Title

The Perception of Femininity and Masculinity

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-16-2018

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

English

Faculty Sponsor

Kim Carter-Cram

Abstract

Through this project, we intend to study the subconscious prejudices many people have concerning the attributes and actions others have that would be considered masculine or feminine. The perceptions many people have are not only crippling for women, but can be harmful towards men and those who are gender non-conforming. These views have had a massive and detrimental impact on the identity and self-esteem of our society. Since the early 1400’s we have written evidence of women who chose to stand up against the patriarchy and step outside of their subservient roles. In this project, we intend to understand the history of gendered prejudices, how these prejudices are affecting modern society, and what actions we can take to break away from them. We will be interviewing students and faculty in the hopes of understanding these prejudices, as well as trying to find a path towards change. With permission from parents, we’ll also be interviewing children so that we might have a better idea of when we begin to develop these damaging prejudices. Some questions that we hope to answer are:

  • “How do these prejudices harm individuals and society?”

  • “Are gender prejudices learned or natural?”

  • “How can we as a society change these perceptions?”

By focusing our study on three different groups in different stages of life, we hope to understand how these prejudices occur and how they can be learned through social interaction. With this information, we will suggest methods to disintegrate these harmful prejudices, and allow for acceptance of all genders and all projections of gender. By the completion of this project, we aim to make subconscious and invisible prejudices more visible and accessible for change.

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