Khush Aalam Singh - Week 1

Night to his Day - Judith Lorber

Judith Lorber provides a simple yet effective understanding of gender and its pervasiveness in contemporary society. In my cursory attempt to understand her work, I find that she refers to fundamental concepts and demystifies myths surrounding the gender paradigm. She begins by reflecting on how gender is by itself, a fundamental component on life to the extent that it is intermingled in multiple spheres of human life. She then emphasizes the fact that gender norms are created and sustained through the processes of "people doing gender."

Lorber then talks about how gender can be understood from the perspectives of the individual and the society, both playing an important role in reinforcing norms. For the society, gender is an identity that is used to classify people based on similarity. The pressing need for doing so arises mostly out of convenience, as she points out the dressing of babies in clothing which ascribes a particular gender identity to the child. However, it carries an even significant purpose, i.e., the assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Lorber debunks the common confusion between gender and sex by stating the difference. But she does consider the manner in which sexual markers assign a gender identity to the person in question. However, she does maintain that gender is not premised on the same, but are socially constructed statuses. Further, the processes of stratification, structure and process work hand in hand and create disparities based on the positionalities and identities assumed by individuals. Therefore, gender becomes an identity card reflecting the degree of prestige and respect enjoyed in the societal structure.

References-
“Night to his Day”: The Social Construction of Gender – Judith Lorber