Gender

Watch the Lectures#

Judith Butler - Gender

• Lecture 1 How Shall We Define It?
• Lecture 2 Not a Choice, But Reality
• Lecture 3 The Barrier of Language
• Lecture 4 At the Center of Debate
• Lecture 5 How Shall We Live?

Lecture 1: How Shall We Define It?#

What does gender mean?
Is it the same as a person's biological sex? Or is it a different way of understanding social identity?

Gender is also a word that has sparked wide-ranging debate. Interpreting this word is one of the key challenges. In some parts of the world, people show hostility toward the concept of gender. Some see it as a challenge to the language that traditionally defines the differences between men and women in their native tongue.

Simone de Beauvoir [1908-1986] was a revered 20th-century feminist philosopher. She was also a French author who wrote The Second Sex (a classic of feminist theory published in 1949).

One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.
— Simone de Beauvoir

This declaration became the theoretical foundation for distinguishing between sex and gender. Sex is the concept of biological sex understood as a biological reality, while gender refers to the social meanings assigned to sex in a particular time and place.

Being assigned a biological sex of female at birth doesn't mean you have to speak or walk in a certain way to look like a woman.

We consider marriage a social institution. Marriage is a way society organizes biological sex. It's based on sex but is not determined by biology. It's not an institution determined by biology.
Even the way we love can be seen as an act of socially organized gendered bodies.
Expressing appearance, the way you walk, the way you talk, and even work are all kinds of social acts. Some are self-determined, and some are determined by social and cultural norms.

In the 20th century, it became important for several reasons to clearly distinguish between sex — understood as biological reality — and gender — the social meaning that sex takes on in a particular society (equal pay for equal work, etc.).
Biology doesn't determine what a woman will do. What determines that is the person herself.

The distinction between sex and gender opened horizons of freedom for women, but it applied to men as well.
Men also grow up with firm ideas about what's masculine, what it means to be manly, and what it means to be a man. These ideas can become obsessive. But the notion of what it means to be a man has changed across eras.

The sex we're assigned at birth isn't the factor that determines how we'll live our lives. That doesn't mean we're entirely free from sex. Freedom always emerges within a particular culture, a particular society. We may or may not be free depending on the time. Freedom is a struggle. Freedom is constrained by social norms and customs. Efforts to change norms and customs can sometimes be extremely difficult. Changes in gender are always constrained by the pressure of social and traditional frameworks.

In late 20th-century feminist theory, Simone de Beauvoir's declaration was interpreted as:
Sex is an innate category, whereas gender is the cultural and social interpretation of that innate category.

The concept of sex itself has been determined in various ways (through institutions, culture, language, medical customs, the history of scientific customs).
What is a binary? It means belonging to only one of two categories. But in sex, there are intersex people who possess physical characteristics of both male and female. This phenomenon occurs in animals too.

Lecture 1 Summary#

Gender: An English word, subject of debate, an unfamiliar word

• Sex: Biological sex
• Gender: Social and cultural sex

The core of gender theory -> Interpretation (a challenge to existing terminology/sex)

French existentialist thinker Simone de Beauvoir:

• A pioneer of 20th-century feminism who emphasized women as subjects
• Laid the groundwork for distinguishing sex and gender: "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman"

Biology (sex) cannot determine a person's life!
Intersex people exist -> People who don't fit the binary definition of male and female bodies
The meaning of gender should be freely changeable

1970s interpretation: Sex is an innate category, gender is the social interpretation of sex
Modern interpretation: Sex classification varies by historical context, language, and history of science. Sex cannot be easily determined.

Lecture 2: Not a Choice, But Reality#

Childbirth is a woman's choice. Women can express their freedom in society in various ways. Some women live in societies with strong expectations of women. These expectations arose because society imposed duties on women's biological capabilities.

We can identify reproductive ability as one of the biological capabilities women possess. But it shouldn't define what a woman is or what her life should be like.
If bearing children is what makes a true woman and childbirth is the only mark of true womanhood, that's imposing social norms.
There are women who don't want to marry and want a different life, and in some societies and communities, this desire is seen as inappropriate behavior.
Feminists don't oppose biology or deny biological facts.

The reason we must distinguish between sex and gender is that no one's life should be predicted based on sex alone.
Transgender people fight — for the medical and legal freedom to change their gender, so that gender categories can describe the reality in which they live.
Understanding the difference between sex and gender is extremely important for feminists. It expanded women's freedom and challenged male supremacy — the idea that men naturally occupy a superior social position.

Simone de Beauvoir's declaration sparked three debates:

1. It only considered women.
2. The categories of male and female always presuppose a heterosexual framework.
3. Can humans even identify physical differences between the sexes?

Women must struggle to be free within their circumstances. They must change their situations within the conditions they're given. And they must realize that no freedom and no equality can be won without struggle.

Lecture 2 Summary#

No one's life should be predicted or determined by biological sex
Gender as reality cannot be chosen
Transgender people whose assigned sex doesn't explain them -> Lives that need new categories

Sex assigned at birth:

• Social reality
• Social identity
• Sense of one's own body
• Career path

Shared understanding of Beauvoir's declaration -> The category of sex is not a fixed fact but a situation
Differences in sex are only found when you look for them -> A framework of perception
Assigned sex does not determine

"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman"
-> The category of sex is not a fixed fact but a situation; how we understand sex changes with time and place
-> A process of social transformation and difficult negotiation

Lecture 3: The Barrier of Language#

Simone de Beauvoir is a revered 20th-century feminist philosopher.

One possibility Simone de Beauvoir didn't consider was transgender identity.
The existence of transgender people creates cracks in sex assignment because they demand new words and new categories.
We must understand the contradiction between the constraints and freedoms that gender faces.
For too long, we've assumed that biological sex implies a social way of life.

Sex cannot be separated from the linguistic acts that produce the word itself. I believe the linguistic form of sex carries the meaning of social gender. And gender is a foreign word. Translating the meaning of gender into native languages is extremely tricky.
Translation is needed, but we must also understand the limits of translation.
We need to be part of anti-cultural imperialism. We must oppose cultural imperialism, which undermines feminists' efforts for global equality.

Lecture 3 Summary#

Simone de Beauvoir's

• Classic feminist theory published in 1949
• Challenged the assumption that sex (biological) and gender (social) are the same, presenting clear differences
• Sex is not a simple fact determined by science alone; it's influenced by society and culture
• Overlooked transgender identity -> Male, female, and new genders -> Demands for new words and categories

Translation problems of sex in different languages:

• No universal language to express sex
• Cultural interpretation of sex -> Inevitably different across languages
• No interpretation of sex that spans all eras and cultures

The cultural influence of America and the power of English:
Unconscious attitude of English-speaking gender theorists -> Perceiving gender as a universal word rather than an English word
Disinterest of English-speaking scholars in translating gender and feminist theory
Gender became its current concept in the mid-20th century -> Like sex, gender means different things in different languages
Knowing the limits of translation is important
Establishing equivalent concepts across different languages is important
No single language can monopolize gender terminology
Criticism of a single language (English) is part of the global gender movement

Lecture 4: At the Center of Debate#

We live in an era where gender is fiercely debated internationally.
I think we should work toward a world where diverse genders — not just male and female — can live better.
Ethically, when someone says they belong to a certain gender and wants to be called by certain pronouns, that should be unconditionally respected. We shouldn't question the way someone defines themselves. We should respect their freedom to express themselves. We shouldn't deny the self-esteem they gain from it.

Some people think it's better to live outside existing gender categories, while others find meaning in being recognized within them. I don't think we need to fix just one way of life.
Some people tie various social and economic anxieties to the term gender. They blame the destruction of many lives on the word gender. They accuse it of causing instability across society. People who support gender censorship compare gender ideology to communism.

The request was for everyone to open their minds a little more — to consider that different lives have equal value.

Lecture 4 Summary#

Gender studies -> Distortion of gender's meaning -> Gender debate
Gender studies:

• A third gender beyond male and female
• The transcendence of gender
• A world without gender categories

Gender debate:

• Should the state block gender?
• Does gender studies aim to eliminate gender itself?

Direction of gender studies:

• A world where diverse genders can live better
• A world where people who need gender categories and people who need to be free from them can coexist -> Transgender, trans women, trans men
• Wherever you are in the gender spectrum, all are valid

Anti-gender ideology's view of gender (appealing to fears and anxieties spread throughout society, blaming societal instability on gender terminology):

• Denial of biological sex
• Disruption of the natural order
• Division of the heterosexual family system

What gender studies actually did:

• Emphasized women's reproductive rights and freedom
• Rejected prescribed ways of living and loving
• Explored the possibility of alternative families
• Advocated for transgender rights
• Opposed various forms of violence

Lecture 5: How Shall We Live?#

To summarize the lectures: we distinguished between biological sex and social gender. We talked about the importance of interpreting the concept of gender well. We also talked about the anxiety and fear some people feel about gender — the idea that it's a concept imported from outside or that it might destroy existing ways of life.

We need a broader framework or new gender vocabulary. So that people both inside and outside gender categories can all live full lives. In a world where we live together, the question should not be "Who am I?" but "Who are we?"

Gender didn't destroy masculinity. It only challenged male supremacy. It didn't destroy the family system. It merely argued that diverse kinds of families and solidarity hold equally important value.

What we want is to live, breathe, work, and love with community support, without fear of discrimination, violence, or censorship. That's what life in an ideal coexisting community looks like.

When we are called by a certain gender or assigned a certain sex, society tells us much more. A set of expectations, ideals, and customs are conveyed to us.

Those who hate transgender people are not feminists. Because feminists oppose the idea that anyone should be discriminated against because of gender.

The task for all of us is to find more livable ways in a world where multiple languages coexist. Even if the shape of our lives differs from others or isn't recognized by them, we must know that it has value in itself. When thinking about how to live and what a good life is, we shouldn't hold just one idea. Only when we embrace the world's diverse personalities and diverse languages can we find freedom and shake off fear.

Lecture 5 Summary#

Gender studies challenged existing gender categories, but the state shifted welfare responsibilities to communities and families:

• Anti-gender policies
• Abolition of gender education
• Censorship of lectures, books, and exhibitions
• Denial of LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex) rights
• Anti-gender movements undermine progressive values (Istanbul Convention, UN)

Claims of anti-gender movements:

• Gender is an imperialist concept
• Gender discriminates against Christianity
• Gender violates the freedom to hate

How shall we live?

• Gender is one way of exploring the world -> Gender opens horizons of life categories, language, and freedom
• To understand the gender world, we must navigate between multiple languages (discovering diversity, dynamism, potential)
• A life that embraces the world's diverse personalities and languages -> The ideal community life, coexistence
• Learning about gender -> Like learning literature, film, and history
• Students also need solidarity

If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

— Michael Jordan