I have a different type of job then I've ever had before. Most of my work experience is selling women's clothes. I know work in a different type of retail store, it's more like a joke and gift store. We sell all sorts of different things and we target and alternative type of client.
I find that I encounter more people with blurred gendered lines. Like I find myself wondering should I call these people girls or guys. After learning about gender and genre identity I feel like it can be very insulting to call someone who doesn't identify as a woman a woman or the same with a man.
One time I told a group of women "have a nice day ladies" and one of them told me she is a man. I could tell he was not born a man but I apologized and have since not added and gender terms when greeting customers at work.
The book by David Gauntlett, "Media, Gender and Identity," brings up two different points to support or help explain why there may be confusion between if someone is a man or a woman. First is the idea that "some psychologists believe that chromosomal and hormonal differences are the main cause of differences between male and female behavior. They typically point to evidence from situations where people have grown up with different hormone levels and emerge as more 'masculine' or 'feminine', but the implication of such findings are rarely clear cut (p. 38)." And "other psychologists argue that socialization is much more important - gender roles are learned during development, and reinforced throughout everyday life. There is a lot of evidence to support this case, and it is often conceded that 'most investigators agree that cultural influences and socialization processes are the main determinants of an individual's gender role identity and roles' (p. 38)." Both of these are valid responses to gender identity issues, it is either something in the persons biology and hormone level or it is how they are socialized or what they are programmed to do, maybe they are just rebelling against traditional programming. Or perhaps it is a combination of the two answers, I'm sure everyone's story is a little different.
Who else has had an experience when they had a hard time figuring out someone else's gender identity? Also why are the only terms that we have to refer to people gendered terms? How else could I generally talk to groups of customers instead of calling them guys or ladies?
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteYour work situation seems to have many opportunities for gender observations -- the one you share is terrific and poses many interesting questions.
Where is the tie to class reading material?
Try to generate questions that push the conceptual boundaries that we are exploring in class. For example, with this scenario, you could have connected to issues related to "binary" assumptions (only two gender categories, men and women) and then posed questions like: If gender boundaries are fluid and blurred, are there appropriate ways to respond to men and women using that lens? What language could be used that is gender neutral and takes into account new definitions of gendered identities?
I have had a similar problem at my work as well. It's hard to figure out sometimes if I am talking to a man or a woman. I think there is neutral phrasing that could be used. As work I try to avoid saying things like,"ladies and guys." I had a customer interaction almost identical to yours when I said, "Have a good one, guys." And the man turned around and said,"Ummm I'm a woman..." So now I just try to avoid tying in gender in all my work conversations.
ReplyDeleteGood point about neutral phrasing, Leah. I am still guilty of using "guys" as a gender neutral term; occasionally I ask people how they feel about that and I am always trying to decrease and eliminate the use.
ReplyDelete