7811843/Transgender-AFL-player-vents-fury-kicked-Australias-womens-handball-team.html

]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811349 Niels https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811350

 research and enter one example of gender being a contemporary issue into the padlet: 

There is an interesting thing going on with linguistics. In some languages (like Latin!) some words have gender and that especially relates to something like pronouns i thinks it's interesting how a contemporary "issue" like gender can change something like language.  

Tom Scott has a pretty decent video on it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ehrFk-gLk)
In it he mentions research that indicated German speakers were more likely to associate the word key (which is masculine in German) with words like "hard" and "tough" and Spanish speakers (in Spanish key is feminine) with words like "golden". 
Showing the implicit impact language can have on our understanding of gender roles.   
]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811350 Emilie https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811351 In general sex refers to the biological differences between males and females like genitalia. Gender is more difficult to define, but the most common definition is that gender refers to the role of a male or female in society. When people discuss the topic 'gender' feminist tends to disregard biological factors, while naturists tend to overlook sociocultural factors. Some are arguing that there are more than two genders and have created additional classifications by using terms such as transgender, non-binary, cis-gender and gender fluid. The most common question in this debat is whether it is our environment that makes us who we are or our biology? In our language we tend to define what is masculine and what is feminine. We tend to say 'be a man' 'boys don't cry' and 'run like a girl'. When we talk in this way, so we put the two sexes into their own box and define what is right and wrong for the sex and how they should behave. But some argue that when being exposed to testosterone and estrogen will make the way we behave inherently different. Science shows that boy babies tend to look more at machines and girl babies tend to look more at faces, and this may explain why women and men tend to find themselves in diffrent career paths. ]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811351 Ea https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811353 In modern society, many people have the opportunity to decide who they want to be and to define their own gender identity. 
 
It is interesting that there are more than 71 gender options today. However, the many available gender options have created a really hot potato. 
For example being a non-binary person can create distortion as well as clashes between the non-binary individual and society's norms and expectations. 
 
Parenting a Gender Non-Conforming Child | Michele Yulo | TEDxUtica
 
In this video, a woman talks about  parenting a Gender Non-Conforming Child. She discusses the clash of her daugther's behaviour that does fit in the pattern of society's or the parent's expectations. 

The woman thinks that it is a big problem when parents limit their child. Being a parent, you have the responsibility to learn your child to be happy with yourself.

In the end she asks: What would happend if we didn´t place limits on children based on their gender? 
 
 
]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811353 Søren https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811354 An interesting thing about gender is participation of women in national-level parliaments. In most countries men and women have the same voting rights. However, in December 2018, women only accounted for 24.1% of members in national-level Parliaments, and there are only 3 countries in the world that have more female than male parliament members. Even in Denmark, a relatively equal country, women only account for 37% of members of Parliament. The interesting question is why? With equal voting rights it is easy to believe that there would be a somewhat equal distribution of men and women. Perhaps it is some social construct that men are more suited to wield positions of power.]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811354 Marianne https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811355 The public has very different views about what society values most in men an what it values in women. While many say that society values honesty, morality and professional success in men, the top qualities for women are physical attractiveness and being nurturing and empathetic. 

The interesting question is whether or not this can be explained biologically. One could argue that women, who have more estrogen than men, have the instinct to nurture, emphasize and make themselves physically attractive for potential mates. It is therefore an instinct to be attractive to the opposite sex. This is not a social contract telling women that they must be beautiful. In the wild, being attractive means ensuring resources. 

This is of course just one argument…
]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811355 Christian https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811356 Society typically tells us that there are two sexes: male and female. The two sexes have been and are to a certain extend still connected with certain key words. Masculinity usually being tough, dominant etc. Feminine on the other hand being soft, dainty etc. The interesting is then that it's now slowly coming more acceptable to go against the traditional connotations and it's now up to the individual to define their traits. 

But Rome was not built in a day in as our system and society is still partly arranged after traditional values and for this reason men and women are met with different expectations. An example of this could be maternity leave. Men are allowed to take maternity leave, but as it is not biologically required from the man, some employers see this as working against the company. ]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811356 Nicoline S https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811357 In todays society we have many options when it comes to  deciding our gender. We have the option to be genderfluid as well as stay inside the traditional norms in terms of what we identify ourselves with. 
However, within these genders, one has a certain expectation and appearance to obtain. As a woman you have to fight for your rights and it is frowned upon if you aren't an advocate for female rights, a so called Feminist. Men who prefers traditional family -life are being accused of having a toxic Masculinity and if they try to explain a certain thing to a woman, he can be accused of "mansplaining" and of talking down to her.

It is interesting how we have become so scared of treating women unfairly, that we have started to blame men and accuse them of treating women badly just because they perhaps prefer a different type of lifestyle than the majority.]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811357 Magnus https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811358 In today society change of sex is generally looking down upon and as unnatural. This can be seen as an issue while some individuals don't necessarily identify as their biological sex and therefore seek for change. The question rises if sex change/surgery should be legal and if so should it really be regarded with disdain? Furthermore at what age should you be allowed to undergo surgery, when are you really aware of who you are/want to become? The line can become very unclear and vary from every individual. ]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811358 Oliver https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811359 Changing gender is something people do in order to feel comfortable with themselves and their bodies, which is a good thing. The problem occurs when people are caught off guard by this change. We have seen examples of people being sued or suspended from their jobs, because they unintentionally referred to someone with the wrong pronouns. Most people think that there are only two genders, which is male and female. If a person calls someone Mr., but that someone wants to be referred to as Mrs. then the person calling that someone Mr. can easily be seen as sexist or a bad person. One of the reasons for that is because of famous people like Caitlyn Jenner and Conchita Wurst who have idolized the transgender movement, which makes it look like something that should be understood and accepted by everyone. This means that the people who don't understand the movement are seen as non-inclusive or sexist. Now, if you want to be referred to as Mrs. and you have a beard and wear a dress, then how can it be someones fault if they call you Mr? Why do you have to sue a person, because you didn't do a good enough job of looking like a woman? If people do it on purpose then it can be justified, but if it is an honest misunderstanding it should not be taken that serious. This highlights a problem in our society, which is a lack of accountability. People shift the blame on to others, but why should you expect people to know what you want to be called? People who change genders or identify as a different gender should expect what comes with the territory, which is confusion. There are plenty of pronouns that have been made up, so no wonder people get confused when they can see that you are/were originally male or  female. It is considered a crime if people don't use the right pronouns, which begs the question of how far this should be taken? Should there be restrictions on how many genders there can be and should it be considered a crime if a person uses the wrong pronouns?

Discussion about pronouns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtgKRpjVXSg

Teacher suspended for misgendering:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/teacher-transgender-student-girl-accident-call-trans-wrong-gender-joshua-sutcliffe-a8054146.html]]> 2020-06-24 14:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qrv6rfap5x/kc1yweq1zn7m0zml/wish/638811359