The Miseducation of Gender Roles

By: Oluwadamilare Olaniyi

May 6, 2019

In society today, we are divided by certain ideas and beliefs. Ideas and beliefs which are centered around the roles of different genders. Some believe there are only two, whilst others believe that there is wide array of genders. Individuals in society, are also split in the area of double standards. Double standards are quite a dividing topic, as the popular belief is that they go against women mostly. However people often forget that men can also be affected by the ideology of a double standard.

What do I mean by double standard? Rules that are set in place by people that make those people look like hypocrites. You encounter this in school when a teacher allows cell phones most days but suddenly takes your cell phone out of the blue when it’s been fine all along. But double standards can be even more harmful than a behavior infraction to a student. It can take identities away, only to render those identities as irrelevant in today's society.

what is the gender spectrum? And why does it matter?

The Gender Spectrum is a spectrum that describes a broad group of individuals whose gender identities fall out of the traditional Binary Male and Female genders assigned to them based on their sex.


what is the relation between Gender roles and the gender spectrum?

Men are subjected to the common concept that there is a binary gender spectrum, which only includes the traditional genders of male and female. However, the ideology of Non-Binary/Gender-Queer spectrum challenges that of the traditional Binary gender spectrum. Existing in a world where people think of gender as binary furthers toxic masculinity, stereotypes about male behaviors, and does not allow for men to express their masculinity outside of a stringent set of rules meant to tell us how to be masculine.

The relation between the 2, can also bring up the question of what "gender role" non-binary individuals have in a society that is majorly binary. Can non-binary individuals even have a role in a system/society that puts a limit on how they can express their identity?

You don't have to answer this, but I asked the same of a pool of students in a conducted survey created recently. Check below to see the results!

survey results

63% of the respondents that took the survey identified as Binary. Whilst a smaller 37% prefered not to say what they identified as.

When asked if Non-binary individuals could ever have a "gender role" in society. 50% of the respondents answered yes. 38% of the respondents answered no. And a small 12% prefered not to say.

When asked if they believed non-binary individuals should be recognized? 63% of the respondents answered yes, 25% of the respondents prefered not to say, and a small 12% answered no.

what does this mean for this future?

Considering, that a relatively small amount of people responded to this survey, it is important to capitalize on the results as they could reproduce in similar manners on a larger group of respondents. I take into fact that as 63% of the respondents identified as binary, and 63% of the respondents believed that non-binary individuals should be recognized. Whilst 50% of responders believe that non-binary individuals can have a "gender role" in society.

If these numbers reproduce on a larger scale, this would illustrate a realm of tolerance. Through tolerance of ideas and beliefs, different groups of individuals(binary, non-binary) can progress together for the greater good that is society.