Gender continuum

"Gender spectrum" redirects here. For organization, see Gender Spectrum.

The gender continuum is an extension of the gender spectrum to include additional gender identities. The traditional gender spectrum (itself an extension of the limiting gender binary) is linear (1-D), from 100% male to 100% female, with various states of androgyny in between. A continuum is multidimensional, allowing third gender, fourth gender, fifth gender, agender or genderless, as well as many other possibilities and combinations, thus much more accurately reflecting the true diversity of human genders. One benefit of viewing gender as a continuum, rather than a spectrum, is that we have a less structured mold to fit into when it comes to our sexual identity. The continuum approach to gender identity gives a person much more personal freedom in which to express themselves. Because of the rigidity of the gender binary system, young men and women have become confined within the social parameters of their demographic.

Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House. This country is way down the list of countries electing women and, according to one study, it polarizes gender roles more than the average democracy…. Black men were given the vote a half-century before women of any race were allowed to mark a ballot, and generally have ascended to positions of power, from the military to the boardroom, before any women.
— Gloria Steinem

Theories of gender stratification cover a landscape of theories and conditions, from micro situations to wide–ranging historical comparisons. the explanatory focus has included infancy, reproductive technologies, kinship organization, healthcare, cultural ideologies, eroticism, violence, and the gender division of labor.[1]

Most Psychologists conceptualize masculinity and femininity as two separate, orthogonal dimensions, coexisting in varying degrees in an individual [2]

Postmodern theorists in three disciplinary traditions—sociology, psychology, and gender studies—are among contemporary scholars who have moved away from dualistic models of sex and gender (e.g., males vs. females, masculine vs. feminine).[3]

"Gender is all around us. It is actually taught to us, from the moment we are born. Gender expectations and messages bombard us constantly. Upbringing, culture, peers, community, media, and religion, are some of the many influences that shape our understanding of this core aspect of identity. How you learned and interacted with gender as a young child directly influences how you view the world today. Gendered interaction between parent and child begin as soon as the sex of the baby is known. In short, gender is a socially constructed concept." http://www.genderspectrum.org

[4] Strategies for Change Stephanie Knaak shows us four strategies that we can use to re-conceptualize gender, which will help us shed our ideas of the "two party" gender system we currently have.

References

  1. ↑ Toward an Integrated Theory of Gender Stratification Randall Collins, Janet Saltzman Chafetz, Rae Lesser Blumberg, Scott Coltrane and Jonathan H. Turner Sociological Perspectives , Vol. 36, No. 3 (Autumn, 1993), pp. 185-216
  2. ↑ Reexamining Masculinity, Femininity, and Gender Identity Scales Kay M. Palan, Charles S. Areni and Pamela Kiecker Marketing Letters , Vol. 10, No. 4 (Nov., 1999), pp. 363-377
  3. ↑ Toward a Dialectical Model of Family Gender Discourse: Body, Identity, and Sexuality Libby Balter Blume and Thomas W. Blume Journal of Marriage and Family , Vol. 65, No. 4 (Nov., 2003), pp. 785-794
  4. ↑ Knaak, Stephanie. "On the Reconceptualizing of Gender: Implications for Research Design". Sociological Inquiry. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
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