Aashna Gupta Week 1

THE EGG AND THE SPERM

The article uses the metaphor of the human body and its sexual products to underline the larger idea of gender role playing that exists in the society. By giving the three examples of the John Hopkins Lab’s revised model, Schatten Lab and Wasserman’s description; Martin lays down how over time, over varied ideas, the female product i.e. the egg has either been shown as submissive, passive and weak or as extremely aggressive and a capturer. On the other hand, the sperm is shown as brave, agile and active. Through different theories, the author has shown the development of different explanations over time, none resulting in putting the female counterpart to an equal footing with the male one. This is merely an allegory to depict how even science reproduces the roles that both the genders are often confined to. Either women are damsels in distress or a threat to masculinity. In this sense, if science cannot separate itself from patriarchy, the way society and culture would portray the gender roles is almost unfathomable.

NIGHT TO HIS DAY

Lorber uses this article to showcase how in our entire lives we are asked to function in a certain way, based on our gender. If someone doesn’t fall into such categories, like transvestites, they are shunned from the society and seen as abnormal. Gender is bred into our genes from the way we dress, to the way we behave with the opposite sex, to our occupations to our familial roles. Even though gender is a social construct, it is forced upon us like it is as stiff as sex, seemingly with no difference between the two. The author correctly explains how belonging to one sex makes it seem more exciting than to belong to the other because for centuries, women have been portrayed to be weaker. Society deems it necessary to create clear distinctions between the two sexes to function. Because gender is a process, it creates expectations from the two genders that one must fulfil. A norm ends up having so much control over our lives that the first thing we see when we look at someone ends up being their gender, all dependent on the ideas attached to a particular gender by the society. Besides, whenever there is distinction, one category ends up being of lesser value than the other leading to the bright banner of patriarchy looming over our culture.