Gender Expression

 Cognitive, affective, and behavioral intentions are three components of attitudes (Learning Objectives | Online Resources, n.d.). The cognitive part is our beliefs about something. The affective part is our emotions about that something, and the behavioral part is the course of action we are going to take about something. Our attitudes about things stem from what society and family have taught us about social norms and social roles. Our attitudes impact our view of gender because they represent what society has taught us about gender and how each gender should express themselves. We are taught at an early age the way society categorizes the gender role of men and women and this lays the baseline for attitudes which are our learned beliefs. Many times, these learned beliefs are very rigid and do not allow for any variance. With this in mind, we are conditioned to feel and behave a certain way anytime we encounter someone who expresses their gender role outside of these learned norms. Our personal beliefs are founded on what we have learned which affects our views of normal and abnormal. 

Different cultures have different social norms and roles, and therefore members of different cultures will have different attitudes toward how someone chooses to express their gender. For instance, Wienclaw (2021) writes that in the Tchambuli culture of New Guinea women control economic life, do the fishing, and initiate sexual relations. The men wear flowers and jewelry and are dependent. Now as an example, John is a male who expresses his gender with more effeminate characteristics, and John is in two different situations. In one situation John is walking down a street in New Guinea, and in the other situation, John is walking down a street somewhere in Saudi Arabia. The attitudes, personal beliefs, and people’s views of the way that John chooses to express his gender will differ with diverse cultures. 

Fear is a reason some might feel uncomfortable validating someone’s gender expression. Someone may worry about repercussions from validating the gender expression of someone who expresses it differently from their own personal beliefs and cultural social norms and social roles. Another reason may be fear of saying the wrong thing or using the wrong pronoun, and they may not want to embarrass themselves by saying the wrong thing. And this is where everyone can benefit from increasing their emotional intelligence on this topic. Increasing emotional intelligence on this topic will ensure that all people, no matter how they choose to express their gender, will receive social justice. 

Amber Hagar (2014) wrote Gender What? Which gives four steps to take to validate someone’s gender expression. The first step is to do your research and see gender as a personal expression of their location on the gender spectrum (Hagar, 2014). Hagar posts the following five websites for additional resources: 

• https://www.genderspectrum.org/ 

• http://www.transstudent.org/gender 

• https://transequality.org/ 

• https://transgenderlawcenter.org/about 

• https://www.transgenderpulse.com/ 

The second step is to be respectful of someone's gender identity, name, and pronouns. The third step is to be an ally, advocate, speak up and support that person. In the fourth step Hagar (2014) posts the following four links for counseling and to answer questions such as religious matters: 

• https://myusf.usfca.edu/caps 

• https://myusf.usfca.edu/cultural-centers/gender-sexuality-center 

• https://myusf.usfca.edu/student-life/intercultural-center/about-us 

• https://www.usfca.edu/university-ministry 

 

 

 

 

References 

Hager, A. (2014). Supporting Gender Identity: A Beginner’s Guide for Friends, Family, and University Staff | myUSF. Myusf.usfca.edu. https://myusf.usfca.edu/caps/supporting-gender-identity 

Learning Objectives / Online Resources. (n.d.). Edge.sagepub.com. https://edge.sagepub.com/node/23655/student-resources/chapter-4/learning-objectives 

‌Wienclaw, R. A. (2021). Gender Roles. Research Starters: Sociology.