• About   |
  • Write For Us   |
  • Contact Us   |
  • हिंदी
Sunday, August 14, 2022
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
The Second Angle
NEWSLETTER
  • Opinion
  • TSA Analysis
  • Explainers
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • People
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • Environment
  • Technology
  • World
The Second Angle
  • Opinion
  • TSA Analysis
  • Explainers
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • People
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • Environment
  • Technology
  • World
Home Culture

Looking beyond the binaries: Towards a Nuanced Understanding of Gender

People have, at all times, in multiple geographical locations and cultures, found ways to shatter the binary lens

Turiya Uma Kalyan by Turiya Uma Kalyan
April 13, 2022
in Culture
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Looking beyond the binaries: Towards a Nuanced Understanding of Gender
Share on FacebookShare on WhatsApp

One of the most deep-rooted problems of modern-day society is our tendency to look at issues around us through a binary lens. This has created two intractable problems: it oversimplifies issues and prevents the development of a nuanced understanding. This has resulted in everything being judged quickly and being put into contrarian baskets: this or that, black or white. Nowhere is this problem more insidious than when it comes to gender identification.

Some traits which are generally considered masculine are physical strength, height, providing protection, insensitivity, not being nurturing, etc. Some stereotypically feminine traits are being dainty, fragile, dependent, nurturing, sensitive, weak, etc. This is because of how our ancestors, the hunter-gatherers, divided tasks until about 12,000 years back. The typical construct of a hunter-gatherer society, that was taught in my fifth grade history class, was that the males would provide protection and food or be the hunters while the women would be the nurturing, more family-oriented, caretakers – the gatherers. 

RelatedPosts

6 Best Places To Visit In India During the Month Of Ramzan

6 Best Places To Visit In India During the Month Of Ramzan

April 15, 2022 - Updated on April 26, 2022
Mercy In The Month Of Ramadan And Nine Blessed Nights of Navratri: Token of Peace and Harmony For People Of India

Mercy In The Month Of Ramadan And Nine Blessed Nights of Navratri: Token of Peace and Harmony For People Of India

April 7, 2022 - Updated on April 8, 2022
Looking beyond the binaries: Towards a Nuanced Understanding of Gender
image source: lithub

But given that we now live in the 21st century, given that more than 10 millennia have passed since these obsolete divisions of labor were a necessity, one would believe that they should not exist anymore. We now live in a society where we have to do everything for ourselves, where each one of us has to play the role of the hunter as well as that of the gatherer. These slight alterations in the way we act, influenced by gender, happen everywhere. Some say that it’s something that is socially conditioned into us as we grow up while others say there’s a biological and chemical explanation for it.

An interesting case study from the book Gender by Raewyn Connell talks about the play of gender in school life. The case study has been taken by Connell from ethnographer Barrie Thorne’s 1993 book Gender Play.  As someone who is currently in high school, I found this case study particularly fascinating. I was able to draw multiple parallels between what is written and instances I have witnessed at different stages of my life. For example, the case study talks about the sense of camaraderie between members of the same gender on the playground which is something I have experienced myself as well. 

Looking beyond the binaries: Towards a Nuanced Understanding of Gender
image source: goodreads

When we would play tag, girls would only go after boys and boys would only go after girls not wanting to tag someone of the same gender, reserving that treatment only for those of another gender. When a boy is being picked on, it’s highly likely that he will be called a girl or pushed into an area occupied by girls, because what could possibly be worse according to a five-year-old boy than not being accepted by his male peers and being seen as a girl, which they look down upon? Boys would be made fun of for wearing pink. I have seen boys come to school wearing pink shirts only to be mercilessly made fun of, being called a girl for wearing a “girl” color. Girls are no better. 

When I was younger, the thought of being associated with boys mortified me. I was afraid I would be bullied for it and so compensated by making fun of every boy I came across. I would run around class chanting “girls rule, boys drool”. Raewyn Connell sums up the role gender plays in the lives of young children perfectly, saying “Gender is important in their world, but it is important as a human issue that they deal with, not as a fixed framework that reduces them to puppets.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The modern-day binary lens has reinforced our collective consciousness that male and female gender identity is separate and complete in themselves. However, a look at ancient cultures around the world shows us that they had embraced gender fluidity. In Hindu mythology, Shiva the god of destruction is often personified as Ardhanarishvara, who is half male and half female; representing the inseparability of the masculine and feminine principles. In Norse mythology, the god of mischief Loki was known to shift between genders, being an accomplished shapeshifter often taking the form of women. The Aztec deity Ometeotl was the god of duality, they were considered both male and female. Similar examples can be found in multiple other civilizations. 

People have, at all times, in multiple geographical locations and cultures, found ways to shatter the binary lens. Whether it’s Ardhanarishvara in Hindu mythology, Norse mythology’s Loki, or the Aztecs’ Ometeotl, there have been representations of the power that comes from looking beyond the blinders of binary thinking all over. If all of these great cultures can do this, why can’t we, as a modern, developed, society do the same?

About the Author: A 10th-grade student from APL Global School, Chennai

Also, Checkout: Mercy In The Month Of Ramadan And Nine Blessed Nights of Navratri: Token of Peace and Harmony For People Of India

ShareSendTweet
Turiya Uma Kalyan

Turiya Uma Kalyan

Related Posts

6 Best Places To Visit In India During the Month Of Ramzan
Culture

6 Best Places To Visit In India During the Month Of Ramzan

April 15, 2022 - Updated on April 26, 2022

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, has begun, and Muslims worldwide are fasting from dawn to sunset. Let's take a look...

Read more
Mercy In The Month Of Ramadan And Nine Blessed Nights of Navratri: Token of Peace and Harmony For People Of India
Culture

Mercy In The Month Of Ramadan And Nine Blessed Nights of Navratri: Token of Peace and Harmony For People Of India

April 7, 2022 - Updated on April 8, 2022

Goddess Durga is worshipped during Chaitra Navratri, also known as Vasant Navratri. Ramadan is a 30-day fast that is followed...

Read more
Exploring the City of “Tehzeeb”- Culture of Hyderabad
Culture

Exploring the City of “Tehzeeb”- Culture of Hyderabad

April 1, 2022 - Updated on April 26, 2022

The culture of Hyderabad is highly distinct, with a mix of modern and traditional influences. In the culture of this...

Read more
The History of Delhi’s iconic Sujan Singh Park
Culture

The History of Delhi’s iconic Sujan Singh Park

March 29, 2022

The structure muddled in controversies is an amalgamation of various aspects of the history of India

Read more
Rishikesh: Pure Waves of Holy Ganges
Culture

Rishikesh: Pure Waves of Holy Ganges

March 28, 2022 - Updated on April 26, 2022

Rishikesh, one of the best tourist places in India serves a variety of tourist attractions like sportsmen, pilgrims, families, and...

Read more
Post Women's Day initiatives in India
Culture

Post Women’s Day initiatives in India

March 15, 2022

Policies and initiatives were being processed from an early stage. On the occasion of International Women's Day, several domains introduced...

Read more
Load More
Next Post
Top 10 Most Expensive Electric Cars

Top 10 Most Expensive Electric Cars

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook Twitter Instagram Telegram

About

The Second Angle

A platform providing diverse views on various issues, providing an in-depth understanding of important developments happening around us. It offers you true journalism amidst the cacophony. Discover the latest news, opinions, analysis and a lot more here.

Important Links

  • About
  • Career
  • Write for us | The Second Angle
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • हिंदी

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

© 2017-22. The Second Angle. All Rights Reserved. Developed and Maintenance by SquareBase.io

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
  • TSA Analysis
  • Explainers
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • People
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • Environment
  • Technology
  • World
  • Login
  • Sign Up

© 2017-22. The Second Angle. All Rights Reserved. Developed and Maintenance by SquareBase.io

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.