Title: The Gendered and Gendering Institutions - PHDessay.com
Headings: The Gendered and Gendering Institutions
The Gendered and Gendering Institutions
Cite this page

Content: The Gendered and Gendering Institutions - PHDessay.com
Last Updated 03 Aug 2020
The Gendered and Gendering Institutions
Category Boy and Girl Are Equal
,
Gender
Essay type Research
Words
1404
(5 pages)
Views
468
When describing something that influences your gender, most people would assume that your “sex” or our biological identification given to us at birth would be the most definite source; however there are multiple factors and processes that contribute to one’s gender identity. The multitudes of institutions that assist in the socialization of an individual vary from person to person, but are all beneficial in creating a sense of gender. According to Michael Messner, there are two types of institutions, the gendered and the gendering. The gendered institution is described by Messner as “an institution constructed by gender relations. As such, its structures and values (rules, formal organizations, sex composition, etc. ) reflect dominant conceptions of masculinity and femininity” (p. 133). The gendering institution can be described by Messner as an institution that constructs the current gender order and genders people’s bodies and minds, it creates the masculine and feminine identities. These institutions are both detrimental to the construction of gender and personal identity; for me the involvement in CYO sports at a young age and the household in which I grew up (all girls) allowed me the freedom to develop an identity of my own outside the traditional masculine/feminine identity.