The Norm and Gender

As far as history can tell gender norms have always existed. During the era of Ancient Greece,  boys were sent off to military school at an early age to learn about swordsmanship and battle strategies for war while girls would stay home to master the arts of cooking, sewing, and other household activities needed to sustain daily life. Though they play a factor, who created and when the norms of being boy or girl were created are much less important than why these norms exist today. There are multiple reasons why gender norms exist, however I believe the main one is because society cherishes tradition. When trying to persuade a person on a new belief system or idea it is almost certain that you will cross paths with many who will ask, "Who are we to change that belief system our fathers and father's fathers were raised on?" or state, "If it was good enough for them (ancestors) it's good enough for me!". And we can tell from past even tradition is hard to break, it has been over 150 years since the abolition of slavery, yet we still have people who believe in white supremacy and segregation. In “Learning to Be Gendered” an essay written by Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet, we are taught that from conception we are raised to become either boy or girl depending on our sexual anatomy. One of the main purposes of gender norms in society is for socialization. As a boy the norm teaches me I should hang around guys most of the time so I can do things that guys do such as watch sports, play video games, ect. The norm also teaches me that I should abhor activities that girls enjoy such as talking about fashion, doing make up and playing with EZ bake ovens. In "Learning to be Gendered" Eckert and McConnell-Ginet claim that we cannot connect, collaborate or even judge one another unless we can first tie a gender to that person. Life would be very different with out the use of gender roles, and with the new acceptance of transgender identity in 36 years we might be calling ourselves zhe, zher, and zhim.