Women and gender studies

Gender and its Interpretation

Gender refers to a male or a female. Hassel and Launius describe gender as a characteristic behaviour which determines the form of person and which is represented in society through the process of gender. Rather than referring to the sex of the person, gender may also be interpreted as an act resembling femininity or masculinity. However straightforward it is to describe gender, at some stage it is difficult to grasp. Launius and Hassel find out that “sex is whatever someone wants to be...” According to Launius and Hassel, oppression and privilege systems shapes the life of an individual. The author inter-twins these systems to find out how they are internalized by the human race through ideology and social institutions. In chapter four, which makes basis of this essay, Launius observes that, inter-sectionalism is critical in as far as the analysis of feminism is concerned. The chapter investigates how various groups get disadvantaged or benefits from the social institution structures. Throughout the chapter, the authors seek to find justification why the overlapping system of the identity categories shapes the individual experience within the society.

Impact of Gender Perspective

In this respect, Launius and Hassel observe that, the above points of view impacts massively to the human race development and as far as the Gender issue is concerned. These developments includes and not limited to; the education, economic and social status quo. In our case we shall dwell on the case of the gender perspective on the woman studies.

Gender Dis-equality and Oppression

This is because the social perspective of gender has given more weight on the masculinity status than feminism causing social gender dis-equality; according to Launius and Hassel, this has caused oppression and inferiority complex among the societies, the author observes that, this has greatly impacted negatively not only in woman social development but also in studies. One of the major result attributed to this social problem is the fact that, the society tends to reward one form of gender to the great extend with privilege and therefore this inhibits oppression. (Launius, Christie, and Holly Hassel)

Understanding Privilege

Privilege has been in existence since immemorial. Launius and Hassel defines it as, ‘’ benefit from the institution inequalities’’. In this notion man privilege has seen to oppress women in the societies fuelling oppression among woman and this has negative impact on the women studies because they have been made to belief that, they are inferior being and that they cannot make it in equal positions as men.

Negative Impact of Privilege

Over the past, the privilege term have had been looked down upon, the term was given good connotation but if someone delves into the meaning of the term deeply, one will understand how it has negative impact to the society members who are not in favor of it.

Importance of Gender Program and Pedagogy

In a nut-shell, whilst the gender program and pedagogy might vary, the identified concepts of the threshold are critical to the content and the learning outcome of women studies in the society.

Work cited

Launius, Christie, and Holly Hassel. “The Social Construction of Gender.” Threshold Concepts in Women’s and Gender Studies: Ways of Seeing, Thinking, and Knowing. New York: Routledge, 2015.