Who Am I Gender As A Social Construct, Not An Inherent Characteristic Essay

Who Am I Gender As A Social Construct, Not An Inherent Characteristic - Essay Example Sex is a physical, genetically based characteristic, visible through the sex organs. Gender is a social construct, created and utilized by society to place people in categories. This is clearly shown through Peter Levin's article "Gendering in the Market: Temporality, Work, and Gender on a National Futures Exchange." In Peter Levin's article, gender is proven to be a social construct and not an inherent aspect of self, and is hierarchically organized within the society." There are few places in America that are more gendered than the Stock exchange and trading floors. Over 90% of all trade floor workers are male, and according to Levin, "are highly heterosexual, hyper-rational, and based on the ideals of domination, aggression, and competition" (Levin 4). Levin creates the model to explain the environment, and how the environment changes to create gender. In an environment that is traditionally thought to emulate one gender or another, such as the trade floor, the discrepancies become clearer. For women to act on the trade floor successfully, they would have to overcome their gender, which, were it a genetic construct, and not a social construct, would be impossible. Yet, when the trade floor is busy, women are considered to be equally successful to men.