Comments on: Obsessing Over Gender Essentiality

By: Miranda PJ

Miranda PJ — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Steve, you’re assuming that gender essentialism is a conservative viewpoint. This is a common mistake. Feminism is sometimes defined in terms of the rejection of gender essentialism, but as a feminist, I can vouch for the fact that this is false. Important feminist voices like Carol Gilligan have emphasized some forms of gender essentialism. Even MacKinnon approaches essentialism by attempting to tie together women by focussing on the common elements of women’s experience. Moreover, lesbians and gays often define themselves using essential categories. I differ with my fellow feminists who rail against gender essentialism as such. The question is not, “Who supports and who opposes essentialism?” The question is, “To what end and according to what strategy is essentialism being used?” The focus on gender as a primary factor in oppression or subjugation often conceals other factors that may also serve the end of subjugation. This can have much the same effect as traditional essentialism when used by those in a dominant position to efface the differences among those they dominate. That’s the negative side. On the positive side, essentialism can be an invaluable tool in legitimizing sexual roles or activities, as we have seen among gays and lesbians.

By: SeptimusH

SeptimusH — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I believe men and women are essentially different. I’ve seen members of both genders naked and really there’s no comparison.

By: annegb

annegb — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve never heard of those words”gender essentialism.” Pretty clueless.

Loved your comment, Septimus.

I am sort of contrary, I like being a woman, my husband changes the tires, he opens the doors, he makes the living. On the other hand, I do not take orders from any man. So I guess that’s wanting to have my cake and eat it, too.

Not sure if that’s liberal or conservative. I think it’s smart.

By: HL Rogers

HL Rogers — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Hey this is a family blog. Keep it clean, will ya!! (In fact, I like to think of it as the Disney Land of blogs)

By: D. Fletcher

D. Fletcher — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

BCC seems to have a feminine personality as a group blog, as opposed to the more masculine T&S.

By: Steve Evans

Steve Evans — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

D., now you’re just egging me on.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

There are fundamental biological differences between men and women. The folks that say there are not are off their rockers. The question then becomes is there any *spiritual* difference between men and women. I don’t believe so.

Free will is emergent. To be truly free, we must transcend our physiology and our socialization. I consequently tend to look at Adam and Eve as equal free agents (i.e., lacking biological and social impairments to their free will) and consequently “essentially” the same. The rest of us are somewhere on the emergent free will vector.

To the extent that people give themselves up to their physiology and socialization, yeah, there are extraordinary essential differences.

By: Steve Evans

Steve Evans — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

J., you seem pretty comfortable separating spirit from body. I am not sure that we can do so as easily as you suggest (you Gnostic!).

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You are correct, Steve, it cannot be done easily. The only one I think to have done so was Christ. However, to admit inherent spiritual difference is to deny free will. While I don’t particularly buy into Libertarian Free Will, I do believe in a pretty robust version of the ideal.

Personally, I’m not nearly as free as I would like to be (constrained both my biology and socialization).

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I absolutely hate it when people make comments about my kids behavior being dictated by their gender. I hear this constantly. Every time one of my daughters gets upset, someone feels the need to tell me that girls are sooo emotional. It seems that every time my (very mild-tempered, sweet) toddler boy bites me, it’s because he’s a boy, and boys are rough, and I shouldn’t expect him to act like my girls, who never bit (although they shoved and kicked at that age, and were generally more aggressive and independent than my son). And the reason I have polite, articulate, pleasant, artistic older kids is because they are female, and just wait until little Will gets older! It’ll be so different!! It’s like they take some sort of vindictive pleasure in imagining my life with a five-year-old boy.

My take on gender essentialism: there is a wide, wide range of behavior among men and women. I think there are probably some personality traits that many women display more often than many men, but because individuals vary so much, I think any generalizations you can make on the subject are pretty much useless.