tittle@ics.UCI.EDU (Cindy Tittle Moore) (04/24/91)
One of the issues that I see coming up then and again on this
newsgroup is the frequent lack of ``background'' in feminist work.
One poster semi-jokingly asked about the ``Feminism 101'' reading
list. While I would never claim that there is such a thing for this
newsgroup, I do know that there is a daunting amount of material out
there that many of us would love to be more familiar with.
About a year ago, I posted a book review, and promised to try and post
subsequent book reviews. Well, that was a little more difficult; I've
managed to read interesting books since then, but haven't managed to
put out any reviews. I still want to do this, and am working on a
review right now. However, I wanted to take the opportunity to note
that book reviews would be (in my opinion) an excellent addition to
this forum, and to urge all of you to consider posting book reviews as
well. Even reviews on the same book by different persons would be
interesting (picture me and Hillel reviewing one of Brownmiller's
works, for example ;-). How about it?? And, to whet your appetite
(& to get me going again), here's a reprisal of my last review:
--Cindy
--------------
Review by Cindy Tittle
January 27, 1990
This article may be reproduced only in its entirety; which includes
preserving the author's name, this notice, and all addresses given at
the end. It is freely redistributable as long as all recipients are
entitled to do so likewise and no profit is made.
Copyright (C) 1990 by Cindy Tittle
Gender Blending
by Holly Devor
Indiana University Press
ISBN 0-253-31637-5 (hardback)
ISBN 0-253-20533-6 (paperback)
Library of Congress: HQ1075.D48 1989
Excerpts from this book are permitted under the Association of
American University Presses' Resolution on Permissions. All
page numbers given are from the paperback version.
Holly Devor interviewed fifteen women who are consistently mistaken
for men as the basis for this book. She starts by outlining the
biological basis for sexual differences, continues by describing how
children seem to pick up gender roles, and then describes the results
from her interviews of the women, which include an account of their
childhood, puberty, and adult life, an examination of how they
constructed their gender roles, and comments on the differences
between being perceived as male or as female.
Devor makes a clear distinction between sex (which is determined
biologically), gender (which is a person's social status as a man or
woman), gender identity (which is what an individual perceives herself
or himself to be), and gender roles (which is the class of behavior
that is considered male or female, e.g., masculine and feminine
behavior). She points out that often sex and gender are used
interchangeably by society to mean the same thing.
Starting off with biologically based sex differences, Devor relates
examples of sex-chromosome abnormalities that seem to indicate gender
roles are largely learned behaviors: individuals assigned a particular
sex at birth carry out the gender roles expected of that sex.
Transsexuals (who are individuals that believe they are in a body of
the wrong sex, *not* those who simply enjoy cross-dressing) have a low
incidence of sex-chromosome abnormalities despite popular belief.
Following this is a description of how children appear to learn their
expected gender roles. One item I found particularly fascinating was
the large role that fathers play in teaching their children gender
roles. Apparently mothers treat their children more or less the same
-- there *are* some sex-linked differences, but relatively few. On
the other hand, it is the father who strictly discourages the boy from
feminine behavior. It is the father who either discourages the girl
from masculine behavior or tolerates/encourages it until puberty, at
which point he discourages it again. Since children perceive contact
with their fathers as "special," because of its traditionally limited
occurrence, they pay close attention to gaining approval from the
father. She notes the effect of the dichotomy between allowing girls
to engage in masculine behavior but not vice versa as follows:
"Children learn the greater value of masculine behaviors and the
lesser value of feminine ones by observing the actions of the adults
around them. Although children do receive a great deal of social
training as to the 'correct' ways for boys and girls to act, they also
receive the message of the dominant gender schema that maleness is the
standard against which all things associated with gender are measured.
Thus, children learn that to be masculine is better than to be
feminine: to be male and masculine is to be best; to be female and
masculine is to be second best; to be female and feminine is to be a
'good girl,' but second class; and to be male and feminine is to be a
traitor." (pg 59)
All the women interviewed for Devor's book were dedicated tomboys with
the support of their fathers (or father figures) as children; all felt
betrayed when their fathers suddenly expected them to act feminine
when they entered puberty -- to the extent of disparaging the same
masculinity they had earlier encouraged. In resisting the new roles
expected of them, the women found that they were often mistaken for
men. Devor explores the effect of this on the women, as they are
forced to examine their own gender identity in the face of so much
demonstrated confusion, examine the perception society has of men and
women, and examine their sexuality.
Some of these women correct people when they are mistaken for men.
Others have learned to ignore it, still others get very angry at
people for making the mistake. On the other hand, some tended to be
uncomfortable with what they saw as their duplicity, blaming
themselves rather than others for the mistakes. Often they were
puzzled, pointing out that other women dressed in pants and had short
hair as well.
All of them refused to be obviously feminine, stating that they would
break their ankles on stiletto heels, feel ridiculous in dresses and
silly in makeup and jewelry. Some women pointed out that they
actually looked like transvestites when they tried, like men dressing
as women.
Many of the women are lesbian, while others prefer "hypermasculine"
men for their partners. Many described periods during which they used
men as sexual objects in their anger toward being unfairly expected to
give up their masculine behavior. Many were actually mysogynistic to
some extent, feeling that other women could and should take the same
route that they did. Others could see clearly how men and women were
treated:
" 'I remember a classic in Toronto one night coming down College
Street. There was this woman about half a block ahead and she was
close enough that I could -- every man that passed her, either looked
at her or something, or every second man, every greaser on College
Street, every third car slowed down and looked at her. She was pretty
casually dressed and she was slight....It was about eleven or twelve
at night and there was cafe bars along College with greaser men
standing outside. And I watched that woman run the gauntlet. I mean
she was trying to have a daydream, there was no way. It was like
interrupted three times a block and mine never were. I had come to
take it for granted until this particular night when I saw this woman
get harassed by this guy. I wondered if he was going to say anything
to me. Of course, he didn't. There was this obvious contrast. I was
invisible on the street.' " (pg 133)
All of these issues are explored in a very even handed way and I
enjoyed reading this book -- read it through in one night and again a
week later. My only reservation about this book is that I feel it
isn't particularly accurate on some aspects of lesbianism. Devor
seems to imply that a poor relationship with the mother and a
"betrayed" relationship with the father will result in lesbianism.
She does give a counterexample (though not specifically as such) by
relating a conversation where the grandmother of a tomboy complained
that the girl would grow up "a homosexual" and the mother said not to
worry, that she'd grow out of it. Devor notes that "both were wrong."
Still, some of the discussion about lesbianism struck me as inaccurate,
whether through my poor reading or the author's poor writing, I don't
know. I would welcome comments from those more knowledgeable than I
who read this book.
I recommend this book as an enlightening and informative description
of the difference between sex and gender.
--Cindy
--
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