Gender introduction
Perceptions of gender and whether it is naturally or socially constructed inform discussion over the essential nature of men and women. Historical, religious, philosophical and social constructions of gender have been culturally embedded to the extent that the gender binary, where men are equated with the rational and public, and women with the emotional and private, is difficult to overcome. Writers and theorists, particularly female, have sought to address the subjugated role of women as emotional and, therefore, less powerful and important by either aspiring to a male role or asserting the equal importance of the female role. A third possibility has been the development of the post-human project to question the rigidity of human identity and, with it, gender roles. This section of the paper explores some of the ideas which have formed gender perceptions and sought to address their inequalities. More...
